We all want to live a good life but what does it take for us to feel that we are?

Health, Money, and Meaning

 

Being spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically healthy

 

Having enough money not to worry about whether or not I can pay the bills

 

Engaging in meaningful activities

Money, Medicine, Meaning, & Place

 

Money (having enough now and in the future)

 

Medicine (being emotionally and physically healthy)

 

Meaning (creating deep relationships, spending time with friends and family, enjoying personal interests, making things better for others, using your abilities to accomplish things that matter)

 

Place (feeling like you belong in your community)

What’s the good life to you? Are you living it? Tell us in Comments below.

Thinking about working after 60? You’re not the only one.

One recent study showed 76% of baby boomers intend to keep working and earning in their “retirement.” This is a huge change from 20 or even 10 years ago.

Many baby boomers never had been saving enough for retirement. The “Great Recession,” which began in 2008 and still hasn’t let go, further darkened the picture. Some people are still working (or looking for work) because they need the money or the health insurance.

Some are still working because they want to. Many baby boomers are still healthy and vital enough at 60 that they’re not ready to retire to rocking chairs or even the golf course. They want to be active, engaged, stimulated, challenged, and contributing. Work is one of the best ways to do this.

Women turning 60 and in their 60s are pursuing a wider range of work options these days:

Staying in their jobs longer

Looking for new jobs

Changing careers

Starting businesses

Volunteering

What are you doing or planning on doing about work in your sixties? Click Comments below and let us know.

Yes, there’s still time!

Is there something you’ve always wanted to do?

Are you longing to make a difference in the world?

Would you like to fine-tune or overhaul your life?

Do you want to pursue a passion or learn something new?

Whether you’re 60, 65, 70, or older, it’s not too late.

In fact, research has shown that learning, doing something new, spending time doing what matters to you, and staying engaged are all great ways to keep your brain healthy and to age well.

They did it!

Here are a few late in life accomplishments to inspire you to do something new:

George Weiss at 84 invented a game that was named Game of the Year by Creative Child magazine.

Grandma Moses, whose arthritis made it impossible to embroider anymore, shifted to painting at 76.

Porchon Lynch at 92 is strong, bright-eyed, and still teaching yoga.

Col. Saunders founded Kentucky Fried Chicken at 72.

Nelson Mandela became the first black president of South Africa at 75.

George Bush learned to skydive at 72, and celebrated his 80th birthday by skydiving.

Winston Churchill became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at 77.

You can do it too!

So whatever it is you want to be or do or try or learn, get going. There’s still time but you don’t want to waste it.

What is it you want to do? Tell us in Comments below.

In 2002 I realized how much I would love to have a water view house. I shared my dream with Denny, my husband, who then joined me in looking for a new home.

We drove around countless neighborhoods, searched on the internet, let people know we were looking, checked out any likely possibility, made calls, and wrote letters to property owners. For five years!

During this time, I used my “life tools,” (many of them over and over again):

◊ Getting clear about my vision

◊ Setting my intention

◊ Creating a vision map

◊ Calling on my allies

◊ Following our lights (what energized and enlivened us) and our curiosity

◊ Shifting my attention away from Monkey Mind and toward what I wanted

Many times we became discouraged and frustrated (especially me!). I would give up for a while. Then I would return to my vision of what I really wanted, refining it over time and still knowing I truly wanted a house with a view of the water. Denny stayed patient and persistent, trusting it would happen, persevering.

My Vision Became a Reality

On December 7, 2007 — nearly six years after we began the process — my vision became a reality. On that day, we picked up the keys to our water view home!

It was different than my original vision. It’s on Samish Island, rather than in the Seattle area. It was a house in need of some updating and remodeling, rather than a new home. It didn’t even have a garage, which my car-loving husband wouldn’t have thought he could do without.

And we love it!

Who wouldn't love these views!?!?

This new place is so much more than I ever dreamed.

The property is more than water view; it is waterfront! So close to the water it seems as if we’re sitting on a boat.

On Samish Island, we unexpectedly and delightedly have found community and an ever-growing circle of friends.

We love the quiet and natural beauty of this area.

Today, I’m writing this from our lovely, completely remodeled home on the water. I couldn’t be happier with how this dream turned out.

We had a vision. It took a long time and we faced a number of challenges. But we didn’t give up our vision and our dreams came true.

