Season of Change

This is the time of year when I begin to sense the coming change of season.  The Autumnal Equinox is a very powerful time of year for me and always signifies great change.  It feels like the energy of an approaching storm.  

My excitement and anticipation are increased because it is always a positive shift that occurs during this time.  I take quantum leaps out of my comfort zone into the pure joy of something new.

My mother commented when I was a young girl that most changes occurred for me in the Spring and Fall and that I should pay close attention to what was happening in my life around those times each year.  

As a farmer's daughter she understood the relevance of the earth cycles and how each of us has our own "season".  This is my time of year and I'm anxious to see what new and wonderful experience awaits me!

30 Day Reboot

It’s that time of year again.  The time when I begin to feel a bit restless and in need of a change.  I don’t feel stuck, just a little less interested in my usual routine.

Time passes so quickly that I forget to stop and reassess where I want to be.  All of those things that I thought about doing so many months ago, but never did, now don’t feel so important or interesting.

Being retired, I don’t have the commitment of work and yet my life is full and busy and for that I am grateful.  Now, I am ready for something new.

Time for a Change

I have to be careful when I’m feeling this way as I have a tendency to make radical changes, like moving houses or even leaving the country.  I don’t need to go to that extent if I can just find some new ways to revitalize my outlook.

What I have learned is that all change actually happens from within and that is where I need to start.  So, I have created a personal challenge that will help me to reset my perspective and allow some fresh ideas to surface.

Be Easy About It

What I am looking for is a gentle shift, not a huge leap.  Some way of opening up to some new things without having to throw out the old. 

One thing I will do more of is meditate.  Spending just 10 minutes a day, sitting quietly is so simple that I forget how much power there is in reconnecting with my spirit.

When I do that, it seems that I feel lighter, and more creative ideas come to me. 

Do What You Love

Something that never fails to soothe my soul is to go out in nature.  No matter what the weather is, I always love just walking in a park.  I go during off hours so I can be alone and just experience the peace.

 
This year, I started a small vegetable garden.  It has been so satisfying to care for the plants and watch them grow.  It is a lovely reminder of the cycle of life.

Have Fun

Part of the process for me is to remember to have more fun.  I have always been a very serious person so light-hearted fun is pure joy when I can let myself feel it.

Over the years, I have found that I enjoy many things but don’t often incorporate them into my daily life. 

Whether it is turning up the music and dancing while I’m cleaning house or cooking some new exotic dish, it doesn’t matter.  Just being playful is key to feeling happy.
 
Minimize Negative Influence

It is helpful for me to reduce outside interference in order to make sustainable changes. 

The big one for me is my phone.  I live alone so it is easy for that to be my biggest connection with the outside world, but it has become less of a tool for communicating and more of a time warp of senseless activity.  I catch myself scrolling through a flood of information that I don’t want or need in my life.

I remember when a phone was just a phone, not a mini-computer.

Television is another intrusion that I allow far too often.  I don’t need the constant input of bad news and excessive advertising. 

Maximize the Positive

It is easy to go through the day without stopping to think about how I am really feeling.  Every day there is an opportunity for me to look for the best things in the world around me. 

Something as simple as a friendly check-out clerk at the store or a lovely yellow butterfly on the bush in my yard.  Life is as wonderful as we let it be.

Many years ago, Bing Crosby sang “Accentuate the Positive – Eliminate the Negative”, that is my new mantra.

I can’t wait to see what delightful things I will discover on this new journey.
 
Do you feel a need for change at different times of the year?  What do you do when you are craving something new?  Share your stories and join the conversation.

Published on Published on Sixty and Me

Discovering My Authentic Self

There are just a few months until my 65th birthday and official retirement from my 30 year career.  It has been a wonderful and satisfying time and now I am looking forward to what is next for me. 

As with so many people entering this new chapter, I am taking time to reflect on just what that means for me personally.  My children are grown with full-lives and beautiful families of their own and now it is time for me to focus on my life and what I want to do. 

What I am realizing is that, I need to reacquaint myself with who I really am.  Not who I've been, not who others wanted me to be, but the true authentic person that I have become.  Time to shed the superficial and really let my true nature shine.

I know she's in there, I can feel it when I see my grandchildren smile, or hear a song that makes me cry, or laugh out loud about something silly.  There is so much joy and passion waiting to be expressed and it's time that I finally let it out in the open. 

