The Art of Reinvention : Turning 51 and My Birthday Reflections

As I celebrate my 51st birthday today, I find myself reflecting on the incredible journey that has brought me here. My path hasn't been linear – it's been a winding road of healing, transformation, reinvention, and profound personal growth. 🌱

Looking back at my journey over the years, I've learned that life's greatest gifts often come wrapped in unexpected packages. The vision I had for my life in my younger years looked quite different from my reality today, but that's exactly what makes this journey so beautiful. Through navigating major life changes, including divorce and raising my kids to become independent adults as a single parent, I've discovered that true fulfillment isn't about following a predetermined script – it's about having the courage to write your own story. 💫

In my past blog posts, I've shared deeply personal insights about this transformation. From learning to embrace change to understanding the power of self-love, each step has been crucial in shaping who I am today.

The process of rebuilding my life taught me that sometimes we need to let go of our rigid expectations to make room for the unexpected. When we stay open to what life brings us with curiosity and often times trust and surrender, opportunities and possibilities arise in ways we may not have known we needed.

I believe and often share with my coaching clients that we exist as two beings: a spiritual being and a human being. We must trust and surrender to the universe, knowing it's always working and collaborating with us for our highest good. As humans, we can't always predict what lessons will arise—experiences we must face to become closer to our wholeness and true authentic selves. While we keep one hand in the ethers with our faith, manifestation power, angels, guides, and spiritual practices, we still walk this earth as humans who must often make the difficult choices, take the hard actions and do the work we need to truly live our lives.

Key Lessons from My Journey:
💗 To love myself completely and fully
💗 To authentically be myself no matter what without apology
💗 To understand, accept, and live my life knowing that I am the most important person in my life.

Today, at 51, I stand proud of the life I've created and curated. I have beautiful homes, a thriving business that feeds my soul, amazing relationships that lift me up, and the freedom to chase new adventures. But more than these external achievements, I'm proud of the internal work I've done – the courage to face my fears, the strength to rebuild from scratch, and the wisdom to prioritize my own happiness and well-being.

As I look ahead, I'm filled with excitement for what's to come. This birthday isn't just a celebration of another year – it's a celebration of transformation, of consciously choosing myself, and of living life on my own terms. Here's to embracing change, chasing dreams, and continuing to evolve into the best version of ourselves.

Remember, it's never too late to reinvent yourself, to chase your dreams, or to create the life you truly desire. Sometimes the most beautiful chapters of our lives begin after we've had the courage to turn the page, use our story to truly fuel our rise.

My Personal Journey: From Vision to Reality

Throughout my life, I've set intentions, both big and small. What I've discovered is the immense power of setting intentions in shaping the life I love and live today. These intentions weren't just about the things I desired in my life but about what I wanted to feel and experience, the way I wanted to live. These intentions were the visions I held for the life I wanted to curate for myself.

After decades of studying and applying spiritual and self-development concepts, I've come to understand and believe that the universe is always co-creating with us and working for our highest good. Often, what's for our highest good isn't necessarily what we think our lives should look like or be like, but it's always what we ultimately need.

For example, I've always set the intention and vision to be in a loving and kind relationship. I've worked hard on myself and in life to obtain this vision. However, I never imagined it would take me going through a divorce and ending a 20-year marriage in an unexpected way to get what I envisioned. After years of complex and uneasy times, I've learned that everything happened the way it did, ultimately for my highest good.

Don't get me wrong; I would have preferred it not to have gone down the way it did. However, the experiences I've survived and thrived through over the past seven years since my divorce brought me to reinvent my life and myself to become my whole and authentic self.

Before this pivotal turning point and colossal wakeup call in my life, I was living what looked like a "perfect" life, but in reality, I was in an emotionally toxic relationship where I had lied to myself and was causing a lot of harm to myself and those I loved. I was living my life as a people pleaser and high-functioning co-dependent continuously and unintentionally, harming myself and those around me.

My vision and intention for a loving and kind relationship look different from what I had initially planned. The players involved are different, as are the circumstances, but what I feel, experience, and live is exactly what I had always envisioned and wanted for myself and my life. Most importantly, I learned the importance of reinventing my life, this time with me at the center of my own life.

What is Reinvention?

It's crucial to understand that Reinvention isn't about becoming someone else. It's about rediscovering your true self, shedding what no longer serves you, and embracing new possibilities. Reinvention is about gaining clarity on who you want to be and the life you want to live. Most importantly, it's about summoning the courage to make changes, heal, and grow in ways that resonate with your true, most authentic self. Reinvention is about consciously choosing and shaping what matters most to you.

Vision is Essential

Remember, your vision is not just a dream; it's a powerful tool for change. It's the guiding blueprint for your life's journey, motivating you and helping align your choices with the life you wish to live. The best part? Your vision already exists within you, waiting to be discovered, nurtured, and cultivated. It's the key to unlocking your potential and shaping your future.

Beyond my vision for the type of relationship, I've held a long-time vision of traveling to Italy. All that history, the views, and, of course, the food! I set this vision and intention for myself, and it was time to bring my vision to reality.

How to Make Your Vision a Reality

The Transformation Equation, coined by my mentor, the best-selling Author and Master Life Coach Nancy Levin in her book Art of Change, is the formula for bringing about change and making your vision a reality.

