I’ve been in a rut. How do I know? Because I’ve been trodding the same ground over and over, going nowhere. I thought I was on a path but realized I was in a rut when I no longer had a destination in sight.

When you’re in a rut, you know exactly where you are. It becomes a comfort zone, but unfortunately, a comfort zone doesn’t lead anywhere. The rut can get so deep that you can’t even see over the top anymore. I lost sight of my destination, and even forgot what it was. In fact, I wasn’t even sure what I wanted my destination to be anymore, so I had no clear direction in which to go. Paths have a way of changing directions on their own.

“You don’t want to be stuck in this rut? Then don’t look at the rut. Always look at where you want to go.” Francesco Quinn

A path can be a scary place to be which is why a rut can be so comfortable. How did I get off the path? I sure spent a lot of time planning, making lists, and doing research, but n

ever taking action. There are expectations and risks on the path but none in the rut. I came to realize that planning without action is procrastination. When I take action, I may fail. I may not arrive where I want to be, but without action, failure is guaranteed and I will go nowhere.

“We all fall into our habits, our routines, our ruts. They’re used quite often, consciously or unconsciously, to avoid living, to avoid doing the messy part of having relationships with other people, of dealing with a person next to us. That’s why we can all be in a room on our cell phones and not have to deal with one another.” Andrew Stanton

As comfortable as this rut is, I don’t want to stay here. It’s time to once again evaluate where I want to go and forge a new path. The thing about paths is that there isn’t just one path. I have walked many different paths in my life. There is no wrong or right path, there’s only my path—the one I create and choose. Choosing a path is important but also knowing when to step off that path and forge a new one.

“Each of us has the right and the responsibility to assess the roads which lie ahead, and those over which we have traveled, and if the future road looms ominous or unpromising, and the roads back uninviting, then we need to gather our resolve and, carrying only the necessary baggage, step off that road into another.” Maya Angelou

I know I am on the right path when it leads me to explore, learn, push my boundaries, and grow.

“Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.” Henry David Thoreau

Are you on a path or in a rut? Are you ready to move ahead on your current path, stay stuck in the mud, or forge a brand new path? The choice is yours.

Is it inevitable to become weak and frail as we age? Absolutely not! What it the answer?

Strength training.

The CDC recommends that exercise for seniors include strength training:
Adults aged 65 and older need: At least 150 minutes a week (for example, 30 minutes a day, 5
days a week) of moderate intensity activity such as brisk walking. Or they need 75 minutes a
week of vigorous-intensity activity such as hiking, jogging, or running. At least 2 days a week
of activities that strengthen muscles.
There is a natural loss of muscle as we age. Much of what is considered normal aging is actually caused from muscle loss. Muscle mass is generally greatest at age 30, when it starts to decline.
By age 70, most people have at least 20% less muscle tissue that they did at 30. If you’re not
careful, by retirement, you can lose one-third to one-half of your muscle tissue. The good news is you can avoid, and even reverse muscle loss with regular exercise.
Benefits of Strength Training:

•  Increased muscle mass ,
   Increased walking speed,
   Increased leg strength ,
   Increased upper body strength,
   Reduced risk of diseases such as heart disease and diabetes,
   Improved cognitive performance ,
   Experience less depression,
   Increased bone density. Decreased risk of osteoporosis and broken bones.
   Improved balance and lowered risk of falls. Falls are responsible for more than 18,000
  deaths and nearly 450,000 hospitalizations each year. Strength and balance training can
  reduce the rate of falls by up to 50 percent.
   Improved arthritis: You need muscles to support your joints. Experience less back and
  joint pain.
   Increased ability to get up, walk, exercise, and get around more easily.
   Get out of bed with more confidence, Walk around the garage and back yard with improved stability.
   Enjoy those tennis lessons, gardening or bike riding again.
   Be more Social: Begin to see and enjoy your friends and family and go places by yourself
   Get up off a chair or sofa unaided
   Daily tasks are easier—groceries—pick up dropped objects—get things out of low
  cabinets
   The ability to live independently..Avoid the pitfalls of becoming frail and elderly by starting a strength training program today.

