GREAT CREATIVE PROJECTS TO TRY WHEN YOU'RE NOT VERY "ARTISTIC"

neurographic tree
A neurogrphic tree I created - you can read more about it HERE

BEING CREATIVE WITHOUT AN ARTISTIC STREAK

I mentioned in last week's post that I've been wanting to try my hand at activities that use the right side of my brain. Apparently right brain dominant people are more creative and artistic, and left brained people are more logical and analytical. If that's the case, I definitely tend to be more left brained and now I have more time on my hands, I thought it was my chance to try my hand at something a little bit "arty".....But where do you start when you've never dabbled in that area?
Read more »
Posted by at
Labels: , ,

3 AREAS OF LIFE TO CULTIVATE FOR BALANCE AND GROWTH

cresting the hill

CHOOSING 'CULTIVATE' AS MY #WOTY

Every January since I started blogging I've chosen a Word of the Year instead of making New Year's resolutions. Previous words have been Release, Embrace, Rise, Enough, More, Symphony, and for this year, I chose "Cultivate". I had mulled several words over in my head, but the idea of consciously setting out to cultivate aspects of my life that would lead to me thriving as I headed towards 60 just seemed to fit what I was looking for.

I originally came across the word in Brene Brown's "Daring Greatly" book and a pin I saw online that summed up the 10 areas of life we need to cultivate to live Wholeheartedly. It got me thinking about what areas of my life I wanted to grow more in, where I wanted to deepen my life, and where I wanted to focus my energy.
Read more »
Posted by at
Labels: , ,

"YEAH.....NO" - SAYING YES TO WHAT MATTERS AND NO TO THE REST

cresting the hill

BEFORE I CHOSE TO SAY "YEAH.....NO"

If you're anything like me, you grew up in an era of trying to be all things to all people. Somewhere along the line we had convinced ourselves that we could do it all, and do it with a smile (well maybe, occasionally, with a long suffering sigh...) During the first 55 years of my life I tried my hardest to be the good daughter, the great wife, the hard worker, the hands on parent, the always available volunteer, the committed friend, and so on and on it went. Tie it all together with a lot of self-judgement and that was pretty much my life for a long time.

At the time those things were super important to me, and I thought I was doing a great job of keeping all the balls in the air. It gave me a sense of satisfaction to have said "Yes" to so many responsibilities and to have not drowned under it all. But that was then and this is now.....
Read more »
Posted by at
Labels: ,

REFINANCING YOUR HOME LATER IN LIFE: HOW TO MAKE IT A SUCCESS

cresting the hill

INTRO

Today I have an interesting collaborative post that gives some insight into an area of retirement that I haven't covered previously here on the blog. My husband and I have been very diligent throughout our working lives in putting extra payments into our mortgage whenever possible, our goal was to have it paid out well before the 25 year lifetime of the loan. We also didn't move often, so that reduced buying and selling costs.

By the time we reached our 50's we were debt free and that made the decision for me to retire early a LOT easier. The pressure of being locked into a mortgage (especially one that's at a higher interest rate than the current ones on offer) can be very disheartening. So, today's post discusses an option that might be of interest if you still have those monthly mortgage payments hanging over your head.
Read more »
Posted by at
Labels: ,

WHOLEHEARTED LIVING - CULTIVATING A SENSE OF BELONGING

cresting the hill

INTRO

Today I have the next guest in my series on Cultivating Wholehearted Living - thriving in the second half of life. Leslie is a fashion blogger, a Bucket List blogger, a book blogger, a home styling blogger, and writes about all of these things over at Once Upon A Time And Happily Ever After. She's writing today about a topic that has been in the back of my mind for several months - and I'm sure others have struggled with some of the same thoughts and feelings. So, on that note, I'll hand it over to Leslie from here....
Read more »
Posted by at

WHAT ARE YOU CULTIVATING IN YOUR COMFORT ZONE?

cresting the hill

COMFORT ZONES AND RISK

There's a well known saying that goes:
A comfort zone is a beautiful place, 
but nothing ever grows there
All the super busy, ambitious go-getters immediately nod their heads because it's a fact that you have to step out of your comfort zone if you want to take a leap forward into the unknown or into something bigger and riskier than you usually experience.

But......
Read more »
Posted by at
Labels: , ,

HOW I BRIGHTENED MY SMILE WITHOUT BREAKING THE BUDGET

cresting the hill

BRIGHTENING A DULL SMILE

Have you noticed that your teeth have gotten duller and dingier as you've gotten older? I've certainly found that mine have been getting darker and less attractive since I hit Midlife and I wasn't sure whether I was just being vain or whether I wanted to get serious and do something about it. I used to be a Dental Therapist/Hygienist in my younger days, and I also worked for an orthodontist for many years. Teeth are something that I'm very aware of - and I also know how much it can cost to get a fabulous smile.....A LOT!!
Read more »
Posted by at
Labels: ,

AN UNBUSY RETIREMENT IS FINE - IT'S NOT A COMPETITION

cresting the hill

BEING - NOT DOING

One of the biggest payoffs for me when I decided to retire early instead of returning to work, was the chance to wind back on my commitments and to spend less time "doing" and more time "being". I loved the idea of being un-busy and avoiding being over committed and stressed all the time. The serenity I have in my life these days has been hard won and I wouldn't swap it for the world. But......
Read more »
Posted by at
Labels: ,

LIVING MY BEST LIFE EVERY DAY - UPDATE #2

cresting the hill

LIVING LIFE WITH A SMILE EVERY DAY

So much has been happening over the last few months, and seeing I still want to keep my blogging to one post a week, I decided to spin out my monthly update and make it a quarterly one - so today's post is what's been happening in my world for the second quarter of 2021 - it's the Autumn edition (with a little bit of Winter sneaking in at the end).

My focus this year is on moving towards 60 with a positive mindset and gratitude. Cultivating what makes my soul feel happy, and aiming to live my best life every day. Life will never be perfect, but it's full of perfect moments and a lot of little joys if we choose to look for them. These are the happy moments that have popped up over the last few months in my life.
Read more »
Posted by at
Labels: ,

BEING PRESENT AND RECONNECTING WITH THE REAL WORLD

cresting the hill

WHAT'S BEEN MISSING IN MY LIFE LATELY?

Over the last six months of so, I've been feeling a little out of sorts. I thought it might be due to the imminent approach of my 60th birthday later this year (I always have issues with changing decades). But then I realized it wasn't anything to do with that, it was the realization that my online life had taken over my in-real-life. Covid played a large part in tipping the scales in that direction - it's been so easy to stay home and to chat online, to write blog posts, to update my blog's Facebook page etc etc. But in the process, I can now see that my real world has shrunk and withered away due to neglect over the last couple of years.

Have I actually become a stay at home recluse? Or do I just need to make a few adjustments?
Read more »
Posted by at
Labels: , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)