By Carmen Greger
Turning 50 can be a significant milestone for many people, and it can be a time when you start to question the direction of your life. Maybe you’ve been working in the same career for years and are feeling unfulfilled, or perhaps you’ve reached a point where you want to live a more purposeful and meaningful life.
Whatever your reasons, reinventing yourself at 50 is entirely possible, and it can lead to a happier, more successful, and prosperous life. There are practical, promising and effective steps you can take to make a significant change in your life, align your actions with your deepest intentions, and live with greater purpose.
Stop. Listen. Get Clear.
Create Your Best New Reality
The first step in reinventing yourself is to take a step back and reflect on what’s most important to you. Create some space and time to reflect on your life as it is now, how it presents in the future if ideally crafted, and note the difference; within the gap between the two resides the recipe for the steps and/or leaps that need be taken.
Record these specifics; take the time to write what comes up down.
This true-north goal sheet (or self-generated manifestation manuscript) will serve as a reminder, a motivator and an accountability partner. Be honest with yourself and don’t worry about what others may think. This exercise is for you, and it’s essential to have a clear understanding of what you want to manifest in the second half of your life so you can truly, fully and wholeheartedly begin to pioneer that pathway as your future life blossoms beautifully to fruition and your dreams become a reality.
Set aside an hour at the beginning or end of the day for a week, or carve out an entire day for a deep dive; See what comes up, listen clearly to the voice of your highest, best self and commit to embracing your vulnerability, your courage, your passion, skills, curiosity and sense of adventure, and then actualize.
Take Inventory of your blessings, honor them, send gratitude for them and never take them for granted
Do this daily, as a ritual. It is honorable, and mandatory for manifesting the ‘more’ in your life you seek. Showing sincere and fierce gratitude for the gifts in your life will nurture and grow them. Vital.
Define Your Values and Priorities
What are your values, passions and skills? What makes you happy and lights you up? What has always beckoned you? What is your fundamental purpose and calling and what do you want to achieve in life? These are all essential questions to ask yourself and record as you start to think about making changes.
Identify Your Skills and Passions
Once you’ve defined your values and priorities, it’s important to next identify your skills and passions. What are you good at? What do you enjoy doing? What do you find challenging, but rewarding? These are all questions that can help you pinpoint and maximize the skills and passions that can be used in a new career or lifestyle. Take a moment to reflect on three of my favorite questions to ask those for whom I am honored to mirror. Listen to the voice inside your heartspace (your highest self) as it answers. Pay close attention.
WHO ARE YOU?
WHAT DO YOU WANT?
WHY ARE YOU HERE?
In addition to the above questions that are there for your daily ask, consider taking a personality test or a skills assessment to get a better understanding of your strengths and weaknesses. You may also want to try new things to see what sparks your interest. Take a class, volunteer, or start a new hobby. Exploring new things and meeting new people can help you discover new passions and talents that you can use to realign and recreate your life.
Create a Plan
Once you have a clear understanding of your values, priorities, skills, and passions, it’s time to create a plan. Your plan should outline your goals, steps, and timeline for making a significant change in your life. It should be specific, measurable, and achievable.
Your plan should also include strategies for overcoming obstacles and setbacks. There will certainly be challenges along the way, and it’s essential to prepare yourself with a plan in place for dealing with them.
Take Action
With your plan in place, it’s time to evolve, one step at a time. Start small to go big. Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to make too many changes at once. Focus on the most important actions, tasks, methods and rituals that will lead you closer to your goals.
Be consistent in your methodology, stay committed to your plan and maintain a positive mindset. It’s easy to get sidetracked or discouraged when things don’t go specifically as planned, but it’s essential to use obstacles as opportunities, stay focused, and stay the course; keep moving forward, onward and upward to reach the goals you set.
Align Your Micro & Macro Actions with Your Deepest Intentions
To create the results you seek, it’s essential to align your micro and macro actions with your deepest intentions. Your deepest intentions are your purpose, your reason for being, and the meaning behind your actions.
Each and every action you take, no matter how small, should be in line with your purpose. When your actions align with your purpose, you’ll experience a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction that comes from knowing that you are living with intention. This has a significant effect on deepening, broadening and elevating the meaning, mission, quality, and positive impact of your life, for you and everyone your life impacts.
Our Life is a collection of experiences comprised of individual actions; The quality and quantity of your actions matter now and on the grand scale.
Stay Positive and Motivated
Reinventing yourself at 50 is not an easy task, and it’s important to stay positive and motivated along the way. Surround yourself with positive people who whole-heartedly and enthusiastically support your goals and dreams. Read inspiring books, watch informative, insightful and encouraging videos, listen to motivational podcasts and attend live positively provocative talks.
Recognize, celebrate and share your successes every step of the way. It certainly takes commitment and courage, but when you align your actions with your deepest intentions and take calculated risks with a premeditated plan and a detailed roadmap, you will surely get there, or at least much closer to where you were always meant to be.
Today is the first day of the rest of your life; Live on purpose.