With a moderate amount of strength training twice a week, you can see an increase in muscle
strength after just eight to twelve weeks.
Strength training is often called the Fountain of Youth, because it reverses and reduces muscle
loss associated with aging. Build back that muscle and turn back the clock.  Remember, even after 90, it’s, never too late to start.

#aging strong. #f*ckoldage. #womenwarriors, #changeaging. #joyfulaging. #agewithpurpose, #agewithpower, #nottooold , #nottoolate, #agingfit

www.maidenpower.com

It is estimated that a person will spend 6 years and 8 months of their lives on social media.

Resisting distractions is one of our greatest challenges.

As I sit down to write this article, my computer thinks I need to be notified of the latest news feeds and the popup covers up my document. Once I finally get it to go away, I get back to my article. Email dings to tell me that I’ve got mail. Better check it just in case it’s something important. It wasn’t. It takes awhile to get my mind back on the task at hand. Just as I get back in to writing the article, I get a notification that I have a message. It only takes a few seconds to check that as well. I wonder why I am not more productive. It’s easy to fall in to the distraction trap.

We lose an average of 2.1 hours daily with these distractions. Just one single distraction can stop you from working for 5-10 minutes, and this can happen as often as every 15 minutes. But we don’t just lose those 5-10 minutes. It takes about 25 minutes to return fully to the task at hand. A typical mobile phone user checks their phone more than 150 times a day, making focusing almost impossible. I am guilty as well.

Not only does social media take us away from our tasks, it often takes us away from people and places. How many times do we see two people out to dinner and both are on their phone instead of talking to each other? Or children trying to get their parents attention only to be ignored while the parents are busy on their phones. Living in California in a popular tourist spot, I often see people using the beautiful view as the backdrop for their selfies or taking in the scenery on a 3”x5” screen.

Has social media become an addiction?

Has social media become an addiction? Research shows that when people are denied access to social media they become anxious. Is it an addiction to social media or a fear of missing out? Will everyone else know more than we do sooner? What will friends think if we don’t comment on every post?  (They probably won’t notice.) Does having something to say make us feel important? Do we need to weigh in on every opinion?

People have always been addicted to gossip and drama. My grandmother got her gossip by listening in on the party-line and my mother shared gossip with her friends by phone or in the coffee klatch. Now there is a larger platform on which to share. Instead of friends and neighbors

Kup Lasix bez recepty

, we are sharing to the whole world and getting their gossip as well. When I was growing up, keeping your own counsel and not sharing all of your business was considered wise. It was generally agreed that some things were better remaining private. Today, nothing remains private and people don’t hesitate to share the most intimate details of their life and air their dirty linen or every little thing that happens to them however unimportant. No wonder we are overwhelmed. There is an information overload.

“We rarely find answers in the distractions.”

Tempted to procrastinate? A distraction is just a click away. Resisting distractions is one of our greatest challenges. I find myself seeking the distraction when I’m bored or struggling to make myself sit down and get busy.

“We rarely find answers in the distractions. But oh what possibilities live within the quiet of solitude.” Scott Stabile

Quiet and solitude have been calling me for a while. I can’t accomplish things that are meaningful to me if I am always distracted by the small, unimportant things.

So what is the antidote? Do we need to go cold turkey and give up all social media? The answer is to fill the void with meaningful goals that challenge and stretches you. One you can become fully engrossed in.

Pick up your pen, paintbrush, garden trowel, or go for a walk—whatever creative activity you enjoy. The more you become fully engaged in what you are doing, the less distractions will distract you.

It is estimated that a person will spend 6 years and 8 months of their lives on social media.

“Don’t be on your deathbed someday having squandered your one chance at life, full of regret because you pursued little distractions instead of big dreams.” Derek Sivers

“By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination.” Christopher Columbus

#aging strong. #f*ckoldage. #womenwarriors, #changeaging. #joyfulaging. #agewithpurpose, #agewithpower, #nottooold , #nottoolate, #agingfit

www.maidenpower.com

February is my birthday month. Every year is a reminder that there are more years behind me than ahead of me. I am in my “sunset years”. The sunset on the prairie is amazing and on the west coast where I now live, I am awed by the beauty of the sunset over the Pacific Ocean. Even though it is nearing the end of the day

, the sun goes out in a blaze of glory. It spreads its beautiful colors across the sky until the last minute when it disappears behind the horizon.