Life is supposed to be fun - that's a message I keep hearing and yet I wonder what does that mean for me?  What I've come up with so far is that it is something different for each one of us and changes at different stages of our lives.  What was fun in my twenties is not fun to me today.  There may be parts of it that still are interesting but in a new and very different way.

I am very fortunate in that, I don't have to do anything I don't want to do and I actually realize it!  So now, it is my mission to explore and discover what it is that I really do want.  Easier said than done, so I'm researching and trusting how I feel to find those things that fit.  There is a lot of wisdom to be gained if you follow your heart and let the rest go. 

I just finished reading "The Happiness Equation" by Neil Pasricha and I loved it.  I originally picked it up while I was traveling for work but put it aside when things got too busy.  Interesting that most of what he talks about in the book is how to create more space and not be too busy.  As with all lessons, you get what you need when you are ready for them.  When I read the last few chapters it occurred to me that this was just what I needed now, not a few months ago.

He offers 3 simple but very effective ways to find your authentic self.
1.  The Saturday Morning Test - What do you do on a Saturday morning when you have nothing to do?
2.  The Bench Test - How do you feel when you put yourself in a new situation?
3.  The Five People Test - Who are the five people closest to you in the things you love most?

I smiled as I read it because it is Saturday morning and what I am doing is reading and writing about a new situation.  It makes me happy just to type that.  That feels like confirmation that I am exactly where I need to be and that the universe will always surprise and delight me with the perfect message at the perfect time.

One of my all time favorite quotes is from Sarah Ban Breathnach - The authentic self is the soul made visible.

Here's wishing that we all find a way to let our beautiful soul be seen.

Life Force

I am experiencing something that few people will understand.  My life seems to be slowing down and speeding up at the same time.  

Slowing, in the sense that I don’t need or even like to rush through things anymore.  I take my time and enjoy the moment, savoring whatever delight that time holds for me. 

Speeding up in how quickly I move to the next thing as soon as the deliciousness of that time has passed.  I no longer feel the need to stay and try to work something out, I can feel if it is right for me to continue or if it is time to move on.  

I believe that it is the life force that is moving through me at those moments, propelling me forward at greater and greater speed.
  

I have lived, loved and traveled more than I could ever have imagined and now I find my desire is like the cycle of life itself, forever changing.

5 Years Ago

5 years ago I entered what might be the most significant time of my life so far. As I turned 50 I longed for more meaning and desperately needed to discover what was next for me. So without any hesitation I quit my job, put my house up for sale, packed all of my belongings and moved to another country.

With 1 suitcase and no plan I wanted to see what might unfold. What occurred was more than I could have ever hoped for. It turned into 6 of the best months of my life with so many wonderful experiences that I will never forget.

It was exactly what I needed to change the direction of my life. More than anything what going away did was to bring me back home - physically, spiritually and emotionally.

Beautiful New Day

There is a change happening within me right now that is difficult to explain. I woke early this morning feeling so happy and alert. I am more of a night person so mornings are usually a little slow for me. Today felt very different... As soon as I opened my eyes I felt refreshed and ready to get on with my day.

I am generally a very optimistic person but what I am feeling now is much deeper and very profound. It’s like being in school, when you study something and understand well enough to get a passing grade but then suddenly you really get it! You now know and feel it in a way that surpasses anything you did before… that is the beginning of a beautiful new day.

Change your story

There is a saying - Change your story, change your life. This is part of the "we are what we believe" philosophy that for me is very true.

I had a great revelation this weekend. After a week of dealing with some difficult people I spoke to the one person who is always honest, fair and consistent. She has been a trusted friend for many, many years and has never wavered in who she is or how she treats people. She is also very good at setting appropriate boundaries. If I ever had a role model she is it!

What I realized is that I have been trying to create a new outcome from some old and very dysfunctional materials! I can’t go back to redo or change anything from the past but I can begin right now to move forward and have the life I want and deserve.

Passages

Many years ago I worked with a group called Passages, helping Women in Transition. Even though most of the focus was on women reentering the work force it had a much broader scope. Just like many of the books by Gail Sheehy, she talks about what we experience as we pass through different stages of our lives.

Sometimes we make the choice to change but more often life thrusts the change upon us. It is those times that we can choose what is really right for us. If we get caught up in our current circumstance we may not be able to see the window of opportunity that is open. I have learned to welcome those changes and now I get very excited waiting to see what new adventure awaits me.