Ask yourself this simple question? What is it I want to accomplish and how can I make it happen. Now move forward with no judgement. With no guilt. Make yourself a priority. Have you wanted to write a book? Have you wanted to learn how to sail? Have you wanted to learn your family history? Have you wanted to declutter your house? Have you want to connect with a friend that you miss in your life? This episode will get you thinking about all of that and more. But, it will also get you to take action on making it happen. It's your time.
It's not about looking back. It's about living forward.
Ask yourself this simple question? What is it I want to accomplish and how can I make it happen. Now move forward with no judgement. With no guilt. Make yourself a priority. Have you wanted to write a book? Have you wanted to learn how to sail? Have you wanted to learn your family history? Have you wanted to declutter your house? Have you want to connect with a friend that you miss in your life? This episode will get you thinking about all of that and more. But, it will also get you to take action on making it happen. It's your time.
It's not about looking back. It's about living forward.
Hey[inaudible] there. I'm Amy and welcome to the podcast fearlessly facing 50. This podcast is about conversations and connections and my mission is to encourage women over 40 to live their best life. You know what, ladies, we haven't peaked yet and we are just getting started. So if you're ready for some real talk with real people and real conversations about what really matters, you've found the right place. I'm ready. Are you ready? Let's get started. Let's get real.
Speaker 2:[inaudible]
Speaker 1:Hey there, I am so happy that you're here and listening. It's just really an exciting time for all of us. You know, when you think about women over the age of 40 and fearlessly facing 50 and beyond, we seriously are a force. You know, my tagline, we're just getting started. We have not peaked yet. Holds so true. So you got a little taste of, you know, who I am through my introduction and you know, that good stuff. But today I wanted to share a little bit about me because, um, I think it's important before we really dive into the subjects of menopause and aging parents and empty nesting and all of those things in chin Harris where we're going to go there too. Believe me, I'm please, please, you have to, you have to admit, most of us have a tweezers in our car because the lighting in the mirror and the car is the best lighting. I tell ya and I digress. But anyway, we're going to be talking about all the good stuff, but I want to just give you a little flavor for who I am and how this really came about. So as I said in my intro, I'm knocking on the door 50 in a few months. 50 is a pretty big number, half century, all of that, you know. Oh, better with age. I agree with that. One thing I'm really embracing with this 50th birthday is really stepping out of my comfort zone. Taking a risk. You know, I don't think most people would classify me as a classic risk taker. I'm not the one to climb up the highest or mountain climb or bungee jump, not that kind of risk taker, but I am the kind that's going to put myself out there. And when I'm passionate about something, you're going to know it. So when this whole calendar flip this last year and I'm thinking, wow, I'm going to be 50 it is my time to do some things that I'm really committed to doing. I'm committed to producing my own podcast. I'm trying it, you know that like I say all that time I could epically fail. But you know what? That's okay because I've learned, you know, and lifetime learning. So it's kind of funny. I, I jump in with both feet and for those of you that know me, you know that that is definitely true. I jump in with both feet. I am a concepts girl. I want to do it and I am going to do it. You asked me to do something. It's 100% 110 so when I thought about starting this, I did my research. I started my blog. I've written blogs before when we lived abroad, when we moved back, written a couple of books about relocating, cause I have done that quite a bit.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 1:So I jumped in and I started writing and when I write, I mean I can write for hours. It just, it just happens. I can sit in a room and not have anybody bother me all day and I, I, I can just get it done. So I start writing and do my own website, you know, D white DIY, do it yourself thing. And I can do this. I set up my site, I'm putting in graphics, writing, writing, I'm writing, sending it out via my old email and I'm starting to get some feedback. Like people are like, wow, they're embracing this there I think in. All right. Amy, this sounds kind of cool. I think I like this. I think this is relatable. Keep going. So I did, I kept going forging ahead just like I'm doing with this. And I think a lot of times we see women over the age of 40 at this age when we have done so much, we second guess ourselves. We do come on, be honest yet, think about sending your resume, you put it together, you got some gap years, gap, decades, whatever it is. You have so many skills. I wrote something about this in my blog about Oh an a domestic engineer or you're looking for someone that's an event planner and a, you know, a meal prep person and a transportation expert and cause we check all those boxes. But when it comes down to really putting pen to paper and really looking at your strengths, we get fearful, we get to the edge and we want to take the jump. We know we could do the job that we second guess ourselves. Why do we do that? I think it's part of our DNA and boy, please come at me with comments with whatever. If you are not like that and you can just put your fears aside and forge ahead doing everything. I applaud you and I want to learn from you. But with experience
Speaker 2:and wisdom comes challenge. And you know what? I started looking at my website, just started getting some, some calls from people saying, you know, I really like it, but it could be a little bit more current. It could be a little bit better. I think you should revise your website. Oh, okay. Okay. Yeah, let's do that. I think you need some updated pictures. I think we need to go around and do some branding. I think this could be a thing I'm all in. Okay.