It reminds me that I have a choice of how I approach my own sunset. I can choose how brightly I shine. I can allow the clouds of worry, regret and anxiety to dim my light or can I can shine through the clouds. I don’t knows when my sun will set but I will not concern myself about it but shine and make the most of every minute until that time.

It amazes me how long the glow of the sun remains after it slip below the horizon.  I hope that after my sun sets, I leave behind a warm glow when people think of me, have made a difference in some lives and inspired others to live their best life.

“Therefore, with joy I enter into the activities of the day, and with confidence, I look forward to tomorrow, and without regrets I remember the events of yesterday.” — Ernest Holmes

 The beginning of a new year is a time of reflection. I stopped making resolutions years ago since I never kept them anyway. Probably because they were what I thought I “should” do. Lose weight, eat healthier, exercise more, stick to a budge…the list was endless.

Instead, I started setting a theme for the year. I have found that when I focus on my theme; I see it manifest everywhere. Last year my theme was “joy”.. Everywhere I turned, I read about joy and often wrote about joy.

As I contemplate the coming year, I wonder what my theme for  2022 should be. Two words keep coming to my mind. They are “confidence” and “purpose”.

“There is no greater gift you can give or receive than to honor your calling. It’s why you were born. And how you become most truly alive.” – Oprah Winfrey

Each one has been given a unique purpose. This year as I contemplate my purpose, I know I can approach it with the confidence that I will be given everything I need to fulfill it and find joy in the process.

It is essential to wake up every morning with a purpose. Let your purpose be the first thought of the day.  It doesn’t matter if it’s a big purpose or a small one because without a purpose

koupit-pilulky.com

, it’s too easy to get busy and waste so much precious time. Busyness without purpose is how we waste our lives.

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” Eleanor Roosevelt

I am confident I will know the right roads to take at the right time as focus on my purpose and I anticipate the adventures to come,

What is your theme for 2022?

Life is a gift to be opened and experienced every day!

When my grandmother got a gift, she would never open it all the way. She would just tear off a corner and peek inside. Maybe she didn’t want to mess up the pretty wrapping paper. I often wondered if she ever finally opened the gifts and used them. Us kids, on the other hand, had no problem ripping our presents open and playing with our new toys.

“Today, I give myself the gift of my life.”

I wrote this at the top of my planner as a reminder. The more I thought about it, I realized unless I open the gift; I was like my Grandma, and just peeking inside but never using the gift. I changed it to: “Today, I open the gift of my life.” The more I think about it, that’s not quite right either.

Do you remember the feeling of opening a gift on Christmas morning, and it is EXACTLY what you wanted? What an awesome feeling! Every morning when you open your eyes, you are opening the gift of another day. You can rip it open with enthusiasm like a child or you can be like my grandma and just take a little peek

, never opening it all the way, using and enjoying it.

You have the freedom to choose the gift of your day and make it exactly what you want it to be. Every day has the potential of a new adventure, experience, friendship, opportunity and so much more.  The possibilites are endless. If you want your day to bring joy, as soon as you open your eyes, choose joy.

“Today, I choose the gift of my life.”

This Little Light of Mine was one of my favorite songs in Sunday School when I was a child. Little did a comprehend the full meaning of shining my light.

No matter how much darkness may surround you, there is always an ember that is never extinguished. If you walk into a dark room where only a tiny ember glows, you won’t see clearly what is in that room. That’s how life often feels when you are in a dark place. When you turn up the light, you can start to distinguish shapes and objects. Turn the light up even brighter and the world will be displayed in full color. You will see the doors that open for you and the opportunities waiting.

How do you turn up your light and shine brightly? A fire takes three elements: heat

, oxygen and fuel. The heat comes from the ember, no matter how weak the glow. When you want to ignite a fire, one of the first things you do is blow on the ember or use bellows to give it air. As the embers start to glow, you then start adding fuel. At first, just a little at a time.

The ember is the life-force inside of you. Even when your world is dark, that spark never completely goes out. It needs to be fanned into a bright flame. Your oxygen is your passion. Ever notice how much brighter the world is when you are engaged in something you are passionate about?

