just breathe and let it go

#midlife blog crestingthehill.com.au

It's so easy to let life knock the me down. There are so many petty little things that nip at my heels every day, just waiting to get a good grip and pull me backwards and sink me into a funk. So many times in the past I'd let that happen and let it affect my mood without realizing that the impact these things have on me is really my choice.

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A MIDLIFE MANTRA IN THREE CHOICES

How do you want to live the second half of your life? Here are three simple choices that can make a world of difference.

IT'S TIME TO RETURN TO THE BASICS

As I learn to embrace this Midlife stage of life, I keep coming back to the basics. I think we complicate our world far too much and we need to redefine what is important so that we can find contentment in where we are today, rather than always looking for what's coming next that will finally make us happy.

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MOVING ON FROM OLD FRIENDSHIPS

It happens to everyone as they grow up. You find out who you are and what you want, and then you realize that people you've known forever don't see things the way you do

MOVING ON

It's sad but true - we all move on and sometimes it means leaving people behind. It can happen when people physically move away or it can be a change in their values where their world view and ours have diverged to a point where we need to part ways.
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reflecting on the lost art of journalling

#midlife blog cresting the hill

This week's Friday Reflection was to choose a previous prompt you hadn't written on. I chose this one: 
Why is it important to sit back and reflect on your week? How is weekly reflection making an impact on your life?

 I try to make a habit of reflecting on my week by writing a few lines in my personal journal. I don't have a very exciting life, in fact I have a fairly ordinary life most of the time. I don't have reams of things to write about when I look back on my week, but I find jotting down a few thoughts and reflections gives me a bit of an overview of how my life is going and where I've been and how far I've progressed. It also gives me an excuse to get out a nice pen and write in my notebook that will last me a few years - then I get the pleasure of finding a new one!

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I'm more "me" than I've ever been

#midlife blog crestingthehill.com.au

This is such an affirmation of my life now - a lot of things have been turned on their head and changes have been made and through it all I feel like I am becoming the person I was meant to be. 
I am in control of my life and it just keeps getting more simple and straightforward as I let go of things that I had thought were important and really aren't.

I'm in a different job, my marriage has survived the storm, I'm about to have my mother come and live with us for a few weeks, my children live in the city while we are in the country......and so the changes continue. And yet, through all of this, life is good and I am content with who I am and the life I am living - what more could I ask for?

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creating a circle of love with a Blogger Recognition Award

#midlife blog crestingthehill.com.au

A BLOGGING RECOGNITION AWARD

I was really pleased to be nominated for this award by the lovely Sue - she is a fellow Aussie blogger who has been on this roller coaster ride for about the same amount of time as I have. She's been a constant inspiration to me as her blog has changed and grown and just keeps getting better and better.

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6 REASONS WHY I THREW AWAY A "PERFECTLY GOOD" JOB

Never underestimate yourself - 6 reasons why it's okay to leave a "perfectly good" job and find something else that suits you better. It's never too late to start afresh. #midlife #employment

WHY I LEFT A SECURE JOB

If you've followed my blog for any length of time (and if you have thank you so much!) you will know that I left my old job a few months ago. It was a good job, stable and I was able to do it with my eyes closed and twirling a few plates at the same time! Despite that, there were several reasons for leaving and I wanted to share a few of them for others who might be having thoughts about their 9-5 grind.

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EMBRACING INTEGRITY AND AUTHENTICITY

#midlife blog crestingthehill.com.au

FOCUS ON WHAT REALLY MATTERS

As we move into the second half of life I hear women around me bemoaning the demise of their youthful looks, the advent of "laugh lines" and the relentless onslaught of menopause and all the associated miseries that come with it.
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I've traveled a long way

Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me; I want people to know 'why' I look this way. I've traveled a long way, and some of the roads weren't paved.

Life throws all sorts of challenges our way. We expect to have an easy ride, but those of us who have been around the block a couple of times know that there will be bumps along the way.

We weather the storms, we emerge stronger from trials, we develop character from adversity and we need to appreciate that the tough times help make us the strong and resilient women we are today.

I'm proud of my battle scars, I'm proud that I've come through some minor and major hiccups along life's road and I don't want to gloss over that. Let's appreciate the hurdles as they come along and learn from them and be proud of the person they've made us into.

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what is real success?

#midlife blog crestingthehill.com.au

So many people think that how rich you are is how successful you are. But there are a lot of people with a pile of money who have very messy lives. They have broken family relationships, they can feel alienated and isolated or loved only for what they can provide.

As I get older (and hopefully wiser) I am coming to realize that success is measured by how content you are with the life you're living. This may involve vast sums of money, or it may involve having just enough to meet your needs. Love and connection are what truly matter - feeling a part of a family or a community or a group of friends is more valuable than dollars and cents.

