TURNING THE VOLUME DOWN A LITTLE (FOR NOW)

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TIME FOR A CHANGE

When I began this blog (back in September 2014) I was a complete blogging novice. I never expected people to find me online and I was hugely concerned that I might be trolled or have negative comments. So.....I turned the comments off for the first six months of blogging.

Over that time I connected with some lovely Midlife bloggers and they told me they wanted to leave a comment and couldn't. So.....I turned them on, and they've been on ever since.

But......

5 GREAT CHOICES FOR CURATING A SIMPLE AND SATISFYING LIFE

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YOU GET TO CHOOSE YOUR LIFE

So many people feel like their life has a set course and they have very little control over the direction they're heading in. There are bills to be paid, career ladders to climb, mortgages to be paid, investments to be made, chores to be completed, families to raise, and a million other little tasks. 

But what happens when you start ticking some of those necessities off the list? What happens when the mortgage is under control, when the nest becomes empty, and when getting up for work every day becomes a chore in itself? Do you have to keep heading along the same beaten track, or can you start curating a new and more bespoke life to carry you through the years ahead? Today I'm covering a few choices that can lead towards curating a life that's simple and satisfying - and who doesn't want that?

WHOLEHEARTED LIVING - CULTIVATING JOY AND GRATITUDE

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WHAT IF I FALL?

There's a fantastic little quote from Erin Hanson that's all over the internet - it says....
What if I Fall? 
Oh but my darling, 
What if you Fly?

Life is full of "What if moments?" that often hold us back from moving onto the next stage of life. Or they keep us small because we're too afraid to stretch our wings. I wonder how often we choose scarcity thinking and risk aversion instead of opening ourselves up to joy and gratitude? If we let go of the worst case scenario and reach for joy, life begins to open up in so many wonderful and unexpected ways.

3 REASONS WHY I'LL NEVER BE A BLOGGING QUEEN

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BEING THE NEXT BEST THING IN BLOGGING

Every new blogger thinks they're going to be the next big thing that sets the blogging world on fire. We all leap in and start hammering away on our keyboards, sharing our thoughts, our ideas, our hearts, and our souls. But as time goes on I've seen so many bloggers come and go - the ones who burn out the quickest are the ones who came with the biggest aspirations. There are 7 MILLION blog posts published EVERY day, so I'm wondering if starting small and being content with being a small fish in a very big pond can sometimes be a better game plan than trying to set the world on fire and failing to live up to your own expectations?

WHOLEHEARTED LIVING - CULTIVATING A WRITING LIFE

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INTRO

Today I have the next guest in my series on Cultivating Wholehearted Living - thriving in the second half of life. Jo is an amazing blogger who also manages to be a successful romance novelist, a cordon bleu chef, takes fabulous photos, holds down a busy job, walks every morning before the crack of dawn, and on top of all of that....she is a great friend and always good for a laugh. 

Jo doesn't just blog, she BLOGS! Somehow or other she maintains not one, but THREE blog sites - a personal one, an author one, and a cooking one (links are at the end of this post if you'd like to check them out). I'm feeling a little bit exhausted just thinking about it all! Somewhere in the middle of all her writing and cooking, she's found time to be my guest today and so I'll hand it over to Jo from here.....

3 UNEXPECTED DECISIONS THAT OPENED NEW HORIZONS

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UNEXPECTED DECISIONS AND NEW HORIZONS

Have you ever made an on the spot decision that resulted in big, unexpected changes? I was thinking about this the other day and a few came to mind. I thought I'd share them today because they were little stepping stones that opened new horizons for me. Small decisions at the time that were made for good reasons - but they also had far reaching and life changing results.

I wrote a couple of months ago about courage having consequences - there are always costs and pay-offs when we make decisions, but sometimes the pay-offs far outweigh the costs and today I'm sharing three decisions that paid off far more than I ever would have expected.

WHOLEHEARTED LIVING - CULTIVATING NEW DIRECTIONS

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INTRO

Today on the blog I have a guest who many of you won't have met previously. Angelique from Hags with Attitude, contacted me after finding me through Pinterest (I do love to Pin!) She has recently had a new book published and has a really interesting story about lockdown igniting her creative side again and sending her on a new path to help other Midlife women with their wardrobes and with adjusting to this new phase of life.

So without further chatter from me, here is Angelique to tell you about her journey...

FINDING MY QUIET PLACE WITH COLOURED PENCILS

Adult colouring in reduces anxiety and stress, and creates focus. It helps replace negative thoughts with pleasant ones.
from Johanna Basford's Secret Garden

BEFORE MY TIME

I have always loved colouring in, from my own childhood through to joining in with our children and colouring one page while they did the other. From there I had a break because it was a “kid thing” and nobody coloured in when they were adults.

One day in my 40’s I thought to myself that I’d ignore what was considered “normal” and I’d buy myself a colouring book and use it to zone out and enjoy the simple pleasure of adding colour to paper without having to think too hard. I found a Barbie colouring book that had lovely white pages that made the colours look prettier and I used to colour a page or two here and there when I had a little bit of time to myself.

WHOLEHEARTED LIVING - CULTIVATING A BOLD STREAK

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INTRO

Today I have the next guest in my series on Cultivating Wholehearted Living - thriving in the second half of life. My lovely blogging friend Deb from Tumbarumba (my husband always says "where?" when I say Deb from Tumbarumba - just so I get to say it again - it really rolls off the tongue). She writes a fabulous blog called Deb's World and always has something upbeat and engaging to share.

Deb decided to stick with the theme from my previous guests where she shares some thoughts on is how her Word of the Year (Bold) intersects with mine (Cultivate) - she's sharing about Cultivating a Bold Streak and embracing a new sense of confidence and courage. So here's what she has to say.....

LIVING MY BEST LIFE EVERY DAY UPDATE #1

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LIVING LIFE WITH A SMILE EVERY DAY

So much has been happening on the blog over the last couple of months, and seeing I still want to keep it 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 first quarter of 2021 - it's the Summer edition (with a little bit of Autumn 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.