WORK ON IT

 What are You Doing to Make the Most 

of the Rest of Your Life?

 

Written byTESSA SKEENS

How to Make the Most of the Rest of Your Life

This is a great question because it’s never too late. Start visualizing how to live the rest of your life now.

What are you waiting for?

If you don’t make a difference in your life now, then when?

Once we hit fifty, sixty or later, life starts to look more finite and less infinite. I don’t say that with pessimism, just a healthy dose of realism! If life ahead is finite, then it just means we have fewer years left to do what we came here for.

I can’t think of any more kick in the ass motivation than that to get started can you?

 

The Rest of Your Life: Four Pillars

1.       Your inner life, thoughts and feelings

2.     Your look, sense of style and how you feel about your body

3.     Your home, where you find peace and security

4.     Your love life, how you share with others, relationships.

Make the most of your life by changing what isn’t working in these four pillars.

1. Your Inner Life

Start with questioning your thoughts or your “inner” life. Our thoughts and feeling run our lives, so making changes within helps everything else start to shift in a positive direction.

·         Realize you’re a beautiful goddess with the power to be a loving inspiration.

·         Take 100% responsibility for everything you do but not for anyone else.

·         Clean up old habits and make adjustments as needed.

·         Don’t wait for others to change, be the change.

·         Let go of expectation. Do the best you can and let go of any expectation of how things should be.

·         Be the ruler of your thoughts, don’t let them rule you.

2. Your Outer Life & Sense of Style

Reinventing your look or outer self is the finishing touch to  your inner life.

·         Realize you’re a beautiful goddess inside and out

·         Be open to letting new hues and softer colors into your life

·         If it doesn’t make you feel fabulous, don’t wear it!

·         Don’t be afraid of flattering your best assets

·         Try a new hairdresser and a new hairstyle

·         Wear shoes that let you walk with your head up

 

3. Your Home and Security

Be ready to downsize, upsize or move abroad for a positive change in your home life.

·         Recognize you’re a beautiful goddess who deserves a beautiful home

·         Ask yourself if your current home supports you

·         Evaluate the neighborhood or community you live in

·         How much space do you actually need to hold your most treasured possessions?

·         What brings you the most joy and how can you be closer to it?

·         What location calls to you?

4. Your Love Life

Make the most of the rest of your life by letting go of the past if you need to. Unlock your heart to be ready for new love or renewed love.

·         Remember what kind of love a beautiful goddess deserves

·         Get familiar with the feeling of loving yourself at this time of your life

·         Single or not, remember you are a magnet for love

·         Reach for supportive friends and drop those who make you doubt yourself

·         Pay attention to how you are treated, actions matter not words

·         Create loving habits for yourself

 

The Rest of Your Life Starts Here

Grab a lined notebook. I use the cheap student ones with spiral binding because they fold flat!

Write down a list of your favorite passions, places or people. Allow your inner girl to come out. What did she always love to do? In this step it’s important to let your thoughts flow, don’t let your adult drown out the girl in you. Write down a list of what lights you up.

Mine might look like this:
– listening to loud music
– being close to the sea
– spending time with my son
– dancing to loud music
– traveling in Europe and the UK
– reading even more books
– planting and growing roses or puttering in the garden

You get the idea. It’s just a simple list of what floats your boat.

What does your list look like?

Once you’ve reminded yourself of the simple pleasures you enjoy, then next step is finding a way to add them into your life. That’s it. Easy, right?

The beauty of midlife is you know. You KNOW what you love!

Too often we ignore these simple pleasures or put them off for “some day”. We think somehow because they’re SO simple, they’ll just pop into our lives without taking much thought or effort.

What simple pleasure can you give attention to today?

Allow yourself to imagine what it would feel like to wallow in it for hours without guilt or recrimination.

Let’s take reading a book for example. If that’s your pleasure, when was the last time you allowed yourself a nice long read on the couch during the day?

When You’ve Finished Your List, Here’s the Next Step

·         One happens in our head. Your inner life.

·         The second needs action. Your outer life.

Both need attention.

If you’re like me and spend a lot of time in your thoughts, then realize thinking isn’t enough!

What action do you need to take?

 

How to Make the Most of the Rest of Your Life

·         Don’t wait. Start today. Not tomorrow…. or when you retire or when the youngest has left the nest.

·         Shift your thoughts to positive expectation. Say “I’m ready” “I believe” “I am”

·         Take each item on your list and visualize how it looks in your life. See yourself walking on a beach.

·         For each item on your life, take an action.  If you love dancing to music, sign up for Spotify or dig out your vinyl.

·         Take more action. Go to the library or order some books if you’re a reader. Order some roses for your garden.

·         For the bigger desires start with small steps. Want to spend more time in another country? Get online and plan.

·         Use a planner to help you focus and give your dreams a place to unfold.

·         Each time you take a step, reward yourself. Not with a bucket of ice cream but something related to your goal.

Keep taking small steps and visualizing how awesome your life is becoming. Stay in a positive state of expectation and believe your life is actually going to change.

Be ready to step out of your comfort zone and take the first step.

Make the most of the rest of your life by acknowledging what makes you happy and taking action.

Don’t make the mistake of waiting until tomorrow honey pie. They’re not making any more time; you can’t buy it at the superstore!

Today is all you have, make it count.

 

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