During one of my presentations with women, the theme was jump for joy. I suggested they go home, take a photo, or bring an object that gives them joy or reminds them of joy or do something creative, like a poem, art piece, food, clothing, collection, etc. You get the idea.
I am sharing this with you because we had so much fun. I want to pass the idea to you. Even if you are not in a group, or don’t have friends that want to join in, do it for YOURSELF. There is much more to the story of where we went from there, but I wanted to suggest you BEGIN.
1. What makes you jump for joy? 2. Who brings you joy? 3. What can you do to add more joy to your week? 4. What support do you need to make that happen?
Let me know how it goes for you.
Have fun,
Natalie
Natalie Caine M.A.
Life In Transition, What’s Next?
(800) 446-3310 or (310) 454-0040 Los Angeles
Featured in Time Magazine, USA Today, Huffington Post, Wall Street Journal, MariaShriver .com, Better Homes and Gardens, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Lifetime Radio for Women, Chicago Tribune, Sirius, Associated Press, Miami Herald, and many more.
Change is inevitable. Get Ready. Get Support. Life transitions need a hand to hold.
– Private Telephone Consultations
– Speaking engagements
– Support groups
– Workshops
– Mentoring
– Facebook, Linked In, Twitter
In one of our groups, we chose that theme for the week.
It became a practice, daily.
I DID IT.
The intention was to focus on the greatness in you and something you did that mattered to you, even if uncomfortable. Each evening I asked them to write down a positive view of themselves and then something they were going to do the next day or during the week. Life happens. Schedules change.
Here’s a short list of happy I DID IT stories:
Everyone felt so great. What would you say that you felt good about within yourself and what are you wanting to do and then be able to say, I DID IT?
Have fun discovering new parts of yourself and share it, Natalie
Natalie Caine M.A.
Life In Transition, What’s Next?
(800) 446-3310 or (310) 454-0040 Los Angeles
Featured in Time Magazine, USA Today, Huffington Post, Wall Street Journal, MariaShriver .com, Better Homes and Gardens, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Lifetime Radio for Women, Chicago Tribune, Sirius, Associated Press, Miami Herald, and many more.
Change is inevitable. Get Ready. Get Support. Life transitions need a hand to hold.
– Private Telephone Consultations
– Speaking engagements
– Support groups
– Workshops
– Mentoring
– Facebook, Linked In, Twitter
I often hear, as do you, about the lack of support and community people have today. Tears fall from loneliness. You feel invisible. You just want a few friends you can have fun with and trust.
I remember a group of women sharing with me that they feel embarrassed to talk about not having good friends. They no longer connect with the friends they have had. It feels like they are going through a friendship divorce. The biggest complaint I hear is that one feels they are initiating more than the other and then they feel forgotten when the other person doesn’t email or pick up the phone to extend to them.
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February is around the corner. I think it is fun to choose a focus for the month.
Yes, LOVE is always a great focus. What do you love about YOUR life today? Is it your SMILE you give to others, your ease at SHIFTING when you have a disappointment, or is it your CURIOSITY that keeps you moving forward, rather than whirling about the past?
What is it you love about YOU? Begin with that list.
Natalie’s article as a Wall Street Journal Expert
What’s the biggest mistake people make when it comes to starting a second career?
NATALIE CAINE: Deciding what career to launch next is like deciding to date again. You wouldn’t start your date in the bedroom would you? If more than a night mattered to you, you would get to know each other first through common interests, attraction, values, gifts and challenges, etc.
A woman shared with me that her courage evaporated. She had been betrayed, thrown under the bus, as she calls it, by another woman at work. She was shocked.
There was no warning for this behavior, or was there. As she continued to share the story, she discovered the woman had been controlling in not asking her questions but telling her how to be when her role was not THE BOSS of her.
Men and women have been sharing their list with me, “What Positive Obsessions Do You Have?”
As one of the Wall Street Journal Experts, Natalie’s blog was published earlier this week;
What’s the biggest source of friction between spouses/partners in later life?
NATALIE CAINE: Not a surprise and yet so frustrating, are conflicts between one wanting to downsize and begin new adventures, and the other not wanting to change a thing. One wants to have a new career and the other thinks it is too late. One wants to go back to school for a new creative interest, the other says, “I don’t think you can make that happen.” One wants sex, the other is too tired or bored in the bedroom. One wants to make a “bucket list,” and the other feels their bucket is already too full. One wants new friends, the other doesn’t get why. One wants… the other has no interest in…. What to do?
How do you make shifts with your spouse/partners? One thing you might be doing is setting goals for the new year and keeping each other accountable. A different way of making choices is to set your feelings. Give your feelings airtime, “feel happier, so I need to be more positive and less critical.”
Was it falling in love, a teacher who believed in you, a trauma, a pet, a book, a meditation, etc.?
Your experiences are fun to share. Recall memories. Share with others. As people gather over the holidays or even if you are going solo this year, share memories with yourself.
We forget to spend time in the good of life.
Thanksgiving and holiday time brings out the shine, goodies and beauty, as well as, my black stretch pants. I love the holidays for its anticipation, creativity, memories of loved ones, sentiments, and new traditions.
When we travel and gather, like a decorated room, we mix and match. We move our life around, like chairs, and hope for comfort and connection.
I know holidays also bring expectations and disappointments from the mundane, like the turkey isn’t done yet, to the forgotten biscuits and the tasteless gravy. Mistakes happen. Tiredness sets in. Feelings of being unseen. Weeping for what was. And, of course, the hope for leftover turkey and stuffing sandwiches. Expectations, part of being human. You can keep awareness that might sound like this, “well, that is unrealistic that she is going to…… that they will…… “You can also ask for what you need in the moment, “Can someone move those chairs and come in the kitchen to dice?”
There is planning and then there is letting go. There is having an image of what you want and then there is simply the reality that life happens. When life happens, like illness, break ups, loss, it isn’t a punishment. It is life. You might tell yourself you are to blame or you failed and that might not be true. What is true is you have another opportunity to treat yourself well no matter what happens. You seem to forget that part is available to you as a choice.
Changes, like empty nest, bring up past losses and worries. Your inner critic may have a feast saying things in your head that aren’t true.
Our group shared what worries them:
Natalie Caine, M.A. natalie@lifeintransition.org