I’m Turning 50 Years Old….

50 Years Old!  Wow that’s a huge “Milestone” — Half a Century!! 

I know many people have a super hard time with these milestone kind of birthdays.  One of my dearest friends was absolutely devastated over her 50th birthday.  For a long time she wanted to run away and hide, it was really hard for her.  She thought turning 60 was much easier, and didn’t have a hard time with that one at all.

I’ve been doing a lot of contemplating and reflecting over the fact that this birthday has been very very quickly approaching.  I will be fifty years old (the BIG 5-0) on tomorrow….

… And I’m okay with it.

In fact, I’m actually looking forward to this next chapter of my life.

This is January of 2020.  It’s a brand new decade, and a brand new chapter in life.  It seems like the best time for me to see things as they are now, and where I want for them to be in the next 5 or 10 years.

Hindsight is 2020

Looking at things as they are Today… My Last day as a Forty Something.

Honestly for me,  2019 wasn’t my greatest year.  I had such great plans and aspirations last January, and then as the months started to pass things started to get derailed.

• I stopped taking time for my routines and journals
• I got into a “reactive” mode rather that being “proactive” and planning my days, weeks, and months.
• I took on way too many projects and tasks.
• I let my health deteriorate, and my weight started advancing back upward.
• Most days I felt like I was running someone else’s agenda and not taking any time for me to do the things that I wanted to do, the things that make me feel happy.

By the end of 2019, I felt like I was on some crazy roller coaster ride except the only direction it was going was deeper and deeper into the depths of misery.

I’ve been quiet on social media and on my blog for a very long time.  I just wasn’t taking the time to do the things that I wanted to do, and that made me feel good.  I wasn’t doing much of anything except reacting to all of the “shit” going on around me.

Sadly, the last blog post I even posted was in August.

I know everyone says not to do New Years resolutions because they never last, and I am a firm believer in that.

This year I feel different, I feel like it’s not just a new year, but a new decade.  And this is not just a birthday, but a big milestone date.

I’m feeling okay about beginning this New Chapter in my life tomorrow.  I know I’m not where I want to be, but I also know I’m not where I was even 5 years ago.  Life is always changing and allowing us the ability to grow and change with it.

In a Perfect World on my 50th Birthday

In a perfect world, I would have loved for me to have my very adequate “retirement nest egg” all set and in place.  I would be able to have what I want, and give where I want.

I would love to be able to not have as many responsibilities as I currently do, and I would love to be able to take time, slow down and enjoy the little things.

BUT – I also wouldn’t want to be without my family – my daughter, grandson, children, mother, extended family and dear friends.  So with that comes the responsibility of being “that” mom,daughter, sister and friends.

I don’t think life is every without responsibilities and obligations.  I think it’s all about learning how to prioritize those things which are most important to you.

It’s a matter of taking the time to be present, be grateful and enjoy the little moments.  Even 5-10 minutes at the end of a busy day playing with my grandson, or making the time to take my mother do an appointment, or surprising my kids with a special treat.

It’s a matter of TAKING the time, and MAKING those things a priority.  Being present in the situation to feel the feelings, and be joyful and grateful with them.  That is a lesson I am constantly learning.

Looking Forward to Enjoying My Fifties

I am really excited to start this next chapter of life.  Doing some contemplating, there are many things I want to achieve in the next 10 years.

I’ve made a list of 50 of them:

1. Be of service to others
2. Read a book a month
3. Organize my house and donate what we don’t use
4. Quit smoking
5. Spend cherished time with my mom
6. Love on my kids and spend time with them always
7. Become more physically active (minimum of 3 times a week)
8. Use my Instant pot regularly
9. Get back to my healthy body weight
10. Feel good in my own skin
11. Live intentionally every day
12. Start a daily gratitude journal
13. Teach the younger gen how to make Grandma’s Fudge
14. Laugh DAILY
15. Go on a yearly vacation
16. Have time freedom and the ability to make my own schedule. Working when I want and playing when I want.
17. Always be a role model, mentor and a leader
18. Become an empty nester
19. Build an profitable online business
20. Build a strong resource for senior citizens
21. Build several sources of residual income
22. Live Healthfully
23. Take my grandson to Disney and my daughter for a seafood boil
24. Move into a new home
25. Be 100% Debt Free
26. Have investments to build my retirement
27. Continue to be a learner
28. Meditate daily
29. Ride in a Limo
30. Watch two of my “bigs” graduate high school
31. Teach my older kids to play crib
32. Go on an Alaskan cruise
33. Go to Brendon Burchard’s HPX Live event
34. Go to a Tony Robbins event
35. Visit my cousins in Arkansas
36. Do a Family road trip to see the Red Wood Forest and Grand Canyon, and other famous land marks in North America.
37. Start a weekly Random act of kindness challenge group
38. Teach my “bigs” how to drive
39. Teach my “littles” how to ride a bike
40. Learn how to do lettering/calligraphy
41. Take a graphic design course
42. Get a permanent vacation trailer spot in British Columbia
43. Learn to love (or even like) avocado
44. Get back to Yoga
45. Strengthen my friendships and broaden my circle of friends
46. See the Northern Lights
47. Have my content go viral
48. Learn to do Video and LIVES (and NOT suck)
49. Become a writer
50. Train Miss Molly to have some manners

I want being fifty to be a time of celebration, learning and growth.  A time where I reinvent parts of my life and strengthen other parts of my life, so that I can enjoy ALL of my life.

I want to take the time to enjoy where I am, but look forward to where I am going.

I am where I am because of the choices and decisions that I’ve made.

Where I am right now is THE PERFECT PLACE TO START BEING 50!

How did you deal when you turned 50, was it a celebration, or a feeling of dread?

Talk soon,

P.S. – I’d love to connect with some amazing, strong, 50 something women to share thoughts and ideas and the journey.

P.S.S.  – Please take a minute to connect with me: Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest |  Twitter |LinkedIn