March is the start of a new season down here in New Zealand, and already, the leaves are starting to brown and curl and there is a nip in the morning air. Conversely, you may be edging towards the end of a long winter and looking forward to warmer and longer days.
I love the transitional months of Autumn and Spring and often find myself transitioning along with them as let’s face it – the midlife season is anything but static! Every week in my worldwide Rocking Midlife group of amazing ladies, there are women reinventing themselves as they navigate changes and challenges that come with this season of life and I am just the same.
I have made some huge (for me anyway lol!) decisions over the past few weeks – and these decisions have been the result of months of restlessness as I knew that something new was stirring in my heart, but it took time to crystallise. In a nutshell, I have given up my face to face personal training clients after 7 years of early starts and am now fully committed to reaching, motivating, coaching and empowering more women to truly ROCK their bodies, souls and lives through my writing, speaking and sharing of natural wellness via my dōTERRA essential oils business and online training. Let’s just say that I am “walking the talk” – after all, I encourage other women to “up their brave” and step out of their comfort zones in faith. Now it is my turn to step up and do likewise and before you ask – yes, it IS scary!
So what advice would I share for others considering transitions at Midlife – indeed, at ANY stage of life? Read on and you can find my 7 tips derived from the process that I have used at various pivotal times during my life:
START DREAMING: Start by asking yourself this question: “If money was no object – what would I do with my life?” Then start dreaming, taking care to shut down any inner critic voices that might limit your thinking. .
WRITE IT DOWN: Grab a fresh notebook and start doodling, mind mapping or drawing pictures of what your dreams are revealing. Then write down the answers to these questions: “How would it LOOK if I made that transition?” “How would it FEEL if I changed my life in that manner?”
TALK TO TRUSTED MENTORS: Reach out to people who you respect and who are successful in what they do. Ask questions, ask advice then take it all home and let it marinate. I reached out to two people in particular who are not in my immediate circle, (it is amazing who appears when you need them!) and their input helped me immensely with my own decision making.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH YOUR PARTNER: Some of you won’t have this issue, but for those in any kind of relationship, it will make a world of difference to have your partner on side. Even if they don’t fully understand, if you can bring them along with you on your journey, your relationship will only grow stronger. I know that I am indebted to the love and support my husband has shown me through my own process of change – indeed, he has believed in me more than I have believed in myself over the years.
STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE AND IMMERSE YOURSELF IN THE WORLD THAT YOU WANT TO EMBRACE: For me, this meant stretching myself financially and investing in two key conferences. I HATE crowds with a passion and the credit card took a hit so this was a real challenge on both fronts, however these conferences, (the Global Speakers Summit in Auckland and the dōTERRA AU/NZ Convention in Sydney) were totally life changing. Both confirmed that the transition I was toying with was definitely where my heart was leading, and my belief level was raised as I met people already living lives similar to what I want to transition to.
PLAN YOUR ACTION STEPS: The dreaming, doodling and advice getting needs to now be honed into action steps. Write your mission statement out. Define clearly what you are aiming for, as well as who you want to become and plan the steps you will need to take in order to bring this to pass. Give yourself dates and targets otherwise it will be too easy to drift on in the dreaming stage (trust me – I know this from personal experience!)
GO DO IT! Hold your shoulders back, your head up high and walk as if you are already in that place that you are transitioning into. The faith steps you take every day will lead you to creating the life you are wanting to transition into even when it looks like nothing could ever change.
These are the very steps that I have used time and again as I have made life transitions over the years, and I would love to hear if they help you in your process of transition.
Cat x
