3 Steps to Build a Resilient, #FierceOver50 You in 2021
How will you reckon, rumble, and revolutionlize yourself in 2021?
2020 was one helluva year, wasn’t it? I hope you are doing better than just hanging on, but the truth is that that’s where many of us are.
Here’s what’s happening with me:
Bob and I had been in quarantine for 256 days, but I had always told him that if something happened to my mother, Florence, who lives alone in Delray Beach, Florida I would have to leave our safe nest and travel to Florida to help her out.
Well, it happened. And, after taking all the possible precautions, I’m here at my mother’s condo, writing to you as I look out at the tiny lake surrounded by a rectangle of very pink stucco apartments. Hopefully, things will turn out for the best.
But this got me thinking about resilience -- which is what you and I are made of -- and what we can learn from cultural wisdom woman, Brene Brown, as we plan for a better year than the one we are now bringing to a close.
Brene Brown’s 2012 book, Rising Strong, builds on interviews with corporate leaders about how they got back up and reset after a serious setback.
She offers three steps that I find to be really helpful ways to look at our journey in the second half of our lives. You know what I’m talking about -- just when we cross that 50 year marker and we’re ready to move ahead with our lives, we look around and say, “What happened? I had so many plans and now I’m just not sure I can get to where I wanted to go.”
You, my #FierceOver50 ones, have stumbled and gotten back up so many times. You know, when children or parents or jobs created seemingly unsolvable dilemmas; when illness, both physical and mental suddenly appeared; when decisions became necessary about whether to stay in a job or leave; when faced with figuring out what to do after a major financial setback. I know you know what I am talking about.
Here are Brene Brown’s steps in a nutshell:
The Reckoning: You get curious about the stories we carry with us. This first step is like a door opening a crack. You sense that something is going on that we need to pay attention to. This is just the beginning.
The Rumble: Now you open that door wider and welcome in those stories for a curious and non-judgmental tour of how your stories live in your body.
The Revolution: You are now energized to stand back up and grow your own practice -- even if it means bit by bit and even if it means leaning into discomfort and vulnerability -- to build a resilient response to your relationships and your world.
This is a great, even brilliant, list, but you might be asking yourself, “How exactly do I do this? What are my reckonings and rumbles? And what will my revolution look like?”
I’ve always felt that this is what we are doing in my new, monthly membership for women #FierceOver50 called the Gathering, but, of course, it might not be obvious to you….
🏋️♀️ Your Reckoning: Your shoulders and neck are tight and painful. You start wondering why physical therapy never worked for more than a couple of weeks. Tension headaches, stiffness, and constant worry have become a new normal. And with all of that, you begin to wonder... Are you running out of time? Are these signs that your aging body is no longer on your side for this second half of your life?
🏋️♀️ Your Rumble: You read my blogs and you see yourself in them. You are beginning to realize how much stress you have been carrying around your whole life. Maybe, just maybe, it’s the stress you’ve been carrying around that is wreaking havoc in your body. You are beginning to realize that growing resilience means waking up to a new relationship with your body and your whole self. But it’s scary to think that, now, at this point in your life, you’ll be heading out on a new road, a new journey. On the one hand, you are battling stories that insist your time has passed. On the other hand, you smile, and wonder, “Why not try something new?”
🏋️♀️ Your Revolution: You are willing to sign up in a big, brave way to a program, The Gathering, that brings women like you together to reckon and rumble with all those old habits and stories.You are ready to devote the time you need to developing a sparkling and optimistic relationship with your body, which will support your hopes, wishes and dreams for your resilient and forward-moving, magnificent self.
How does the Gathering do this, you ask?
We do two kinds of things. Some women prefer one over the other and others love both.
First, I provide short practices that focus on what I call “deep body care.” Drawn from my Body Vitality Method, developed over the past 20 years working with women just like you, I teach you how to change your relationship with your body to eliminate stress, manage pain, and let go of worry.
There are no “set” classes; you can access these practices whenever you want, but I do recommend a practice each week and over the course of a year, you will see how these practices work their transformational magic.
I teach breathwork, movement, and self-massage techniques that not only relax and strengthen your body, but they communicate with your brain and build new pathways that will take you where you want to go.
Second, we meet twice a month in zoom Workshops to practice body-based mindfulness that teaches us how to stay present during all the things we do all day long. The Roundtables are held twice a month. I have to say, you will love the funny, energetic, caring women who gather to make their day-to- day lives better. We really have a blast! I hope you will join us!
So, you are thinking, “I like the sound of this, but I’d like to be sure that it’s for me.”
Here’s what I say: Your monthly cost is $47. Give it 3 months to come on board, meet the Gatherers, take the time to build a practice that feels just right in your body, and start to notice the revolutionary changes that are taking place.
If you then decide it is not for you, you simply cancel because you are paying month by month. No harm; no foul. But I don’t think you’ll want to. I think the Gathering will grow on you and your body will shower you with thanks for your time and attention.
If you have questions get in touch and we can even set up a time to talk, if need be.
Here’s the link to sign up: The #FierceOver50 Gathering
I truly hope to spend 2021 with you inside the Gathering as you reckon, rumble, and revolutionize your body and your self.
P.S. Do you have a bestie who would just love this program? Please share this e-mail and have an end-of-year heart-to- heart conversation. Decide to join as buddies and ride off into the sunset knowing that you have done something really profound for your #FierceOver50 selves.