Age is Just a Number

 

Age is Just a Number

It is my birthday week – turning 55 years old on March 1.  Funny, I don’t feel that old.  I am proud of what I can do at my age – run 5K races, ride my bike great distances, lift weights, start a new business, hug my friends and family.  I have been to 5 continents, 44 countries and 41 states, and plan to add to that count.

There is so much that I can do that I seldom look at what I cannot do, or not desire to do.  I do not care to run a marathon, but I could try.  I do not want to climb Mt. Everest, but I could try.  I do not want to scuba dive, but I could try.  I do not want to do a Tik Tok dance, but I could try.    I have choices of what to do or not.  I do not let my age limit these choices or let someone decide for me.

Author, Greg McKeown states “The ability to choose cannot be taken away or even given away—it can only be forgotten.”   We should not let our age or circumstances make decisions for us.  I look at my options then determine if that is something for me.  The other piece of that quote is not to forget about our ability to choose.  In life, we choose whether or not to learn and grow our knowledge and skills.  I believe that when we quite choosing to learn, we slowly start to die inside.  I choose to learn and live – no matter my age.

When I was 45 years old, I decided that it was time to learn to swim.  I took swim lessons when I was younger but had not mastered the techniques or ability to float.  I wanted to be able to snorkel with my family on vacations.  At 45 years old, I took the leap to take swim lessons.  Since then, I have snorkeled in many places, including Phuket, Thailand where sharks and sea turtles swam past me.  The ability to swim has allowed me to participate in triathlons.  Wow!  If you would have told me years ago that I would be swimming plus participating in triathlons, I would have not believe you.  Because I stepped outside my comfort zone and into the water, many new opportunities came to me.

If I had limited my choices and stayed in my comfort zone, I would still be sitting on the boat while my family experienced amazing underwater sea life.  At 45 years of age, I decided that my desire to snorkel and swim with my family was greater than my fear of the water. 

This year, I am challenging myself to master a crow pose in Yoga.  It requires strength, focus and believing in myself.  I know that there will be many falls before finding that balance.  I am not giving up until I can conquer it.  I will share photos along the way.

What about you?  What limitations are you placing on yourself due to your age or a fear?  Consider what is on the outside of your comfort zone.  There is life to be lived, new experiences, success in going after your dream.  It is your decision to make.

Decide to take that first step.  Success is not immediate.  There will be many steps on your way to fulfilling that dream.  The first attempts may result in failure but do not give up.  Acknowledge the difficulties then learn from them.  You will learn a lot on the journey to success.

Have an accountability partner – let others know your dream so they can encourage you along the way.  I am here for you.  I believe in you and know that you can and will succeed in those things that you desire the most.

Don’t be limited by your age.  Do not let others take away your ability to decide. 

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Make it a great week!

Honoring the First Ladies on Presidents' Day

 

My Favorite First Lady of the United States Quotes

At first, I planned to have today’s Monday Motivation to focus on quotes from various Presidents due to it being President’s day.  Then I started to think about the importance of the women in their lives – the First Ladies. 

I am currently reading Michelle Obama’s book, “The Light We Carry”.  She mentions the 8 years that she spent in the White House.  Consider the sacrifices that First Ladies make to support their husbands as they fulfilled the duties of the President of the United States.  They stepped away from a career while in the White House.  When there were children, they uprooted them from their homes, their schools to bring them to Washington DC.  The First Ladies are tasked with being hostess to a variety of visitors and dignitaries both national and international. 

The First Ladies also act as their spouse’s confidant and sounding board.  Imagine the secrets that they must know and keep.  All of this while constantly being judged on what they say, do and wear.  I admire these women for their strength to maintain their dignity and compassion while experiencing extremely critical feedback against their husbands, families and themselves.

These ladies were remarkable in their own right.  Many were college educated.  They had various service careers and were active in community and charitable organizations.  They experienced death of their children, cancer, addictions, discrimination – the same struggles that all women have.  Yet they never gave up on themselves, their husbands or family.  They demonstrated the necessity of having inner strength and resiliency to lead successful lives.

On this President’s Day, I salute the First Ladies and share favorite quotes from them.  Take time to reflect on the quotes and consider how they can apply in your life.

•          The greatest part of our happiness or misery depends on dispositions and not our circumstances. – Martha Washington
•           If we mean to have heroes, statesmen and philosophers, we should have learned women. – Abigail Adams
•           You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.  You are able to say to yourself, “I lived through this horror.  I can take the next thing that comes along”. – Eleanor Roosevelt
•           Become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid. – Lady Bird Johnson
•           Confidence, I’d learned then, sometimes needs to be called from within.  I’ve repeated the same words to myself so many times now, through many climbs.  Am I good enough?  Yes I am. – Michelle Obama

Do you have a favorite quote from a First Lady?  Share it with me on Facebook or LinkedIn.

