5 Things I'm Giving Myself For My 50th Birthday

Well, the big day has finally arrived - my 50th birthday (Nov. 21)!!!

Unlike many of my peers, I will not be having a lavish celebration for this milestone age. Instead, I'm making it a point to fully embrace and enjoy my present state. While I may not be rich (as some would define riches in material terms), I am the wealthiest woman alive, as far as I'm concerned. 

I'm blessed to wake up every morning with the love of my life. I have three of the most wonderful, beautiful, and loving children any mom could ever hope for. I've still got health and strength, and I've been blessed with a small band of true-blue friends and extended family who accentuate this good life of mine. 

Yes, I'm a very blessed woman indeed.

Fifty has found me at the pinnacle of a new growth spurt in my life. Don't laugh! You can still have growth spurts at this age. They're just more internal than external.

This year, I've come through one of the toughest challenges of my life. I was tested, tempted, and tried, but by the grace of God, I not only survived it, I became a MUCH BETTER ME because of it. I'm truly humbled and grateful for my custom-made journey, and trust me, I never thought I'd be able to say that with total sincerity.

So in honor of this very special year in my life, I'm going to give myself a few treats to enjoy:

1. A new writing space, complete with everything I need to engage my creative juices and get back to doing what I love.

2. A life-coaching session. It's something I've never officially had, but I want to experience it firsthand because I know it's something I'm destined to do for others.

3. My first published book. Yes, I said it! It's long overdue.

4. A new pair of running shoes. It's time I pushed my boundaries out a little further. Pray for these knees!

5. A fun and fabulous new hairstyle to match my new attitude.

Stay tuned for pics as I accomplish this and much, much more.

HELLO 50! 

LET'S DANCE!!

Milestones of My Month

Hey Ladies!

Here's the update on my fitness journey so far. In this week's post, I decided to share my "non-scale" progress. Don't worry. I will get back to the numbers next month. But as I thought about how often we strain so much at the details that we miss the beauty of the big picture along the way, I feel like this is right on time.

So here goes...

Milestone #1 - Returned to Self-Care

Check out that eyebrow action!

Keeping the promise of accountability that I made in my previous post, Making Yourself Matter, I'm posting this pic as a means of sharing a simple but meaningful personal milestone. I've returned to what used to be a regular practice of self-care for me: getting my eyebrows waxed. I went to the salon on a day that I would have normally found excuses as to why I was too busy to stop by. I not only got my eyebrows done, but I treated myself to a lip wax too. It took just a few minutes of my time, but boy did I feel exquisite after it was done!

Milestone #2 - Consistency

This is one of the images I have on my Spark People goal vision board. I'm celebrating the milestone of 1 1/2 weeks of 5 day/30 minute workouts. One day at a time, I'm reaching my goal of forming a solid habit of consistent exercise and I couldn't be happier with my progress! I'm getting up an hour earlier and getting it in BEFORE I start my day. This way, I don't get sidetracked from my plan. It's working like a charm! I'm feeling stronger and more confident than I have in a while. My hubby says he's super proud of me too! :)

Milestone #3 - Release

I've made a conscious choice not to sweat the small stuff. The more I let go of the inconsequential things (i.e., what I look like in the mirror, other people's opinions, etc.), the lighter and brighter I've become, and not just physically either. I've changed my perspective about myself and my potential by framing my mind around what God has said about me. 

"Body and soul, I am marvelously made!" 

Psalm 139:14 (MSG)

This has made a world of difference. Now I simply use the scale as a way of staying on track, not as a way of keeping score. Yay, me!!!

I hope my sharing encourages you to look outside the normal scope of what you view as progress and start measuring more milestones than mistakes. Take it one day at a time and inch by inch, you'll thrive.

Share the milestones you've made so far in my comment section. (Does NOT have to be fitness-related). I'd love to celebrate with you!