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  • « To the Max… | Main | Treasure Hunting For Fossil Fish »

    Wake-Up Call: It\\\’s Time to Change

    By Bests | August 5, 2008

    “It is not enough to just
    verbalize or visualize your goals. You must have a plan and take steps to
    create what you want.?

    Have you had a wake-up call recently, such as
    an unexpected health crisis, a separation or divorce, or the loss of your job?
    Perhaps you just feel stuck or restless? Are you yearning for change?

    These situations and emotions come with
    midlife, and this transition can be like falling down Alice’s rabbit hole: frightening, yet at the
    same time invigorating. Some people come out terrified while others are
    transformed. Some people renew their passion for a new life with gusto, and
    others ease along, making small but notable changes.

    There is no right way or wrong way to
    transition through midlife
    . At some
    point, you may know you want to change your life, but you may have no idea
    where to begin and feel stuck. Yet, you simply have to do something!

    It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you
    take some form of action! Do something to shift your life.

    Get a new job, clean out your closets, retire
    a relationship that’s draining your energy, schedule your trek in the
    rainforest, move to a new city you love, join a group of like-minded boomers,
    volunteer to help people in another country, go back to school for fun or for a
    new career, take a dance class to learn to tango.

    The unrest that occurs at this period is
    about sorting out and separating who you are becoming from who you have been.
    It is a time for deep introspection, and for exploring how you want to live
    this part of your life and how you want to become more authentically who you
    are.

    These suggestions will help you get unstuck
    and get to your next step:

    Step One: Schedule a quiet time to think about some of the
    questions maturing boomers must confront as they approach middle age, such as: Do
    I want to spend the rest of my working life in my present career? What
    would a career change mean at this point in my life? What changes can I
    begin to make now to ensure better physical and psychological health for the
    rest of my life?

    Am I really happy
    and content with my daily life now?

           Step Two: Get clear about what you want for        your life. 

    Develop a personal
    profile that highlights several areas: Your pleasures, your dream job or
    career, the subjects about which you want to learn more, your strengths and
    your areas for improvement.

    Here’s a way to
    make your personal profile come alive: put together a picture board that
    displays all the things to which you are drawn or for which you have a passion,
    such as: a healthy body, gardening, resting at a spa, sailing, or a peaceful
    landscape. Cut photos from your favorite magazines to illustrate your passions
    and paste them on your “dream board.?

    Give yourself
    permission to get in touch with your suppressed vision of who you truly are and
    how you want your life to actually be.

          Step Three: Identify Obstacles and Outdated       Beliefs

       Do you have
    limiting thoughts that are holding   you back?

       Your set of
    beliefs, thoughts and lifestyle habits,   which include your food choices, your
    form of     exercise, your sleep patterns and stress level,   can be an obstacle for
    living a healthy lifestyle.     What are your thoughts and limiting
    behaviors?

           Step Four: Take Action to Make Permanent       Change

        It is not enough
    to just verbalize or visualize       your goals. You must have a plan and take     steps to create what you want!

        Action Steps:
    Write down your goals and action     steps to achieve them during the next 3
    months.    Identify your strengths and areas for     improvement in following up with
    your plan.

           Step Five: Get Help to Hold Yourself        Accountable

       To help you
    manifest your goals and dreams, I    recommend that you create accountability
    by    finding a buddy, hiring a coach , or joining a     group with like-minded people
    to help you reach    you goals.

    About the author

    Joyce Dillon, RN, MN, is a midlife expert, coach, author and
    CEO of Healthy Living and Balance. She is a pioneer in the field of healthy
    aging, empowerment and midlife transition. Teacher of transformative education
    for women, spa and Costa
    Rica retreat leader, and author of Embracing
    Your Soul’s Calling in Midlife. Learn more at
    http://www.Healthylivingandbalance.com/ or at my blog http://www.healthyboomerlifestyles.typepad.com

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