Take these encouraging words from these First Ladies and apply them to your life.  Believe in yourself; if your belief is waning, share my belief in you.

Make it a great week!

Random Acts of Kindness

 

Helping Others to Help Yourself

Ahh – Valentine’s Day.  There are different outlooks and viewpoints about this holiday.  It originally began as a day to honor early Christian martyrs name Saint Valentine.  Today, it is a commercial celebration of romance and love throughout the world.  It can be viewed as a day to bestow gifts and extra attention to that special someone in your life.

Others may view the day with disdain because they do not have a special someone in their life, or they have been burnt by love.  They may choose to wear black on Valentine’s Day and wallow in self-pity.

What is your stance of Valentine's Day?  Are you wearing red and spreading cheer, or wearing black and commiserating?

If the words of Booker T. Washington, “If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.”  I interpret this to mean that if we look to the needs of others, we forget our own woes for a time and our outlook on life changes.  We can choose to be happier, just by focusing on the needs of others. 

Change your view of Valentine's Day and consider that the week of February 12-18 is Random Acts of Kindness Week with February 17 being Random Acts of Kindness Day.  What can you do to brighten another’s day?  It does not have to include a lot of money or time.  Simple acts can go a long way. 

Consider some of the following:

-          Leave snacks and a thank you for delivery drivers.

-          Mail an encouraging handwritten letter.

-          Sign up to be an organ donor.

-          Compliment a stranger.

-          Put away your phone and fully pay attention to someone.

-          Donate blood.

-          Leave a generous tip.

-          Buy coffee for the person behind you in line.

-          Do a chore without being asked.

-          Smile and wave at others.

-          Post and comment positive vibes on social media.  Use the following hashtags to encourage others - #kindness #RAOK #kindnessmatters #bekind #actsofkindness

“Not all of us can do great things.  But we can do small things with great love.” – Mother Teresa

Random acts of kindness do not have to be grand or costly.  The smallest efforts can have a great impact on others.  Bonus is that you will better for being kind to others.  Check out https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/kindness-ideas for more ideas of being nice and paying it forward. 

I hope that your week is filled with kindness, love, and positive vibes.

Make it a great week!

Clutter

Clutter is nothing more than the manifestation of indecision. – Wendy Ellin

I discovered this quote recently when it was shared on LinkedIn.  I thought – how insightful.  At times, clutter is not necessarily being lazy or messy, we are avoid deciding what to do with something or about something.  Magazines were piling up on one of my end tables because I could not decide whether to read them, recycle them, donate them to the library or keep them for my Vision Board.  Until I made a decision, they were taking up space in our living room making it look cluttered. 

Then I considered the angst and stress that having the magazines piling up created in the house.  My husband gently asking what my plans were with the magazines.  The cats knocking them onto the floor when running across them.  My stress when looking at them because I had not made a decision.  Eventually, I made the decision to store them in a closet to have when I make my Vision Board.

Consider other areas of our lives where there is “clutter”.  Not necessarily physical clutter but mental clutter.  Worrying about things out of our control.  Putting off making a phone call because it may be an uncomfortable conversation.  Discontent due to comparing your life to another’s.  This is the type of mental clutter which can prevent us from doing things of importance and living our best life. 

Let’s clean up the physical and mental clutter in our lives.  Start by assessing what is cluttering your life.  Walk around your physical environment and make a list of areas that you feel are cluttered.  Prioritize which area to tackle first then set a deadline to take care of it.  Determine what family member(s) can help with those areas.  Taking 15 minutes each day to deal with physical clutter will lead to a sense of peace and accomplishment. 

Then deal with that mental clutter.  Set the timer for 5 minutes and write down whatever is on your mind – deadlines, difficulties, gratitude – include positive and negative.  Are there thoughts which you can set free?  Concerns that are not in your control that need to be released?  What items are a necessity and need to be managed – making that phone call, paying the bills?  Set deadlines for taking care of those items.

When writing down this mental clutter, you create a picture that is more manageable, less overwhelming.  As the saying goes “Eat an elephant one bite at a time”.   Tackle each item from that list one at a time.  In time, your list will become smaller.  Then you will feel a sense of accomplishment and peace in taking care of both the physical and mental clutter.

Other time of mind clutter are negative thoughts floating around.  How are you talking to yourself?  Are you supportive and positive, or negative and doubting?  We are own best cheerleaders.  Remind yourself that you are beautiful, amazing, strong and a person of value.

Throughout this process, create new habits which will prevent the clutter.  For the physical clutter, deal with items daily rather than letting them pile up.  For the mental clutter, create new habits which will lead to a more productive life – setting deadlines, meditation, positive self-talk.  Don’t let the clutter control you; you control the clutter.

We are on the Earth to assist one another.  Find the support in your life that can hold you accountable and challenge you to live up to your full potential.  A self-leadership coach can be that person.  Reach out, and we can discuss how we can take control of that clutter together.