Living a fulfilling life means learning as much as you can about all kinds of things. So every month I scour the Internet looking for things that are new, interesting, exciting. Here’s what I’ve found:
Stop With The Negativity
I’m a glass-half-full kind of gal. But it’s difficult in today’s challenging times to stay positive all the time. Entrepreneur published How To Maintain Motivation When Surrounded By Naysayers and it offers excellent advice. Biggest takeaway – you don’t have to justify your path to anyone. What you do is based on your values. Simply say: “Because this is the path I chose.”
Wait ‘til You Meet Generation Alpha
I admit I’m a little obsessed with the differences in generations. Comparing baby boomers to gen X to millennials is something I do on a regular basis. But what do you know about generation alpha? They’re the kids born 2010 and later. They are growing up in a far more technologically advanced world than the millennials or gen z. Understanding Generation Alpha lays out the effects technology is having on a gen alpha brain, the trends that will define this generation, and, of course, how businesses can market to this generation. (I’ll always be a marketer at heart!)
The New Midlife Crisis
I think I’ve read this a half dozen times. It’s filled with so many a-ha’s and oh-yeah’s, you’ll be reading it a half dozen times yourself. The New Midlife Crisis is an excellent piece written about what we Gen Xers are faced with right now as we head into our 40s and 50s. (You’ll be happy to learn that our self-reported happiness levels bottom out during this time.) Just keep in mind the author’s suggestion that “The 30s are the adolescence of your adulthood, and when you reach 50, it’s a restart.” Great advice!
You’re Only 50 … Start Your Life TODAY
I remember many years ago when I was building one of my first businesses online, a guy came out of the woodwork making millions selling wine online. Wine? So I watched. And I learned. For me, it wasn’t just about wine. It was a whole new way of selling online. I’ve continued to follow Gary V – we work in the same industry. Occasionally something rises up that he’s created and I read, or watch, or listen. Like this little video right here did just last week. WOW. He’s said it perfectly. I too believe every word of what he says with everything I have. I hate when I hear 50 year olds say they’re winding down. Or they are sticking with a job they hate because they have twenty years in. What the f@#$? Don’t do that. Build. Dream. Play. Learn. Grow. Because I want to meet you fifty years from now and see all that you’ve achieved. (Just like me 😉 )
If You’re Married, You’re Going To Love It
The cover is nondescript. The title is too. But Wedding Toasts I’ll Never Give by Ada Calhoun will leave you laughing, crying, and everything in between if you’ve walked down the aisle yourself in the past.
When my husband and I reached thirty years together this past summer, a lot of people asked what the secret was. We pulled words out and dropped them as little nuggets: communication, love, commitment.
One of my biggest “a-ha’s” from Calhoun’s book came from her story of asking her own mother for advice when she was fighting with her husband. She asked her mother, “How do you stay married?” Her mom replied, “You don’t get divorced.” She continued with a story from Gwyneth Paltrow, whose own mother revealed her secret to a long marriage: “We never wanted to get divorced at the same time.”
Two people can never be together day in and day out for decades at a time without something going wrong from time to time. It’s how you approach the downward spirals that keeps your marriage together, establishes how you approach both the good and bad in your life.
How do I stay married? Because I choose it.
