Do you think about how to thrive in midlife?
I must admit, I don’t think I use the word “thrive” that often but it really sums up what so many of us midlife gals want at this age and stage.
Take a look at the definition of “thrive.”
It means to grow or develop well, or to flourish or prosper. The synonyms are words like bloom, grow, shine and succeed.
Think about it…Who doesn’t want to grow and keep evolving into their best self? Who doesn’t want to be so happy they shine from the inside out?
I wasn’t always thriving.
I don’t know what happened, but I missed the memo about how to thrive in midlife. That’s one of the main reasons I was so stuck for so long.
For me, that was a five years period, 45 – 50 years old.
- I craved change but was fearful of change.
- I craved challenge, but didn’t know what I wanted.
- I craved having an exciting life plan, but kept looking outside of myself for in inspiration and guidance.
I’ll be 58 this summer and am thriving now!
It’s so great to be on the other side of stuck and have some hindsight. Being older AND wiser gives you some perspective.
I can see clearly that there’s more to thriving than a creative vision board (although that’s a great place to start!).
There’s also more to this that just talking the talk.
You have to also walk the walk to thrive in midlife.
In fact, I’m well into thriving now…and I want to share some insights with you.
Here are the 5 ways you can do this for yourself so that you shine and grow till the cows come home! This is an amazing step to ensure you regret-proof your life!
5 Ways to Thrive in Midlife
Put Yourself First. Putting yourself first starts with the awareness that you aren’t. It’s a mindset shift about making sure that you matter enough to yourself. Your awareness of how you operate in the world needs to change. You have to clear up your mindspace to allow yourself room to focus on yourself too.
The problem is that you may have a general orientation to serving others at the sake of serving yourself. It’s probably easy for you to think about what others need, but you don’t know how to think that way about yourself. So when you think about this shift, you might think it’s selfish at first. But in reality, putting yourself first actually helps you “be there” for those you love and care about BETTER than when you’re not functioning as well as you could be. So, you have to notice your resistance to doing this and the thought behind that feeling. That’s critical.
Practice Self-Care. Self-care is more than a mani and a pedi. It’s more than a facial. Don’t get me wrong; these things help and can be part of your self-care plan. But self-care is more than this. It’s you taking care of your mind, body and soul on purpose. Self-care doesn’t happen by accident. It has to be seen as something that’s worthwhile for you.
I think of self-care as everything from maintaining a healthy weight, moving your body and building your flexibility to traveling where you want to go and focusing on your passion projects in the world. Learning how to take exceptional care of yourself can be your life’s work and can help you thrive more than you imagine.
Figure out what you want. Many midlife women are uncomfortable wanting things. This kind of desire can bring up all kinds of resistance and perhaps even a little bit of weirdness, lol. When you believe it’s OK to want what you want, you can think better about what you don’t want to have regrets about.
It’s not just about wanting a tennis bracelet or fancy purse; it can be, and there’s nothing wrong with that but it’s also about wanting all kinds of things, perhaps more education, a fulfilling career or that you want to leave a legacy of some kind. Maybe one of your biggest sources of joy is animal conservation and you want to spend more time doing that. Or that you want to run a marathon or start a blog. It could even be that you want to feel closer to your mom. It’s different for everyone. But the real question for you, what do YOU want. When you’re clear about this, it’s easier to thrive.
Plan better. The importance of becoming a better planner might not seem obvious to you in relationship to thriving but, if you don’t maximize your time and efforts, it’s impossible to create what you want in your life. You must learn how to plan in advance.
Seriously. I know you already have more than a few calendars and planners in your life, but do you USE them they way they can really help you? Do you have an accurate sense of how long things take to do? Do you have a regular planning routine? Do you know how to incorporate your endless “to do” lists into your calendar? Are you results focused with your plans? These types of skills can really help you thrive in midlife and make sure you have no regrets.
Learn how to commit. Ahhhh, here it is. Commitment. The way you’re able to make a commitment to yourself is the key to your self-confidence. When you really know that when you commit to yourself, you can trust that it’s as good as done, the world is your oyster. Knowing that you have your own back can set you free and give you the confidence to dream big and do what it takes to accomplish your goals.
Ask yourself, are your commitments to yourself as strong as your commitments to your children? Your doctor? Your friends? Your boss? There’s usually some work to do here when you’re serious about regret-proofing your life.
Are you ready to thrive, bloom, grow, prosper, shine and succeed?
Yes, my amazing friend. Even now, at your age.
The thing is that the extent to which you accomplish THIS goal, to thrive, is an INSIDE JOB.
It starts with you.
You have to make the commitment to thrive. You can’t rely on other people or things to create this for you.
The way you think about the possibility for you to thrive in midlife will be the thing that creates that way you feel about it. It’s not “OUT THERE” with that perfect job or relationship.
You can start to make this mindset shift right now, with your next thought! You have the power. And I know you can do this.
Need more help?
I’ve pulled together 12 of the top Women in the Middle Podcast episodes to help you get unstuck and learn to love your life again.
Get immediate access here and have fun listening! The episodes will come straight to your email! I’m here for you.
