Entrepreneurial Transformation- 50Something and Starting Over

The house is quiet. Quieter than it’s ever been. No kids scrambling to get up and get out for school (that hasn’t been the case for years but you didn’t notice it)…no husband bumbling around, he’s already left early for work (he doesn’t want to appear that even though he’s older, he can keep up with the younger workers - he needs that job!)…or a husband who no longer is there for many reasons and now you’re going this life alone…Silence!

Just last week you were directing a staff of 40, sitting in your corner office, Madam VP of whatever. Or, you declared that you were sick of it all and retired only to find that you weren’t quite ready to deal with that whole fixed income thing. Either way, right now you’re walking around your quiet house feeling purposeless and silently grieving the passing away of 20 something years of working life. What the heck just happened?

Life happened. Either by choice or by making the decision one day that what you were doing wasn’t enough and now you need something more.

So, now what? Remember ladies, I said in my previous post, it isn’t over.

So now is the time you start the second half of what can be the best part of your life. Life after 50something!

I read the book Beyond Half Time* by Bob Buford a few years ago and it focused on living the second half of your life with significance and success. What I liked about the book was that it helped me to see that I could keep dreaming and aspiring beyond raising kids or finishing one career.

The road to finding yourself after 50Something is not always the easiest, but it is doubly rewarding the second (or third) time around. When we pool all of our experiences from our past, we are equipped to achieve more and help more people. Yes, it requires a little more energy (some days I just don’t want to do anything but bask in my past successes or failures), it requires more courage (when you are younger, the consequences of what we do are the furthest things from our minds), and it requires that we keep dreaming.

Lorraine Campman, 58-year-old founder of Music Oasis Lifelong Learning Center in Pennsylvania, says “Don’t let the music die inside of you.  If you have a dream, find a way of fulfilling that dream, and there are going to be rough spots in the road along the way, but you have to persevere, accept the help that’s available out there and do what you can to make it happen”.  She fulfilled her dream through breast cancer, financial woes and starting a new venture in her fifties.

I am one of those 50Somethingers who found my way through one business failure to now doing something of significance that I love. My business partner, Carolyn Johnson, who you will hopefully meet in future posts found tremendous business success in her late 50’s. We are everywhere, us 50Somethingers, and if you are one and want to live the second half with more significance and success, stay connected. As this community grows, we will all prosper and change together.

Stay tuned cause – it still is not over!

* Bob Buford now has a series called Half Time which provides spiritual guidance through Bible study and personal guidance for financial and professional success.

Live Like Someone Left the Gate Open!

Someone posted this great picture on Facebook and it inspired me. Can you imagine the little puppy raring to get out. Clamoring to get somewhere, anywhere but closed behind an iron gate. Suddenly, without any warning or for no apparent reason, someone comes along and unlatches the gate and it swings open. Without any encouragement, the little puppy bursts through the gate and dashes down the street toward total freedom. Can you feel it? The sheer feeling of exhilaration. Joy! Happiness! Hope!

Have you had that feeling of freedom lately? Are you settling for what’s behind your life gate? Are you standing at the gate looking out and wondering how it would feel to be on the other side?

Only you can answer these questions. Only you can choose to do something about it. If this is you, and you are ready to get from behind that gate, let’s explore some principles that can help you burst through and hit the streets running.

Have a Vision for Your Life – Sounds sort of cliché doesn't it? Here you are at 50Something and someone is questioning your vision. Heck, you’ve lived this long and gotten to the place where you are and now you need a VISION. Basically, you have allowed life to sort of take you where it has taken you and you’ve done okay. Haven’t you? I thought so too. But…I knew deep down that there was more for me to do. And this time around, I wanted it to be significant. Why not. If I was going to start something new, it had better yield some pretty terrific results. So, first thing I needed was a bigger vision. It took a minute or two but I found it and now it is clear where I am going. Where are you headed from today forward?

Do Something that Helps Others Achieve Their Dreams – Speaking of vision. My vision was to help as many women (and men) create significant income so that they could make a difference.  I knew that if I helped enough people achieve success, success would come to me. This is a principle so pure and true. Give and it will come back to you. It’s not always about giving stuff. Sometimes it is giving of your time and your talents. What do you have to give to others to help improve the quality of their lives – to help them reach their dreams? Just think about it, if you were helping people and you saw them change and achieve their dreams, could anyone keep you inside that gate (bed, office desk, sofa, etc.)?

Take Time Each Day for Spiritual Growth – Simply stated spend some time with God each day. No one can help you create a personal relationship with God. You have to do that based on your own needs and beliefs. But I do know that having a strong spiritual life will help you on your journey. It has certainly helped me through all of the ups and downs, disappointments, trials, tribulations, good times, great times, the best times, and then the worst times… I could go on and on. No matter what I am going through, I can get through it because of my faith and my relationship with God. You decide what yours will be, but when you hit the streets running out of that gate you will find that at the first corner you are going to appreciate having guidance on which way to go.

Hold Yourself Accountable – Accountability. That is the theme of our business. Each day we have an accountability call where we report our activity for the day (based on what we said we would be accountable for on a daily basis). Do what you say you are going to do. Don’t just be accountable if someone is looking, be accountable to yourself.

Stop Putting Your Life on Hold – Okay 50Somethingers (I’m making that a word)! It’s time to move. Don’t dwell on how you got to where you are right now. That’s over. If you want your life to change, you have to get into the game. Stop standing on the sidelines looking at the other players and wondering why they are having so much fun. It’s time to move. Release the HOLD button and start exploring what will make each day worth bouncing out of bed. I remember the days and months (and I hate to admit years) where I would wake up each day, come down the stairs and wonder what I could do that was safe enough that there wouldn’t be any risk involved. I’d sit for a while and speculate what it was that I was going to do that day and then I would make an excuse to just do nothing (much better). Life was safe right where I was. It wasn’t until I decided to move away from complacency that I found that one thing that I knew was right for me. It’s time to move!

Make the decision today to live life as if someone left the gate open. It's an exhilirating feeling and well worth the risk. 

To discover more about success principles, read Jack Canfield's book The Success Principles.. How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be! (available at Amazon)

Interview with the Founder

So proud to be a guest on the Wake Up with XANGO call this morning. Here is a replay of my story for those of you who would like to hear part of my journey. Call (916) 233-3990 pin 99500# to hear a recorded version of the interview.

Quote for Today

I'm a dreamer. I have to dream and reach for the stars, and if I miss a star then I grab a handful of clouds.