How can you make your own dreams come true?

1) Get clear about what you want for this year. What do you truly, deeply want?

What lights you up? What do you love? If anything were possible, what would you ask for?

Imagine the life you desire. Sense it. See it. How will you feel when this comes true?

The more specific and detailed your vision, the better. Don’t worry if you’re not yet crystal clear. Start with what you do know and let that evolve and become clearer over time.

2) Make it concrete and keep your focus on it.

Write it down. Create a drawing or collage that represents your vision. Post your vision where you’ll see it frequently so it will remind you of your desires and your commitment to create your vision.

3) Use whatever life tools work for you.

You may well face challenges and obstacles. As I mentioned, I used many of my life tools over and over during this process. What are your most effective tools for living? Use them.

4) Take “lights on” actions.

Follow your curiosity and your energy to choose action steps. The steps can be big or small; what matters is that you are moving in the direction of your vision.

5) Notice and be open to what shows up.

Life sends little clues to guide you, clues that may look different than expected.

Denny was lights on about spending time on Samish Island. When we did that, we fell in love with the island and shifted our home search there, 100 miles from where we had been looking. Samish Island turned out to be just the place we were meant to be and it was very different from our initial vision.

6) Balance between focusing on your vision and releasing it.

We first heard that our new home might be coming on the market in December of 2006. In the months that followed, we sometimes joyously thought the house would be ours; sometimes disappointedly believed it was sold to others.

We did our best to ride this roller coaster. We repeatedly returned to our clear desire to own a home on the Island and our trust that it would be that particular one if it was for our highest good or, if not, something better would appear (even if we had no idea what that could possibly be!).

The key is “Don’t give up your dream.” It may take longer than you’d like (not that it has to take you six years!). It may look different than you thought it would. And don’t give up your dream.

May all your dreams come true — and even better!

What is your dream for 2012? Tell us in the Comments section below.

There are now 175 articles on Savoring Your Sixties. That’s a lot of writing for me and resources for you!

You’re always welcome to browse around, see what most interests you, and comment if you’re so moved.

However, if you’d prefer less browsing and more direction, check out these top articles from 2011. Just click the title to be instantly taken to the article. Enjoy!

Starting a New Career at 60

Who Inspires You?

5 Steps to Loving Your 60s (even if you’re dreading them)

Turning 60 — A Message from Me to You

What Christie Brinkley Can Teach Us about Aging Well

Life After 60 Isn’t All Downhill

Can There Be Anything Good About Turning 60?

5 Choices You May Regret

Do You Know What You Want to Do with Your Life?

The View from 62

The Best 60th Birthday Present

Life after 60 Inspiration: Porchon Lynch

photo courtesy of digitalart

Do you look ahead in your life and wonder. . .

How do I make the next years some of my best years?

Of all the things I think about doing, what will be the most satisfying and the most meaningful for me to do?

How can I best focus on what truly matters; what is important to me that I want to accomplish?

What contributions do I want to make in the time remaining?

What have I always wanted to do that I have not yet done?

How can I create more joy, passion, and meaning in each day?

If so, you are not alone and I can help.

I’ve got a few slots available for one-on-one coaching with me, starting in January. The New Year is a fabulous time to finally get clear about exactly what you want to do with your life and get on with doing it.

Check out the  Loving Your Sixties   program details here. If this program speaks to you, click the link on that page to schedule a complimentary “get acquainted” phone appointment with me to make sure one-on-one coaching together is a good fit.

Given how much I  struggled with turning 60,  I’m delightfully surprised to discover that, at this point in my life, neither my age nor my thoughts about my age are limiting me.

A New Vision

Last month on  my 62nd birthday,  I gave myself the gift of a new vision for my life. I spent an hour or so considering what I wanted my life to look like in the future and then creating a vision map, a pictorial representation of it.

I’m thrilled with my new vision. It’s colorful, exciting, and inspiring to me.

It wasn’t until after I was done that I realized that at no time while I was doing it had I had any thought about age.

No thought that I couldn’t do something because I was too old or it was too late.

I just allowed myself to dream about what I wanted and age was irrelevant — which is just how I want it to be!

Kick Off Your New Year with a New Vision

You can create a new vision for your life, too. It’s a great way to kick off the New Year.

