HALFWAY THROUGH MY YEAR OF LIVING FABULOUSLY

In January I chose FABULOUS as my Word of the Year. I wanted something positive and upbeat....something to motivate me to make bright, happy choices and to assist me in focusing on the positives in life.

CHOOSE YOUR ATTITUDE

In January I chose FABULOUS as my Word of the Year. I wanted something positive and upbeat....something to motivate me to make bright, happy choices and to assist me in focusing on the positives in life. We all know that what you choose to see often impacts on your whole approach to life - look for the bad stuff and you'll find it....alternatively, look for the Fabulous stuff and you'll find that instead.

Some people could be given an entire field of roses and only see the thorns in it. Others could be given a single weed and only see the wildflower in it.

I have a Pinterest Board full of upbeat and inspiring quotes - seeing them, reading them, applying them, sharing them - it reinforces how blessed I feel and how fortunate I know that I am. Life will never be perfect, but there are a lot of perfect moments if we look for them.

CHALLENGES

Retirement is the time to challenge and change a lot of our beliefs, especially about ourselves. It gives us the time and opportunity to try new activities, new routines, new friends, and to reinvent ourselves. I’ve been digging into my creative side and finding out that I actually enjoy making pretty pictures from collage or from colouring in. I've tried my hand at things that have been fun but haven't lasted, and others that now play a part in making my week more fabulous.

There've been physical challenges too with the problems I've been having with my hip. It's limited some of my activities and reminded me that I'm not invincible. But, I choose to look on the bright side of what it hasn't stopped me doing, and also that if I don't allow it too much space in my head, then it becomes less important and impacts less on my life. I loved this little picture and quote I found on Pinterest and the reminder not to dwell on what can't be changed: 

Don't let negative thoughts take over your life - choose what you focus on and keep it positive.

CHANGES

Reinventing myself has been one of the bonuses of retirement. The last few years have allowed me the time to adjust to the changes that stopping work brought with it. It also allowed me to recover my 'mojo' and bounce back after all the stress my horrible job brought into my life. And now it's offering me the chance to try a little bit of work again (on my own terms this time) while I wait for my hip surgery and getting my mobility back.You can resist change, or resent it, or you can flow with it and see where it takes you. Choosing Fabulous as my #WOTY reminds me that change can be a good thing, and the outcome can be really positive. I do it in small steps and keep my eyes on the sunshine ahead.

Keep walking the path from one patch of sunlight to the next.

Staying true to myself and my values, being open to change and looking for the positives that come with it, leads to growth and forward movement - rather than resentment and anger. I remind myself every day that life is pretty darn Fabulous, that there are so many blessings and so much still to come. Life is never perfect and if we expect too much we'll always be disappointed. Being realistic, being positive, being grateful, being proactive, being open to new experiences - these are the choices that bring a little Fabulosity into our life.

I hope you're finding lots of sunshine and Fabulosity as you walk your life path this year too.

RELATED POSTS


In January I chose FABULOUS as my Word of the Year. I wanted something positive and upbeat....something to motivate me to make bright, happy choices.

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Cresting the Hill - a blog for Midlife (Middle Aged / 50+) women who want to thrive
In January I chose FABULOUS as my Word of the Year. I wanted something positive and upbeat....something to motivate me to make bright, happy choices.
In January I chose FABULOUS as my Word of the Year. I wanted something positive and upbeat....something to motivate me to make bright, happy choices.

28 comments

  1. I love this: You can resist change, or resent it, or you can flow with it and see where it takes you. Fabulous post (see what I did there?)

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    1. Yes, yes I saw what you did you clever little writer you! I listened to a young guy talking about wisdom on youtube and he said it doesn't come with age - it comes with perspective. In other words - wisdom is about choosing your attitude and the learning from life rather than resenting or stagnating.....I found that really interesting....

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  2. So much learned as we go along in our latter years. Well done to you Leanne for all you are doing to ensure the fabulous life is yours!!

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    1. Thanks Denyse - I'm slowly figuring out that life is what you make it - if you don't roll with the punches, learn your lessons, look for the positives, and keep growing.....then what's the point of it all?

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  3. That Amy Weatherly quote is one of my favourites Leanne and you have indeed embodied it over the years. Your WOTY is such a good word that is positive, fun and YOU. Enjoy the second half of the year!

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    1. Hi Deb - thank you for the lovely compliment. I truly believe that your attitude determines a lot in life. Sucky stuff happens and you can let it defeat you....or you can bounce off it and keep going. I'm going for the bounce!

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  4. Leanne, perception is not only the key to gratitude, it is vital to a happy life. From where I sit, you have that concept totally figured out.

