Positively Life After Fifty

Life after 50 can be an exciting journey! But when that path becomes difficult, relax and get back on track with these inspiring stories of hope and health. My goal is to help you return to joy and find a positive peace. I'll help you see that your age & abilities don't have to matter; you can find the courage to create new dreams, believe & achieve! For entertainment only. Not for medical treatment or diagnosis.

Guided Gratitude Meditation Bonus 03/18/2019

Three Myths of Meditation Busted 03/10/2019

When Perspective Outranks Attitude 11/03/2017

National Podcast Post Month Challenge 11/02/2017

Challenge Accepted! 11/02/2017

Three Simple Things That Blessed My Grief 10/03/2017

A Bucket List That's Good for You -Episode 5 06/03/2017

A Bucket List That's Good for You -Episode 5 This episode shares motivational stories to help you create a bucket list that can change your life.Today I take a look at the surprising history of "The Bucket List," talk about the benefits of those travel items on your list and share some inspirational stories to help you re-create your own life-changing list. Have you given much thought to your bucket list lately? You should; it's good for you. A quick search and you will find the awesome things people have on their lists; from exotic destinations to simple acts of selflessness. "The Bucket List" became a standard in American culture in 2007 when a movie of the same name was released. Did the term "Kicking the Bucket" come from a children's game or a method of execution(!?!) The benefits of having travel items on your bucket list include mental, physical, social and financial. Here's a list of motivational speakers that may forever change the way you think about a bucket list: Ryan Eller, Motivational speaker and blogger, "" TEDx Tulsa Kathleen Taylor, "" TEDx Tampa Bay Kathleen is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with 20 years experience in hospice and advanced care planning. She has a coaching and consulting practice serving the healthcare, social service, and nonprofit sectors. Edward Readiker-Henderson, "t" TEDx Maui talk Edward was an award-winning travel writer and traveled to over fifty countries and all the continents. He is quoted as saying,"Whoever created the world went to a lot of trouble. It would be downright rude not to go out and see as much of it as possible." The Joy of a "Wonder List" Maybe you think your life is just too busy even to consider taking that trip right now. Don't worry about your to-do list, or that time is running out to visit all the places you hope to see and memories you hope to make. Sometimes the best moments are unscripted. One"wonder moment" I had on a trip with my family became a treasured memory for me, and an "I wonder" moment blessed me with a life-long friend from the other side of the world. Mark Twain quotes: "Don't wait; the time will never be just right." "Give every day the chance to become the most beautiful day of your life.' **Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12 Website http://positivelylifeafterfifty.com /episode/index/show/positivelylifeafterfifty/id/5415527