Let's refocus on what we measure our success by. Let's look at people who have a smile and a winning way about them and model ourselves on them, rather than on how big our house is or how many exotic vacations we've been on. Let's focus on happiness and contentment!

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do you ever have those days when you're just plain tired?

Regina Brett — 'No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.'

Most of the time I am an "up and at 'em" kind of gal. I go to work when I need to, I don't take sick days unless I'm on my death bed, I turn up when I say I will and I don't mind any of it. Then there is the occasional day when I reach the point where I've had enough and I'm tired of being little Mary Sunshine.

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WHAT A DIFFERENCE STARTING A BLOG CAN MAKE IN YOUR LIFE

Starting a blog can be the beginning of a whole new adventure - it's how I got my mojo back and you can too. #blogging #midlife

DECIDING TO START A MIDLIFE BLOG

I started blogging last year with the intent of getting a lot of stuff off my mind. There were things churning around in there and I wasn't a particularly happy person at the time. What a difference starting a blog makes! Blogging has opened up a whole new world for me and changed my mindset from negative and defeated to positive and proactive - what more could you ask for?

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when being flashed is not what I expected

girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
detour signs and speed camera flashes
cold rainy winters I wish would be spring
Not feeling happy with a few of these things

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reflections on a 50th birthday party

#midlife blog crestingthehill.com.au
Turning 50 with my husband - and a birthday badge that says "28" - I wish!

Well I've decided to link up with the #FridayReflections girls and write on one of their topics. For this Friday I picked the one that I thought would be the most fun (kind of my mantra lately!) and its:

"What was the last big achievement you celebrated, how did it make you feel, and what did you do to celebrate?"
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don't apologize for being "you"

You will always be too much of something for someone: too big, too loud, too soft, too edgy. If you round out your edges, you lose your edge. Apologize for mistakes. Apologize for unintentionally hurting someone — profusely. But don’t apologize for being who you are.

The world today is full of people who are different to us and have different expectations of us. If you spend your life trying to please everyone, making yourself smaller, or quieter, or less in some way then you limit yourself and your potential.

Let's celebrate the women God made us to be - let's be the best we are capable of being and get on with living life to the full. If we unintentionally hurt someone in the process, then we deal with that and make amends. If we bother people because they are narrow minded or uptight or miserable, then that is their issue and we have to let them deal with it.

This is the only life we have, we are the women we were created to be - let's get out there and get on with the business of living joyfully and abundantly!



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what you wish for your child

#midlife blog crestingthehill.com.au

I was thinking back to when my children were babies a long, loonnnnggg time ago and all the hopes and dreams, wishes and expectations that came with new parenthood. Along with that there was also choosing a name that suited your child and that they would grow into, thinking about the sort of person your child would become and many other musings that come with being a new parent.

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THE TRUE PURPOSE OF LIFE

What is the real purpose of life? Is it to be happy all the time? Or is it to leave a legacy of love and kindness?

WHAT SHOULD OUR PURPOSE IN LIFE BE?

Do you sometimes wonder what the purpose of your life is? We see so many people out there sharing their highlight reels on social media and we get caught in the "compare and despair" trap. It can feel like we're not exciting enough, or doing enough, or happy enough. But, is being constantly happy what life is all about?

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mother and daughter bonding time

#midlife blog crestingthehill.com.au
Nothing like spending time together (with the grandkitten) 
Mother and daughter bonding time is how my daughter and I refer to those hours (or days if I'm lucky) when we get to spend time together just hanging out and enjoying each other's company. We spent last weekend catching up on news and just sharing a laugh or a memory or two and that is really special to me - and to her too.

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your life is right now!

Your life is right now! It's not later. It's not in that time of retirement. It's not when the lover gets here. It's not when you've moved into the new house.

This quote is so relevant to life right now - stop waiting and start living because now is the time to be enjoying life instead of putting it off to some indefinite time in the future. How often do we wait for that 'magical' event that will make everything alright? How many times do we say "if only" and add a qualifier to when and how we'll be happy?

Let's just live in the moment - suck the happiness out of every second that we can and be grateful for the multitude of blessings that come our way every day. Let's sing a little, dance if we feel like it and generally get on with enjoying life right now while we can - who knows what tomorrow holds? Seize the "now" and celebrate life!

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light up the world with your smile

#midlife blog crestingthehill.com.au

SMILE - IT'S FREE!

I've been thinking about smiling lately and how it costs so little to smile at someone. We spend a lot of moments in unconscious social interactions and there are multitudes of opportunities to share a little sunshine and light with other people.

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Pinterest tips that might surprise bloggers

#midlife blog crestingthehill.com.au
My most Pinned Pinterest image
I've read so many blog posts lately on how to use Pinterest to grow your blog traffic, how to triple your Pinterest views and how to be intentional with your Pinterest boards. I've even written one or two myself! But what I truly believe about Pinterest is something altogether different to all this and no matter how convincing the arguments are, I still love Pinterest just for itself.

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