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.

Cheryl's Story

It’s Over. That’s exactly how I felt the day I had to close my interior design business. Done. Over. Kaput. Finished. Need I say more about the anguish I felt after putting in over 5 years building a business I loved and waking up one morning to the largest housing market crash in my lifetime? Within days projects were put on hold, vendors were shutting their doors, orders were being cancelled…But, bills still needed to be paid and half-finished projects needed to be completed. It was a total disaster and within a few months and $80,000 of credit card debt, it was over. To say the least, I was devastated and felt like a complete and utter failure.

How did this happen? How did I find myself at 50Something! looking at this much debt, unsure of whether I should keep the business open or close the doors, and if I closed it, would it be the end of my dream?

Does any of this sound familiar? Did you find yourself walking into an office where you worked night and day to make someone else’s business successful and then you’re handed a pink slip a few months before you are eligible to retire. How about finding yourself being interviewed by a 13-year-old for a job you don’t want and are overqualified for anyway. What about this? You’ve spent all your adult life raising your kids to be successful contributors to our society, kept a home for a husband who adores you and supported you taking the time to raise kids and keep a home. And now, they are all gone. He is more involved in work than ever, and YOU? You are ready to blossom but don’t know what to do, how to do it and if you can do it.

It’s over. Right?

Wrong!

It’s just beginning and the journey from that place of uncertainty and despair to where I am today has been the most awesome, bumpiest ride of my life. Being 50Something! did not mean that I was finished - that it was too late to fulfill dreams. It didn’t relegate me to accepting where I was in life and being thankful that I wasn’t in a worse place. It didn’t mean that I couldn’t get healthier and have more energy than in my 30’s and 40’s. It didn’t mean that I would have to work for a 13-year-old just to survive and pay the bills. It didn’t mean that I couldn’t start another business or get another career or go back to school or make a difference in the world.

This blog is about women who are 50Something! It is our turn. It is time to start that new business, be proactive about our health and our wealth, be independent and shine, shine, shine. You will meet women here who shine at 50Something! and beyond. You will learn about some of the innovative solutions for anti-aging and good overall health. You will be able to get coaching to help you transition into 50Something! whether it’s a new business, developing a new talent or finding ways to help your community.

It ain’t over til… (stay tuned for the rest of the story)