Let me tell you how I work each day.

I rise early. I meditate. Journal. Do a few yoga stretches.

Then I read a little. And I write.

I can easily tap out a couple thousand words by the time I take my mid-morning walk.

I don’t set out with specific goals for what to write. Sometimes it’s client work. Sometimes it’s blog posts for myself. Sometimes it’s a chapter in a book I’m working on. I start with whatever inspiration I have in the morning. Usually, an idea takes hold, and I write.

I get inspiration from everywhere. From my journaling. From an idea that’s been brewing since the day before. Or sometimes, like today, I read something, and I just have to write.

I’ve been following a blog for years. I think I bought a couple of his earlier programs way back when. But I’ve always liked the way he writes, his stories, his ideas, his ethics. So I read his newsletters from time to time. (That’s the way I work. I’ve followed mentors for years, paying attention from time to time.)

I couldn’t help but click and read when I saw today’s subject line: If I was only allowed to share one marketing idea with you, this is it …

He started out talking about successful people and how they almost always have one breakout piece of work. Think Arnold Schwarzenegger and Terminator, or Julia Roberts and Pretty Woman. Sure, they have a lot of other things in their careers, but when you hear their names, your mind instantly goes to the one thing that shot them to a new level of success, their “big idea.” The one work that broke them free of the mold. And life was never the same again.

I’m not the Julia Roberts kind of gal …

Here’s the thing. I’ll never be Julia Roberts. I’ll never star in a movie that makes my name known around the globe.

And I don’t need that kind of fame.

But a long time ago, I did have a Big Idea. And that’s what this really is about.

People morph, grow, and change all the time. Can you imagine having to return to your fifteen, twenty-five, or even forty-year-old self!? Right? I mean, I love my life and everything I’ve done, but I never want to repeat it.

Instead, I want to take every day I’ve lived, and bunch it all together to create my perfect today. I’ve talked about this before – it’s my puzzle piece philosophy.

But too often, we get caught up in all we’ve achieved, and are scared to blaze a new path, wondering how successful it can possibly be.

To stick with celebrities for a moment, some of the greatest names didn’t hit their stride until after 40. Leslie Jones was an unknown comedian until she became a cast member on Saturday Night Live at 47. Martha Stewart didn’t publish her first cookbook until she was 41. And Betty White – she didn’t start until her 40s, earning her first Emmy at 53 for her performance in the Mary Tyler Moore Show.

I believe you’re just getting started at 40

So let’s say you live to be 82. If adulthood starts at 22 (that’s when I graduated college, got married, and moved out on my own), that gives me 60 years to live. That puts 52 as the halfway mark.

I don’t know about you, but I have a lot more living to do. And in my mind, even 82 is young. I’ve set my sights on 100.

But here in my 50s, I have experience behind me. And that puts me in a very unique place. I know what I like. I know what I enjoy doing. And I know I’m not alone.

I think there’s a reason so many people find success after 40. Because that’s when things start to make more sense.

You’re not afraid to say no.

You don’t worry as much about other people’s feelings.

You do what you do, because you know it’s what you have to do.

If you’re hunting for your “big idea” or your “a-ha” moment, you’re probably missing it because you’re thinking too broad.

In my experience, women reach a point in life where they know they’re stuck. But they have no idea what to do next. So they start asking the wrong questions.

What’s next?

Is this all there is?

Why can’t I lose weight? Look ten years younger? Run a mile?

Or they say things like:

I’ll do it SOMEDAY.

I’ll do it when I make my first million.

Nope. Uh uh. Not going to happen.

I believe if you change your questions, you change your results.

Where Big Ideas come from

Right here in midlife, I’ve learned to ask myself questions all the time.

One of the biggest here in 2020 is: what’s important now? (Or WIN for short.)

Because right here in my 50s, I have a lot behind me I can base my life around.

And yet I know how quickly it can also disappear.

That’s why I work to build stability into every day. What I do. Who I’m with. Where I go.

If I lost everything and had to start over today, if I moved to a new city, had to start a new career, had to build new relationships, had to grow a new life starting today …

I’d start up a blog.

Does that surprise you? Here’s why.

I think a blog is the best way to say what you have to say, get active in your community, share your ideas, and grow your wealth at the same time.

When my husband and I sold off our forever home, got rid of two-thirds of our stuff, and decided to slow travel the rest of our lives, we had no idea what that would look like.

We sold off a portion of our business at the same time. So I had freedom to explore. I had a chance to think about what I wanted to do next in my life.

And the first thing I did is start writing at VisionOfSuccess.com. I talked about me, my life, and what I was experiencing.

Slowly, it morphed into a site about reinvention. I started talking about things that interested me in midlife.

And slowly, it started getting results.

I developed my direction. I grew. I connected with other people. And I started seeing results.

I see this as something anyone can do. If you like writing, want a new direction, and are looking for a challenge, being online is the perfect place to be.

And right here in 2020, moving forward as more people question everything, I think it adds freedom as well. It’s the best virtual business around. Have laptop, can travel, and set up a life anywhere.

Taking the first step

Earlier this year, I signed up for a mastermind. I’ve belonged with several throughout my career.

But this year, I was looking for new direction. And when you start looking, the answer soon follows. I signed up and dug in. And then COVID hit.

But if anything, it’s made me more productive. I’m home. I’m not going to travel internationally for many months into the future. So why not work on my business side?

That led to the creation of my newest course, The Art of Better Writing.

Maybe you like to write. Maybe you’re contemplating real change in your life. Maybe the thought of starting a blog of your own is enticing.

I’d like to offer you my help. The Art of Better Writing a little bit mentoring, a little bit education. I promise you’ll walk away with fresh ideas on finding your voice, the one deep inside you, and discovering ways to make it stand out and shine.

I’ll see you on the inside.

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