Decisions: How to Make the Good, Shake the Bad, and Take the Rest 04/01/2017

Decisions: How to Make the Good, Shake the Bad, and Take the Rest Decisions: How to Make the Good, Shake the Bad, and Take the Rest Hi, I'm your host, Connie Minnell. Today I talk about what goes into making good decisions I'll share the 4 roadblocks of indecision that people over 50 need to look out for, and I'll give the 5 steps you need to prevent them from happening to you. We'll look at how depression, stress and age can affect your decision making, and I'll tell you how a good memory can cause poor choices. I'll share a true story about how one man had to rescue his mother from a poor financial decision and I'll give you the five steps to making better choices in midlife. And finally, we'll talk about how the decisions we make every day create our life and build our legacy. The great thing about being over fifty is getting to know all the stories that we all share about all the different stages we are at in our journey. While some are still working, others may be at the peak of their careers or had to re-enter the work force after years at home or being retired. Some are caring for an elderly parent or grandchildren, and more. We have a great diversity in our lives, and all of the things needing our attention can really cause some stress. Our decisions affect our relationships, finances, and futures. But sometimes all those demands on us can cause us to become temporarily frozen from deciding what to do. Our system shuts down and we retreat to our "safe place," that's what indecisiveness equals-- being stuck. Decisions become harder to make for reasons like depression, stress, and age, or even having a good memory! Depression When you get depressed you are less likely to go with your gut instinct. In an article in research digest, Carina Remmers and her colleagues tested 29 patients diagnosed with major depression and found that the people with depression had an impaired ability to go with their gut instincts. Disclaimer: If you are seriously depressed, or if you think you ave had symptoms of depression for more than a few weeks, please see you doctor, because I'm not one, and this podcast is for entertainment purposes only. Stress Stress can affect our bodies and our abilities to make good decisions. In the podcast, I share a story about how stress during my last year at work caused my lack of decision, which became my decision and it affected my health in a negative way. Age Another thing that affects decisions is our age. Studies have shown that as we age, we begin to rely more on our instincts and our past experiences when we make decisions. Age affects decision making also. As people move further past 65, many are taking greater financial risks. This can cause some of us to have to make decisions on behalf of our parents. My friend John had to take over his mothers bills and accounts because she was giving money to a charity and not paying her bills. The people from the charity were tugging on her heart strings, so she gave them a large amount of money that she couldn't afford. I tell you what he had to do in the audio. The choices we make tell a lot about who we are and what makes us unique. but everyone of us at one time or another has some really hard choices to make. and living with the results of those choices, or the choice of not even choosing at all, can sometime cause anxiety, and even regret. The thoughts that you have every day influence the decisions that you make, and those decisions have everything to do with what your life is. As long as you're alive, you're making choices and those choices represent what is important to you. Character traits develop as you respond to the choices that you make. Decisions can be quite stressful especially when you don't feel good or someone else in your family is sick. Before you know it, you let your emotions decide for you, or you just do nothing and let the chips fall where they may. Philosopher Ruth Chang calls this "drifting" She says that people who don't exercise their own power of decision-making when faced with hard choices are called drifters. Drifters allow the world to , as she says, "write the story of their lives" I relate drifting in life to the story of watching a stick in the stream. This stick, drifting fast down the stream, sometimes forward, sometimes spinning in circles, sometimes getting stuck someplace. Don't be like that stick. Get in a boat. Make those decisions that move you forward. Indecision is a lot like drifting. Now I get to tell you about the surprise I found that will make you feel better if you think its all related to age: A (Really) Good Memory A fourth reason you might be having difficulty make a decision is that you may have a high working memory but are easily distracted. Researchers at the University of Chicago and Michigan State University studied a group of people with a high working memory but who freeze when making decisions. Studies show that the people who have high working memory brain usually rely on those resources to solve hard problems, but if they also have a poor attention span then they get distracted easily which causes them anxiety, and it's that anxiety that gets them to freeze up when the pressure is on. 5 steps to help you make those decisions with confidence Step 1 Let your choices be a reflection of your hopes, not your fears Big decisions can wreak havoc on your emotions... emotions get in the way of decisions, and that clouds your judgment. Fears can take many faces; fear of failure or pain, fear of what others will think, fear of perfectionism, fear of success, If you cant make a decision, there’s a good chance that you’re afraid of something. Identify the fear, learn more about it, conquer it, and move on. Make the decision that's best for you. Best-selling author, Seth Godin says, "You don't need more time in your day, you need to decide." Don't make major decisions when you are visibly hurt, stressed, angry. Never make a decision that will purposefully hurt someone else. Good decision making includes keeping your honor and integrity. My decision to take early retirement is discussed. Step 2 Do your Research, but stay focused and set a deadline Even if you don't meet the self imposed deadline, you will be closer to a good decision than with no deadline. Have you ever looked up a certain illness on the Internet and been completely overwhelmed with the information? Doing too much research can lead to even more stress and overload us with information that we don't need. Pull back from those distractions. There is so much information available at our fingertips, so it's important to remember to look at the research with a discerning eye and stay focused on the specific questions you need answered to make your decision. As you investigate the options, write down simple and specific information a way that's best for you. You could use the traditional pros and cons list on a yellow notepad, or write down your findings on sticky notes and assemble them into categories similar to using an affinity diagram. the main thing to remember is that you're not just relying on your instincts, you are also doing your research. Some decisions, like how to handle a tough situation, are worth mulling over. Others, like deciding what you are going to have for supper tonight, are not. Don’t fall into that trap of over analyzing the small decision. Ask: Will this matter 10 years from now? Sometimes decisions seem much bigger than they really are. Maybe you’re struggling with whether or not to take that new job. You can quit your new job if it really horrible. Step 3 Trust your instincts (your gut) Our nervous system really does include our gut. When I'm stressed, I can feel it immediately in my stomach. Think about a person you love spending time with: They either make you feel safe or happy, or both. Now think about someone you can't ever please or get along with. how does your gut feel when you think of them? Relay that same test to each side of your decision. Remember the simple test of tossing a coin to decide when both sides were relatively equal. And before the coin even landed you knew which side you were hoping for? That's your instincts kicking in. Don't be so hard on yourself if you can't decide. Even if you have both options, with all the advantages lined up on either side of the yellow tablet, and you think that there is no best option, then you just say that they are on par with each other. You look at the choices and think about how much value that you have give to each item on your list. and make the best decision that you can with that information. Remember, our decisions become our life. Our life becomes our legacy. Step 4 Get the advice of a trusted friend, or two, and pray or meditate on it Reach out to someone you trust, someone who’s been there or done that. Meditate on it or reach out to your higher power to help you become more focused on what you really want. Step 5 Decide, accept, let go and move on Finally, after you have made the choice, accept the fact that you made the best decision that you could with the information you had, in the time that you had, and using the wisdom that comes with your age. Let go of any further anxious feelings. Decisions have consequences, but how you handle those consequences are a reflection of your maturity. Every situation, no matter how bad, can be made better by our attitude. So if you make a poor decision and have to handle the consequences, then it is in those circumstances that attitude counts more than ever. Remember, even wrong decisions can lead to some pretty terrific outcomes, but even if they don't, you'll have a great story to tell and learned a new life lesson. Thank you for listening! You can visit my website at or . The following were mentioned in the show: /episode/index/show/positivelylifeafterfifty/id/5226066

