Don’t you love those online calculators that take you through a quiz and tell you what your real age is?

Yeah.  Me neither!

Even though I do pretty well, I never really get anything out of them, except that I could be doing better.  Five pieces of bacon every morning for breakfast is my downfall.  What’s yours?

But I don’t smoke, never have, drink only socially, (mostly), exercise regularly, (hooray for hot yoga!), and exercise my brain with the Words with Friends app and Dice.

Throughout my life, I’ve had strange reactions to certain birthdays.  Seventeen bothered me.  It meant I was no longer “Sweet 16,” but still not 18.  Twenty-one didn’t excite me as much as most, but 24 was a hoot!  Turning 25 was not a big deal, but 30 sure hit hard!

On April 11 I’ll turn 44, and it’s bugging the crap out of me!  Forty didn’t affect me much, but by forty-one I remember thinking, “Oh, this is why they say that after 40 everything is downhill.  It’s 41 that’s the kicker!”

I don’t know what it is, it could be the divorce, facing a life-altering change at “mid-life,” and having to face the reality that I’m in mid-life, but WOW what a downer of a post this is turning out to be!

Moving on now.  I’ve always noticed that real age seems to be more about attitude than anything else.  I know what Dr. Oz says about our bodies and how we treat them, but we all know of people who have died young in accidents, and those who live very long despite complete nonchalance toward their health.

I’d be willing to bet that for most who are reading this post, quality of life is more important than the number of years spent in the physical body.  So the question is, are you still enjoying life, whatever your age?

For me, it’s a “heck, yeah!” I mean, “Yes.  It is my pleasure to be here!”  The opportunity to contribute to the lives of others, in whatever shape that’s going to take, is what is keeping me alive and well these days.  I’m enjoying my new-found freedom to be myself again, and to explore all that life has to offer.

So my real age? 44.  (Almost!)

Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Motivation

I am so corny!  When anyone asks me what kind of music I like, I always say, “Jazz.”

I do LOVE jazz, but . . .

Today in the car, I decided to pop in an old Golden Chords CD, (the community group I used to play keyboards for), just to see/hear what was on it.  WOW!  Did it put me in a good mood!   The songs?

1. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (The Supremes)
2. I’m a Believer x 2 (Both from Smash Mouth and The Monkees)
3. Seasons of Love (Album verison)
4. Thank You for the Music (Abba)
5. The Way You Look Tonight (by the Beelzebubs)
6. When I Fall in Love (From Sleepless in Seattle)
7. You’re the One That I Want  (Of course - John Travolta and Olivia Newton)

Try being in a bad mood while listening to this mix.

On second thought, don’t try - just enjoy!

Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Motivation

In going through major life changes, like divorce, for example, one must make tough decisions.  While it’s true that “with age comes wisdom,” life experience also brings fear of risk and opportunity cost.

In making my decisions lately, I keep remembering something I read a couple of years ago, but I cannot find the source.  If you know, please comment and let us all know.  I might not quote it directly, but the gist is, “Anything or anyone that doesn’t bring you alive is too small for you.”

Let’s make our decisions, if just for today, based on that.

Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Motivation

I am absolutely loving my new apartment in Cincinnati, Ohio!  And for any of you who followed my blog several years ago, you know how much I love organizing, so this has been a veritable treat for me.

Tonight I am putting the finishing touches on my kitchen and will hopefully be cooking my first meal in my new place sometime this week.

Getting my clothing organized has been the biggest hassle due to the change of seasons, BUT, I’ll take the 80-degree weather any time!  It has been absolutely gorgeous here, despite the threatening conditions.  Boy, talk about having to “take the good with the bad” - but that’s another post!

My biggest challenge right now is in trying to answer some of your comments on my earlier posts.  I don’t know if it’s an internet speed issue, WordPress issue, or what, but when I try to post a reply to your comments, I’m receiving an error.  Rest assured, I’ll be checking this out and getting it corrected very soon.

I am excited about blogging and writing again and sharing my life with all of you!  Let’s get and stay motivated together - what do you say?

Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Motivation

My brother recently lost 2 homes in the tornado that destroyed most of West Liberty, KY. Having someone that close to me go through that made me stop and think about what is most important to me in life. (It’s just not the same to see it in the news.)

For the second year in a row now, I have declared “authenticity” as my “new year’s resolution,” or personal growth goal for the year. After more in-depth reflection, I came to the heart of what “authenticity” means to me: reaching my full potential. As in, allowing myself to be all I have become, and all I can become. As a result, I’ve made some changes in my habits, in my surroundings, and in my thinking. I now feel more “authentic” and genuine about my life’s path.

My challenge to you going into this weekend is to think about what would be most important to you if you KNEW that a tornado was going to swoop down and take nearly everything you own tonight. All of your current physical possessions would be gone forever. What would be the most important quality for you to have in order to rebuild your life?

My brother, his wife, and their daughter were not at home when the tornado struck. They had gone to a neighboring town for dinner. All they had when they returned home were the car they were in, (2 other vehicles were completely destroyed), each other, and their own lives. And they are grateful for all of that.

Once you’ve decided what is really most important to you, take some time this weekend to make plans around that. How could you build that quality up so that, in the event that something did destroy your physical surroundings, you would survive the setback a little stronger?

Eliminate all the extra stuff that gets in the way of making your top priority your top priority. Whether it’s physical clutter, emotional baggage, intellectual distraction, or spiritual emptiness, get serious about it. Don’t wait for a catastrophic event to make this decision for you. Be strong in who you are and nothing will be able to destroy you.

The people of West Liberty, Kentucky, are very strong, as are all survivors of natural catastrophe. And as much as we can do to help them, nothing replaces inner strength.

Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Motivation

I’ve spent a lot of time on this site telling my audience how to do things.  And rest assured, that trend will continue.  (You seem to like getting tips and tricks - so do I.)  But today I’m reflecting on something that I heard several months ago and took the time to jot down, and that is, “Wanting is enough, and eventually inspiration will follow.”

I’ve found that concept to be so true throughout my life.  In fact, it seems that if I simply identify something I want, and then just leave it at that, I’ll receive inspiration on how to get it.

Of course, sometimes that comes in the form of a blog post (as the result of an internet search), but sometimes, it just comes.

There is Divine Guidance.  Few would argue that.

But I’d love to hear from you.  Where do you get your inspiration?  How do you tap in to it?  Do you have a process that works every time for you?

Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Motivation

Hello fellow bloggers, subscribers, and site followers! It is March 13, 2012 and I am joyfully writing this post from my new apartment in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The past few years, and especially the past few months, have been extremely contrast producing, but have helped me identify what is most important to me in life. Over the next several posts, I’ll be sharing that with you, and doing my best to motivate, educate, and inspire you in the process. (Well, now, that was a big hint, wasn’t it?)

To those of you who have been following my weight-loss plan, and have posted questions in the form of comments, I will get to you eventually, I promise. Up until now, I had never made such a promise, but have been accused of abandoning my followers and my site. I answered many questions offline, and simply chose to ignore questions where the answers where clearly mentioned in either the original article, or the follow-up articles. But rest assured, no one drowned on my watch - !

My focus for this site going forward will be to communicate my passion for women’s empowerment and my personal authenticity. I am planning to attend business school this fall, so you’ll be coming along for the ride if you join me.

As always, you’re welcome here at whatever level floats your boat. (Oh – that was a bad one – sorry!) (I really don’t know where the nautical influence is coming from today, but it has been fun.) My current planned topics for this site are:

• Updating my story – for inquiring minds
• Women’s empowerment, focusing on a niche that is very special to me.
• Authenticity – my personal struggle
• Financial independence
• Reaching one’s full potential – a challenge for all of us
• More on weight loss and feeling great about yourself – why it’s okay to diet, etc.
• Sharing my passions

And, of course, any other topics that come to mind.

I plan to post daily, so if you’re watching, feel free to send me a poke if I get behind. (But, for those of you who know me, self-discipline is one of my greatest strengths.)

I am excited to be blogging and writing again and look forward to sharing many conversations with you in the months to come.

Until next time,

Live Joyfully!

Posted under Motivation