Speaker 1:Instagram opened up another Instagram account, opened up another fare, a Facebook account, which I have since deleted because I am learning during this process. You know, we beat ourselves up so much. We want everything to be perfect. Oh, I can't launch this until it's absolutely perfect. Why? Why not be normal? Be ordinary. Be that ordinary person with an extraordinary story. You know what? I launched that website called[inaudible] dot com it's out there. People call me that all the time. I thought, Hey, it's an easy thing to remember. Put my password in there, open up another Facebook account, go on to Instagram, start talking about it, and boom, everything is changing.
Speaker 2:Okay,
Speaker 1:well you can't do that. You can't do that. And Amy, do you know how to do that? Well, no. So this has been such an incredible journey so far for me because I am a lifetime learner. I said it in my intro, I will wear it on a badge. Hello, my name is lifetime learner. And am I going to screw up? Yeah. Oh, for sure. For sure. All the time. But I'm gonna keep going because if I wait for it to be perfect, if I wait for the timing to be right, if I wait for everything to line up, it's never gonna happen. Right? Are you with me? It's never going to happen. So this is, this is what it is. This is authentic, genuine, fearlessly facing 50 at its best. Right here. So let's talk a little bit about our experiences and life going forward. At this point. You know, look at your life going forward. You don't have to look back. We have done an incredible job. Let's look forward to what we can accomplish. What are some things that you think about that you really wanted to do? And now as life is going forward, you can do it. I posed that to some women when I was doing some research and interviewing people and chatting and sharing stories and I got some great insights there. If you can relate to any of these. I really wanted to lose the baby weight. I really wanted to take dance lessons. I really wanted to cook with my husband every Saturday night. I really wanted to get rid of the clutter. I really wanted to write a book. I really wanted to learn how to sail. I really wanted to know and learn how to play an instrument.
Speaker 2:[inaudible]
Speaker 1:I really wanted to learn about my family's family's background genealogy. I wanted to take a Safari. I really wanted to apologize to someone that I hurt. Years ago. I really wanted to take a photography class. Do any of those sound familiar? Can you relate to any of that? You know what? Those aren't regrets. Let's have a life going forward. Let's do those things. Let's figure out how we can do them. Make your list, your opportunity list, what you want to accomplish. This next phase. Be intentional about it. It's not going to happen by luck. We all know that because we're the first ones to say, Oh, I really want to write a book, but Oh, I don't have time. Nope. I do not have time to do that. Oh, I really wanted to lose the baby weight. Oh yeah. You don't have time for that either. Yeah. I'm just booked. I am booked solid. I really wanted to learn how to sail. I can't do that. We don't have any extra money. I've got kids in college. What am I thinking? Guilt that mom guilt sets in now. You can do it. You can do it because we're lifetime learners. Be intentional about it because it doesn't happen by luck.
Speaker 2:[inaudible]
Speaker 1:what do you want to create for yourself?