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    1. Oh Suzanne what a lovely thing to say - thank you. I really try to take the high ground these days and not let the little stuff drag me down. There's so much to be grateful for and life is pretty darn Fabulous if you stop and think about it. x

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  5. You are so right about looking at things with a positive mindset. And I am really trying that this week, so thanks for the reminder boost. Even being vaccinated and boosted, I've tested positive for Covid. And more worried about who I might have passed it on to than worried about myself! Cause I was out and about without thinking I was sick...although now I am feeling it and have no desire at all to be out and about. But I will be/am fine. Not quite fabulous at the moment, but fine.

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    1. Hi Pat - sorry to hear that you've encountered the dreaded covid. It seems to be everywhere these days - even more so than the good old common cold. I hope your symptoms are mild and you're back to Fabulous quickly - it's no fun being sick.

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  6. Love your positivity Leanne. Often life situations can be greatly improved by a changed perspective. Not always but often.

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    1. You're so right - I think aiming for a positive approach to a situation and choosing not to be dragged down by it any further than necessary is the way to handle life. You can't expect it to all be roses, but there's still a lot of good stuff if we look for it :)

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  7. I just have to say again how much I love the idea of living fabulously. The other thing that struck me about this post is your comment about not dwelling on your physical pain. There is a concept in Buddhism regarding two arrows of suffering; one is the event that happens and the second, more painful, is the suffering we inflict on ourselves with the story we tell ourselves about what happened and how horrible it is. (My apologies to any Buddhists if I've totally butchered that explanation.) Here's to the next six months of living fabulously!

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    1. Hi Christie - I think the more we focus on pain, the deeper the pain is felt - both on a physical and an emotional level. Some days it can get me down, but most of the time I'm grateful that I'm still mobile and young enough to deal with the discomfort.....and in a year's time I'll be skipping down the road with a smile!

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  8. It's a fine line as physical pain can be so debilitating it's very hard not to let it rule your thoughts and feelings. Great attitude. And yes, I think retirement can be more unsettling that people realise as they do HAVE to learn more about themselves and often they aren't who they realised. Or it's harder than they thought.- or they liked the fulfillment of work more than they understood. Good post! or should I say, fabulous?

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    1. Hi Lydia - you're so right about the retirement thing - and there's also a level of judgement that comes with it from those who think we all need to still be proving our value through productivity. It's so different for each individual and I'm a big believer in 'live and let live' - if you want to knock yourself out being busy then all praise to you, but if you prefer to cruise along that's great too. Life's too short to second guess ourselves all the time - and retirement is a great opportunity to do what makes you happy - so why not grab that with both hands and not worry about anyone else's approach? :)

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  9. To choose your attitude is the single best piece of advice someone gave me as a teenager. Great post!

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    1. I wish someone had given me that advice when I was a teenager Maria - it would have made things a lot simpler over the years! Still it's never too late to learn something new!

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  10. Choose your attitude! A wonderful idea!

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    1. Thanks Pamela - best piece of advice I could give anyone atm - attitude is everything. :)

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  11. Fabulous post, Leanne. My good friend who I admire so much in California, Sally uses the word fabulous to describe everything someone does for the community. She is able to fire people up to work harder for the small town of Woodlake, you would think she was selling the town. She talks about everyone as "fabulous" and we all love her. So I smiled as I read this post and thought of my fabulous friend.

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    1. I just love the word 'Fabulous' because it's a bit over the top, but just saying it makes me smile. And I think choosing to see how blessed we are, and shining our light out into the world like your friend Sally does is such a great way to tackle life isn't it?

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  12. I enjoyed your update Leanne and I've been enjoying your journey and being encouraged in my own journey! Thank you!

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    1. Hi Kirstin - I love that I get to write about the good things that have come into my life. I felt like all I wrote for a while was how to recover from a huge setback, but now it's about how good life is and encouraging others to count their blessings - I'm glad I can be an encouragement to you :)

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  13. Hi Leanne, where is the year going? Life has been up and down for you too, especially with your hip. I hope you aren't in too much pain. Fabulous is a great word and I use it often. It just lifts the spirits doesn't it? Hope the job is going well. Take care and thanks for linking up to #WOTY link party. x

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    1. Hi Sue - yes life always has a curve ball or two to toss our way doesn't it? I'm managing okay with my hip - the pain is always there, but you learn to live with it and modify around it. The new job has smoothed out and I'm finding it to be a great little "extra" in my life atm - and I can't ask for better than that.

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  14. Hi, Leanne - I love your WOTY and how you have used it to focus on the positive, the upbeat and the fun. Very inspirational!!

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    1. Hi Donna - thanks for your kind words (and look you're back and not Anonymous anymore!) I'm choosing to look for the poisitives and the glimmers all the time now because a lot of life is how you choose to see it and respond to it :)

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