Your passion is as individual as you. It may be a passion to change the world, your town, or yourself. Or it may be to create art, music, writing, a beautiful garden, or to prepare a nourishing meal for yourself and loved ones. Your passion may be as simple finding joy in the little things of life and making the world a brighter, more beautiful place.

Passion is useless unless applied to activity. Sitting and contemplating your passion but not acting on it will not bring you joy nor bring about change. Purpose is the fuel that keeps your light burning brightly. It is forward momentum–the journey. Start small, but start. Get busy, engage, and you will be amazed how quickly your world becomes a brighter, more beautiful place.

The second verse is “hide it under a bushel, NO, I’m going to let it shine.” As women, too often, we hide our light under a bushel. We’ve been told not to shine too brightly nor bring attention to ourselves. The shoulds of being a good girl, a proper woman, and knowing your place are shoved at us constantly to dim our light. If you shine too brightly, you may just be too much for some people. Let no one judge how brightly to shine.

The Divine has placed the light in your hands. It is a gift and a responsibility. The world needs your light. Guard it and keep it shining brightly, lift it up to light the path for others who struggle to find their way and shine their own light. Don’t dim your light for ANYONE!

This morning as I walked along the shore

Compra Levaquin Online

, I felt extremely sad and wondered where my joy had gone. The past few days, I haven’t been very joyful even though joy has been a recent theme in my writing. I wondered how I lost my joy and what I needed to do to get it back.

I returned from a visit with family reminded of how fragile life is. My elderly aunt, who was always vivacious, is suffering from dementia. Large pieces of the person I remember and love aren’t there anymore. Another loved one is dealing with cancer. I arrived home to the news that a 63-year-old friend dropped dead of a massive heart attack. He was active and looked to be in perfect health.

Fear has been a companion for as long as I can remember. I deal with it better now, but as I contemplated how fragile life is, fear engulfed me once again. Fear was drowning my joy. Joy cannot coexist with the regret of yesterday, nor the fear of tomorrow. Joy can sit with sadness and grief, and walk hand-in-hand with hope and gratitude. It doesn’t need a smile to exist. Joy is not happiness. They are two entirely different things. Happiness depends on outside circumstances, but joy is an inside job. Joy is embracing peace and hope in the midst of chaos.

I wondered what I needed to do to once again discover my joy. I walked over to a park bench to sit and meditate awhile. Families contribute many of the benches in memory of loved ones. I rarely pay attention to the inscriptions, but as I sat on the bench, the words there seemed to jump out at me. They were my answer.

“Do what you love to do,” what brings you joy. Follow your passion. Find a purpose. Create. Walk in nature. Listen to joyful music. Joy blooms through connections. Spend time with joyful people and watch your own joy blossom.

Joy is a choice. It is deliberate and intentional. It doesn’t just happen. Joy is a choise to make today and every day. It is this moment; every moment. Joy is ready to be dived into, to be surrendered to. The Bible says “Joy comes in the morning”. With the dawn of each new day, you have a choice to make. Choose joy, hope, and gratitude. You can live with fear and miss out on joy, or do what you love, embrace joy and plan to live. Joy brings life to life.

Brokenness seems to be a popular topic on Social Media. I may describe myself as broken, but that really isn’t an accurate description. The definition of broken is “damaged and no longer in one piece or in working order; having no hope”. In contrast, the meaning of wounded is “injured, hurt by, or suffering from a wound”. A scar is “a lasting effect of grief, fear, or other emotion left by a traumatic experience; a mark left by damage.” Life often wounds me, and I proudly carry the scars to prove I can survive, but I am not broken.

When knocked down

, even when it’s difficult, I seek the strength to get back up, eventually. I strive to carry optimism and hope, instead of the vision that life no longer works and there is no hope. As difficult as it is, I seek to look at every experience with gratitude, enthusiasm, and joy because, even when I’m wounded, the pain proves that I am alive, take chances, experience life, and each wound forges my strength.

The wounds and scars have made me more powerful and stronger than I ever imagined. Because of them, I have the strength to break the chains that have bound me to the limitations of fear, regret, lack of self-confidence, and doubt. I am breaking, not broken.