Speaker 2:[inaudible]
Speaker 1:make it fun. Make it meaningful. Make your list a dream list because this is our time to dream. Live the life the way you want to. You know, this one about, uh, the woman that I talked to about clutter loss, I had all things going through my head at that time. I just wanted to jump in and say, I am with you sister. I am with you. I know what that is like and I've moved 11 times. I mean if anybody shouldn't have clutter, I really shouldn't. I should have it down to a kit at this point. But I have a friend and I hope she's listening today because it is so amazing. Every year they get one of those dumpsters delivered from waste management to their yard. It's delivered every fall. They donate to charities all during the year closed this, that and the next thing, but every year they make it a priority to declutter. That's amazing. Maybe that's on your list of what you really want to do. When somebody said they really wanted to learn an instrument, that's pretty cool and it's actually very relatable. My husband never played an instrument. He never did. He was always into sports and million other things, but never learned an instrument. We bought a piano one year we got a bonus and he said, you know what? I want to put that money toward a piano. And he said, I am going to learn how to play the piano before I turned 40 we still have the piano. I play it occasionally. I grew up playing piano. The kids all take Chuck lessons when they were little here. They're scattered around. He still hasn't learned. So that's going to be on my list for him, his dreamless because it's something he wanted to do. But you see how easy it is to shift that mindset to make yourself feel like you're too busy. You don't have enough money, you don't have enough time, you can't do it. You're gonna feel guilty. You have to do this, this, and this. You have to be there for other people. But you know what? This is the time to be there for you. It's okay. It's normal,
Speaker 3:okay?
Speaker 1:Don't judge your list when you make your list. Have some grandiose things on there. Hey, I wanna go to Australia. I want to go to the Maldives. I want to drive a race car in the Indianapolis 500 around the test track. Don't judge it and everything you write down, think about how it makes you feel. I think that's really important. You know, there's something on my list. Actually learn how to sail. I chatted with a woman who had the same exact thing every summer. Boy, I should really take sailing lessons. Boy, I think I would really like that. Yeah, yup, yup. Well, summer after summer has gone by and I have not done it, and like I said, I needed to be intentional. It's not going to happen by luck. I have to make it a priority. I think it's great. And you know what? We learned along these journeys, just like with my website and my podcast, Hey, is it going to be perfect? No, no, because I'm ordinary. But you know what? It's extraordinary to step outside of your comfort zone in an area where you can challenge yourself and what better time to do it than now? Remember, perspective is everything. Grow older, grow up, grow up, and take charge. I think that's really what's important. So I encourage you to do that. Make your list, think about your list. Don't judge it, but think about how those things would make you feel, how they would empower you, encourage you, and you know what? Send me a few, message me with a few of the things that you come up with on what you want to do because I bet they are amazing. It's easiest to say no to yourself because maybe you feel guilty or you feel selfish that maybe take a look at the list and and see how good you would feel. How it would almost be like a badge. Like, I did this. You know I accomplished this. Don't, don't put yourself last because you're tired or because you've spent the last 20 years in the trenches of phrasing your kids. Don't, don't put yourself last. Don't tell yourself you're too tired or too busy. Put yourself first. That's what fearlessly facing 50 is all about. For me, it's seriously about taking risks, sitting here and opening my life. To all of you, introducing myself to you. You know, I, I sat on my website, somebody once told me, and I have shared this, I could go into a room of 400 people. I'm your classic extrovert. I can get in there and they give me five minutes and by minute four 34 and a half, I will have probably gotten to know almost all of you. And when we have to leave the room, I'll probably have assigned people to committees and this, that, and the next thing because that's just what I do.
Speaker 3:[inaudible]
Speaker 1:and 399 of those 400 people would probably like me, but one certainly not. They're not gonna like me at all. And I'm okay with that. That's okay. That's normal. Actually. Those odds are really good. So maybe I hadn't need to be a little bit more honest with myself and maybe not quite 399 would like me, but I'm going to go with that. I have a pretty good track record of people liking me.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Don't be a woulda, coulda, shoulda person. You know what? You've solved problems your whole life, solved your family's problems, solved this problem, that problem. The next problem. Don't make this list a problem to solve. Just make it a priority to accomplish. Don't say no to yourself. Take it on. Be fearless and I can't wait to hear about it. So this is your time to shine. This is your time to shine. Put your list together. Put your opportunity list together. What do you want to do? Why do you want to do it? Challenge your mind to think about it that way. Why do you want to do this? Why do I really want to learn how to sail and then figure out a way, solve the problem? How are you going to do it no matter what? No matter what. How are you going to do it? You're going to figure out a way, because darn it, by this age, at our stage of life, we are super resourceful and we are really smart. We know how to use our resources, so let's do it. So like I always say, let's be honest, let's be real. Let's work on what really matters. And this is what really matters. Putting yourself first now go forth and be awesome.
Speaker 2:[inaudible][inaudible].