WHAT IF.… you knew you would live to be 120 years old, and in good health – or mostly good health – almost to the end? What would change for you? It’s an important question to be asking NOW, before holiday fun distracts you, so you can get ready for 2019 and start the New Year as your strongest and most empowered Victory Chick.
Start a ‘What if…’ List
I started my “What if…” list over the summer while Joseph and I were negotiating our new marriage agreements for our new Five-Year Marriage™. And I’m excited!
Your life could change at any moment
And, yes, I don’t live in la-la land. Anything can happen. The truth is that tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone. But you know what? Tomorrow wasn’t promised to you when you were a teenager, or when you turned 21, or 40, 50, or 60. One of my close girlfriends died in a house fire at 23. Joseph’s best friend, the best man at our first wedding, died of a heart attack the month after turning 50. Yes, you don’t know what can happen. It could be bad…but, also, it could be really good!!
You’re life could also extend for MANY more years than you expect
Think about it…between modern science and replacement parts, maybe you WILL live to be in good health until you are 120. And, if you do, you really don’t want to look back on this time of your life and say, “I wish I had…” That’s what all the women in the retirement community told a psychologist Friday Happy Hour guest. They said that, if they knew they were going to live as long as they had (80’s & 90’s), they would have started new projects and done other things.
How to prevent regrets in old age
Here is how you can empower yourself to live a “no regrets” life:
- Get Started. The easiest way to start is to ask yourself, “I wish I had…” Some of the answers I’ve heard my clients say include things like, I wish I…
- Started my own business
- Opened a bridal salon
- Gotten a divorce
- Traveled more
- Hadn’t stopped playing the guitar and singing
- Learned another language
- Written down the family history for my grand kids
- Written my memoir
- Focused on art (I was really good at that when I was a kid). I wish I took classes then
- Hadn’t given up crafting pottery
- had more meaningful things in my life so that my kids wouldn’t always presume I’m always available for babysitting and, if I say “no,” make me feel guilty.
- Your turn: Complete this sentence: “I wish I had ____________________”
- Play!
- Complete this sentence: “I just found out that I’m going to live to be 120 years old! Now I know I have time to _______________________”
- Write everything down that comes into your head.
- FYI: do this over a few days or a week. Your mind may need some time to know it “has permission” to think outside the box.
- Have some fun with this!
- Complete this sentence: “I just found out that I’m going to live to be 120 years old! Now I know I have time to _______________________”
- Take Action
OK, look at what you wrote with the belief that you’ll live to 120. You know it’s not too late yet. What can you do about that wish now?When you allow yourself to be empowered, you can do anything. Here are some ideas, both active and passive. You can…- Take a class at your local community college
- Volunteer in the field
- Meet and talk to some people who are doing it. If you don’t know anyone, you can go to a meeting of a professional association or a group or meetup focused on that special interest
- Read books on that subject
- Look for people online who do it and read their blogs
- There is a wealth of knowledge online. You can listen to TedTalks, podcasts, and virtual summits or get signup for seminars and workshops (‘ll be doing another Savvy Sizzle in January).
- Have breakfast or lunch with someone who is already doing it
Pursing your dreams adds excitement to your life!
One midlife woman just told me she’s going to take the LSATs with the intention of going to law school. She isn’t sure what she’ll do with it, but already a couple ideas popped into her head – possibilities she probably would never have considered without the impetus of this new direction. And she’s excited. Her new wish-fulfillment idea is clearing about cobwebs in her mind. She’s made a couple new choices that will better position her to take action.
Follow your passions to fill your life with happiness
Another midlife woman just got her degree in acupuncture. She started when her last kid was a junior in college. It took her a really long time to finish. Now she has a small office, and she loves it – especially when she can use acupuncture to help young women get pregnant (without using fertility drugs). In fact, she loves it so much, I’m betting she’s going to make fertility the “specialty” in her practice.
Keep track of your progress
4 – Watch what happens next
Once you get started in a direction, your life starts to move. Keep a journal because things will start to happen. Maybe it’ll be something on a TV show that will jog a thought in your mind. Or someone will start a conversation that gives you a new angle on your “what if…”
What one thirty-something woman told me was that she was just going along trying to figure things out. Then it got clear. How she explained it was, “one day my life just shifted.”
So keep a journal…you’re going to find it fascinating in a few months!
In January I’ll be starting another Savvy Sizzle workshop. I’ll be sharing more with you over the next two months…but here’s what I’ll be doing: Savvy Sizzle MasterClass
Look for more information in future posts! and be sure to join my newsletter! I send out lots of helpful tips and free tools. Click here to join.
# Victorious Woman Project, #Victorious Woman, #WomensEmpowerment, #VictoryChicks, #AnnmarieKelly, #FiveYearMarriage
