When my friend Michelle’s 76-year-old dad decided to take a leap into the river below, he didn’t just impulsively jump. He had his son and daughter check that the water was deep enough, scan for floating debris, and confirm it was safe. He gathered enough data to know his decision was sound—but he still had to take that first step off the edge. That first step is often the hardest, especially when we’re trying something new or unfamiliar. It’s that moment where desire and fear collide, and we freeze. This is particularly challenging in the second half of life, when that critical inner voice gets louder. When Fear Masquerades as…
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#ThursdayThoughts | It’s Not About the Shoes
At 68, I ran my first (and probably my last) marathon. I wore these shoes to train in and on race day. I bought the little Christmas tree ornament to represent my efforts to achieve that goal. How did I do it? One step at a time…6 months of training and more than 500 miles. Sound daunting? I broke it down to the simple and doable—taking small steps over and over, so it didn’t feel overwhelming. I focused on the steps in front of me and not on the long journey ahead. So, if you have a goal, resolution, or project you want to achieve, big or small, focus on…
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#MicroblogMonday 30—Saying Yes to Your Needs
“There are times when saying “yes” to our own needs, we must say “no” to the needs of others. In other words, when you say yes to someone else’s needs, what are you denying yourself? Time, money, resources, energy or attention? There’s a trade off in some way. Recently, Simone Biles and Naomi Osaki, both top professional athletes, said yes to taking care of their own mental health needs. In doing so, they said no to the public’s need to see them perform. They showed incredible strength to take care of themselves in full view (and some criticism) of millions of people. Some have argued they demonstrated weakness in not…