Take an hour or so to connect with what you truly, deeply want in 2012. Set aside any doubts or concerns or limiting beliefs. Allow yourself to dream big. Let your answers come from your heart, your inner voice, the internal GPS of what lights you up.

If anything were possible, what would you want? Ask yourself this over and over again.

Then make a colorful picture you love that represents your answers, your vision for your life.

If you post the picture where you’ll see it often it will help you remember to focus on what you truly want.

Then take small, consistent, energizing steps towards your vision.

You just might be delightfully surprised by what you create for yourself in 2012.

Have fun!

What happens when your children leave home?

For most women, there’s a transition, a period of adjustment, and then they  thrive in the empty nest.

But for some women, this is not the case.

Researchers are finding that about 10% of mothers do experience the empty nest as a long term issue. For them, having a child leave home can be just as debilitating and as lengthy as bereavement.

Toughest for these women

This transition tends to be particularly tough on women who are:

• Single moms
• Full time parents
• Prone to depression
• Change averse
• In fragile marriages
• Struggling with other issues such as menopause, retirement, and aging parents.

Researchers have also discovered that fathers seem less prepared for the empty nest and tend to have an even harder time than mothers. So keep an eye on your spouse to see how he’s faring during this time.

When your child leaves home, some feelings of sadness and loss are to be expected.

 But, if you are:

• Crying excessively
• Not wanting to talk or be with friends or family
• Feeling useless or that your life has ended
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Experiencing a change in sleeping or eating patterns
• Spending obsessive amounts of time in the child’s bedroom
• Feeling depressed
• Weeks into the grieving and feeling no better

It’s time to get help!

If you’ve been bottling it all up, talking with a friend or your spouse or getting a life coach might just do the trick. It could be, though, that you need a mental health professional, counselor or therapist. If you are experiencing severe and lingering symptoms, please get whatever help you need to make your way through this difficult time.

I’m grateful for you!

Yes, it’s Thanksgiving week in the U.S. and, in addition to consuming too much food, we are more than usually focused on giving thanks.

I’m always a strong advocate for the  power of gratitude.   I practice gratitude most days of the year.  Thanksgiving week reminded me to tell you, instead of just thinking:

 ”I’m grateful for you.”

For you who read this blog.

For you who add your comments and share your experiences here.

For you who email me your stories, questions, and encouraging words.

For you who read my postings on the Savoring Your Sixties  page on Facebook.

For you who “Like” and comment on my Facebook postings.

For you who are my clients.

For you who participate in my classes.

For you who are members of Savoring Your Sixties’ Inner Circle.

For you who are my colleagues, supporters, and allies.

For each and every one of you, I am grateful.

Thank you!

Whatever holidays you celebrate, may you have a very joyous and peaceful time.

This past Monday, I turned 62! Didn’t I just turn 60?!?!

The bad news is time does seem to be passing more quickly. The good news is I am so much happier than I was two years ago.

Dreaded 60

Oh, how I dreaded turning 60!

I often felt anxious, troubled, and afraid in my 59th year. I felt so trapped: I didn’t want to be 60 but I also didn’t want to be dead (which as far as I could figure out was the only alternative to turning 60!).

I struggled with my age that year for the first time ever and it shocked me. That struggle was intensified by the death of my mom; sudden, drastic changes in my mom-in-law’s health; work disappointments and disruptions for me and my husband; and the disturbing backdrop of the plummeting economy.

I’m thrilled to have made it through all that!

Life after 60

Once again, my age has become mostly irrelevant to me.

Yes, time does seem scarcer. And I’m more aware than I used to be of the uncertainty of my future and of those I love. While this scares me sometimes, most of the time I don’t worry about it. I just live my days, doing my best to enjoy them, and to make the most of the time I have.

Now and then I have a pang about growing older. Like the resistance I felt the day before my birthday. “I don’t want to be 62!” I pouted to myself, wanting to lie on the floor, pound my fists, and have a temper tantrum.

But, unlike the year I turned 60 – when these kinds of thoughts were persistent, pervasive, and lingering – now such thoughts are infrequent. I banish them quickly by reminding myself that I prefer growing older to the alternative.

Most of the time these days, I’m feeling happy, experiencing joy, and loving my life.

I am savoring my sixties and deeply grateful for that!

How about you? What has your journey to and through 60 been like? Click on Comments below and write away.