Changes, Choices, and Challenges 06/12/2013

Creating a Positive Life With Positive Thinking 07/22/2013

The Right Career Fit; Take the Forty Day Pledge 06/15/2013

The Right Career Fit; Take the Forty Day Pledge The Right Career Fit; Take the 40 Day Pledge Changing Careers in Mid Life (This is an edited and updated version of a popular episode) Thinking about a new career? Which one is the right fit for your special personality? Which ones won’t pay the bills? Today on we'll look at which college degrees may not be the best investment, then you'll hear what the 12 work personalities are and how you can find out what yours may be. What's mine? Listen to find out! You'll hear the moving story of a man who found a new career after a devastating blow, but then made a compelling video encouraging others in mid life to never give up on their dreams. Finally, I'll tell you about the 40 Day Pledge that helps each of us become more organized with the most precious of all our documents, and helps us to make the decisions that will aid you and your family in the case of an emergency. The following links are mentioned in the show: Here's the link to the article naming which college degrees don't have a lot of bang for your buck: Click on this link to take the test to see which of the 12 work personalilties you may favor: Then you'll hear the inspirational story of Erv, and how he took a major turn at the crossroads of life. You can view his video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wx4rBY3QKY I also tell you about the 40 Day Pledge I just signed at Decide, Create, Share, and why I think everyone needs to check it out. You can download your very own copy here: You can see more by visiting website, Quote mentioned at the end of the podcast: Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don't wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how precious is the time you have to spend, whether it's at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored. -Earl Nightingale Thank you for listening! /episode/index/show/positivelylifeafterfifty/id/2422693

Positively Life After Fifty

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