Midlife information links

In amongst researching and writing the pages for my Midlife Reawakening site, I came to the conclusion that I should offer another level of information and resources. My idea was to offer an online store with this deeper level of information for those who wanted – or needed – more information than one web page could provide.

As I began to develop my ideas it became clear that one store simply wasn’t enough. In order to help people find information, I realized I needed to have a store for each category of my site. Within each store I then needed multiple topic pages to make it easier to find information. I have just added ‘custom search’ boxes on each site that look for your search word across all the pages on that site. My goal in the coming days is to introduce you to each of these stores and the pages within them, so you know where to go when you do want information.

My first store focusses on goal setting and follow through as I began it at the start of the year and was thinking primarily of New Years resolutions. I found that women tend to break their resolutions comparatively fast, so found resources to help women understand that goal setting is a key element in succeeding with keeping resolutions.

Another important component is to have motivation to succeed. Again, we are apt to change our behaviors to please a partner, parent – or child! It has been found that unless we personally want to change our behavior, we are unlikely to succeed, so here is information to help you work out why you really want to reach your goals.

The next aspect to consider is how you are viewing your goal, for example, do you tell yourself you will fail no matter how hard you try? Self talk like this is a pretty good way to make sure you don’t succeed, however, a positive mindset, as Pollyanna-ish as it may seem, is vital. The more you can be aware of your own negative assumptions, the better equipped you will be to make the changes you want.

Having decided what your goal is, what your motivations are and how you will view your efforts, it is time to formulate your resolutions. Once again it is important to be precise and clear about what you want to achieve. For example, if your goal is vague and you simply say you want to lose weight, technically after the first pound is gone you are done! Equally well, wanting to lose 50 lbs in two weeks, despite those alluring adverts, is unrealistic and you’re chances of success are low. Instead, set yourself a goal of losing 5 pounds in the next 28 days. This is a quantifiable and realistic goal, and since you are likely to succeed, you will be encouraged to try to lose a further 5 pounds in the following month. There will be days when you may feel less inspired, so check out the affirmations to help you get back on track.

If the many television shows about messy homes are to be believed, the desire toget organized is a big issue for many of us! It is hard to do anything if we feel overwhelmed by our clutter and sense of mental disorganization. Equally, your resolution may be to simplify your life and get rid of mental and physical clutter that is holding you back. This page offers advice and resources for different varieties of organization from hiring a professional organizer to working out how to do it yourself.

Finally it seems that time management is a big issue, and one which needs to be resolved before anything else can be tackled. In many ways it is applied common sense, and comparatively easy to work out. For example, if you have four or five errands to run, plot your route so you circle round and reach each in turn instead of driving randomly between them. If you are unsure of a location or store hours, call ahead to avoid a wasted journey. While we always being told to live in the moment, there are times when multi-tasking can be productive! For example, I have found that making chatty phone calls while I am out walking makes my walk go faster and I am not distracted by anything else during the conversation. Certainly there are times when you need to be fully present and paying attention, but you know which friends love to chat, and walking while you chat probably want distract you from their news . . .

If you are still on track with your resolutions, that is wonderful news, but for those of us who have been slightly less successful, here are some resources to get us back on track!

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