Happy New Year!! Got a vision for 2020 yet?
When I was little I just knew the 2000s meant I’d be scooting around in my personal spaceship and I’d have a robot for a maid. Doesn’t 2020 sound like something out of the Jetsons?
I pray that you’re getting your feet under you and have joyfully jumped into this new decade. Honestly, I’m having a bit of trouble getting some traction. I’m feeling a bit ragged and scattered.
If this is you as well then let’s just take one day at a time……together.
As a bit of history, last year my ‘word’ was GRIT. And now, as I look back, that was indeed the word to describe my life in 2019. I gain extensive knowledge about grit, more than I wanted.
I learned about digging in, and hanging on. About being down in the trenches and listening to my gut about family issues that required me to make decisions for them. Why are decisions often so uncomfortable? Ugh.
Yet they must be made.
We made it through 2019 with grit and stamina!! Hooray!!!
And so now we have slid into 2020!
It just sounds BIG doesn’t it?
Momentous.
And while I know that the word VISION is indeed a bit cheesy for the year 2020, for me it’s more than fitting.
I’m ready for some new clarity.
I’m learning to look at my future (which actually is already here) differently.
This year will bring me an empty nest. I can’t believe it! My baby girl will graduate from high school and fly the coop. My house will be different. I will be different. My marriage will be different. My bank account will be different.
My life, my midlife, will be different.
My vision for my world will change.
My husband and I will cross over to the other side, so to speak. I think we’re ready.
My sweet friend, if this is where you as in your midlife, I thought I’d offer some food for thought as we jump on this bandwagon together.
Looking to redefine yourself in this brand new year? Let me send you my FREE printable 20 Ways to ReDefine Yourself. It’s found in my Resource Library along with tons of other helps for your midlife journey. Just shoot me your email at the bottom of this post.
Let’s be open to possibilities.
In some ways, jumping into this new era of our lives, our midlives, is just like embarking on a grand adventure. Yes, it’s unfamiliar, BUT, the world is indeed our oyster. We will be childless, so to speak, and freed from the everyday worries of raising those babies.
As we age, the ease and familiarity of doing the ‘same old thing’ becomes more and more comfortable. I am an expert at this. Truly. But I don’t want to be.
This year I long to be different.
I want to see new possibilities with everything that surrounds me. How can I do my life with new creativity?
How can I get out of my self-made rut?
I can choose to stay in my comfortable surroundings or choose the adventure of something new. And yes, this is often scary.
This ‘being open’ gig is really just a mindset.
Let’s not discount a new idea simply because it’s strange and unfamiliar.
Let’s be hyper-focused on what God is doing.
With this new year, I’ve begun a new prayer journal. I’ve found that writing my prayers allows me to remember what I pray for. (Yes, I often have brain fog and a very short memory. Hooray for menopause…..not.)
If we are snuggling close to Him daily, we see what He’s doing. I watch for the things that I’ve prayed for to actually happen. And if I’m writing them down, I can retrace what I’ve asked for.
I want to see interruptions in my day and life as His doing. What new people is He bringing into your day? Or into your kids’ lives?
I’ve started a new Bible reading plan via an app that gives me passages every day. There are so many to choose from these days! Hooray for living in the Jetsons age where technology makes our lives more convenient than we ever imagined!
What is He showing you in His word as you read it and ponder? Write it all down in your journal. Talk to Him about it.
Let’s look at our own strengths and passions more critically.
With this new midlife era of ’empty nesting’ I get to ask myself anew, “How do I want to offer my strengths and talents to the world…….now?”
My living arrangements are freer now. Or they soon will be. Are you a bit lost as to how to define yourself? Boy do I get it!
Are you like me and have somehow forgotten what your strengths are?
If you’re struggling with some negative thoughts about your own talents, plan a coffee date with a friend and just ask her what do they think you’re good at or would enjoy.
You may be surprised what she says. And, most likely, she may offer suggestions that you would never have pondered.
Empty nesting forces us to redefine ourselves. Or maybe ‘refine’ ourselves.
It’s exciting!
Let’s make creative planning a priority.
You may be asking, what is this ‘creative planning’ ?
Let’s make 2020 the year we plan things that we’ve never planned before.
This can literally mean anything.
How’s your nest-egg coming – your financial retirement? Needing some tweaking? Let’s do it! Your new vision for your retirement begins in 2020!
Do you dream of a second honeymoon to celebrate your new empty nest? Or a kitchen remodel? Or a trip to the flea market to glean ideas?
For me, 2019 found me always is ‘reaction mode’. I seemed to always be scrambling to help with someone or something that needed my attention so I couldn’t make my own plans. And I really needed grit to make it through these days. My sisters, this is going to happen as our parents age or new grandbabies arrive.
Don’t get me wrong, I want to be in a position to help with whoever may need my help. I want to bring that pot of soup to my ailing friend. Or clear snow my my neighbor’s sidewalk. Or show up to cuddle with a new lovebug. (I can’t wait!)
But I also long for my own adventures along the way.
And girls, you have permission to plan them!!! You’ve raised those buggers and now you get some YOU time.
Planning requires vision! Envisioning a change is exciting! Even small changes in our daily living can make a big impact!
Let’s start small and gain some traction as this brand new 2020 unfurls.
Again, I’m excited about new beginnings and a fresh start! I’m so thrilled that YOU are on this adventure with me!!!!
Let’s do this!!!!!
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