Transformation Equation:

Change = Vision + Choice + Action

To create change, we start with a vision of where we want to go, make choices aligned with that vision, and then take action to achieve that vision.

With my coaching clients, I take this equation even further, as in order to bring about change, we also need practice, persistence, and time. These aspects of change are often overlooked and missing in our quest for change. To truly pivot, change deep-rooted patterns, and establish new ways of doing things, we need practice, persistence, and, most importantly, the gift of time.

Set an Intention for Your Vision

Uncovering our vision is the first step towards creating the life we desire. It will guide every decision moving forward. Understanding your vision will give you the power to know that every choice and action you take will either serve or sabotage your vision. So, set your vision, and let it inspire and motivate you to take the necessary steps toward your dreams.

My vision for a lifelong dream of traveling to Italy was set. Over the last several years, I've made choices and taken action to bring about the changes I needed in my life to make this vision a reality.

I chose to leave my position as COO, my dream job, to curate a career and business that would allow the time and the schedule I needed to go on such a trip. I took action to budget and save to finance this trip of a lifetime.

My Vision Became a Reality

This past fall, my vision of visiting Italy with my love came to life. We spent two weeks traveling through this beautiful country, learning about its history and landscape and eating as much food as possible.

We explored Rome and Florence, visited friends in Bologna, and ended our incredible adventure in Venice. To say this trip was amazing is an understatement.

Remember what I shared about practice, persistence, and time being key? My adventure to Italy has been a long time coming. I've made multiple attempts to make this dream trip a reality. Each time, life took a turn in the wrong direction, i.e., my divorce. I didn't let it stop me. I practiced my way to correct my course, being persistent in my choices and actions to make it all happen and giving it the time it needed to make my vision a reality.

This trip to Italy is one of many visions around my travels that have become a reality this year. I also traveled to Amsterdam, another part of the world that I've always wanted to visit.

This is to share and show you that anything you put your mind to is possible. So start creating the change you desire in your life! Set your vision, make the choices, and take the necessary actions. Above all, remember to keep practicing, be persistent, and give your dreams the time they need to become reality.

Your Guide through Vision

Your vision is the compass that will guide your choices and actions. If you're ready to work with your vision and start your reinvention journey, explore my latest episode on Vision in my Reinvention Coaching Series on my YouTube Channel. In this episode, I guide you through uncovering your vision in key areas of your life in service of your Reinvention Journey.

I'm thrilled to support you through your Reinvention as we enter the New Year. Take advantage of the FREE 30-day Reinvention Reset, beginning on January 2, 2025. We'll work together daily to reinforce your Vision and Reinvention Journey in the New Year. Let's make 2025 the best year ever!

How Going Digital Can Change Your Life

I'm passionate about operations, streamlining processes, and systems. This obsession and my organizational skills were vital on my journey from stay-at-home mom to COO after my divorce. Whether it's work-related or part of everyday life, this drive has been instrumental in my personal and professional transformations.

My ultimate goal, as I like to say, is to create systems to reduce overwhelm and anxiety, all so I can relax and sit on my butt. This approach has served me well in all areas of my life.

I've come to appreciate that my approach is a valuable skill I now use with my clients. I help them unlock their inner modern matriarch, enabling them to transform authentically—find more time, achieve balance, and get their lives together. I guide and teach my clients the skills they need to achieve effortless efficiency over everyday tasks.

The first time-saving key is to go digital. But I'll be honest—going digital was one of the hardest changes for me to implement... until it wasn't. For years, I had convinced myself that technology was beyond my grasp. This belief didn't come out of nowhere; it was deeply rooted in my past.

When I immigrated to the U.S. at age 8, I spoke very little English. I only knew how to count from 1 to 10 and recite the alphabet. Looking back now, I know I most likely did not even pronounce those correctly! To make things more challenging, I also struggled with dyslexia. (No need to point out spelling errors! 🤣 I've completely accepted that they're there whenever I write).

Throughout my life, I was often told that I was "stupid." This strong yet inaccurate belief about myself led me to become a perfectionist who never wanted to showcase anything unless I was absolutely sure I got it just right. I rarely tried to expand and grow unless I was sure I would succeed and meet expectations. It also led to me constantly beating myself up, feeling like I wasn’t good enough even when I was, and burnout.

During my college years in the 90s, the internet and everyday use of technology were just becoming mainstream. My ex-husband was a technology whiz! It was amazing how he could understand and use technology rapidly and expertly—our son has this same gift. Me, on the other hand? I was frozen in my distorted belief that I wasn't smart enough to gain technical skills.

I played small and kept myself small.

You would often hear me say, "I'm crafty and creative but not techy." Over the years, things have changed. I'm still working to fully rewrite this belief and catch myself saying this occasionally, but there's definitely forward movement in the right direction.

I started small, learning to use email and email applications more efficiently. I tackled various ways to use calendar apps to my advantage and fell in love with cloud storage. Although filled with fear, I could see how these tools would help streamline and simplify my life, moving me towards my goal of effortless efficiency.

Why Go Digital?

The truth is, there are numerous benefits to going digital that can significantly improve your life. Digital technology allows you to utilize tools that are constantly at your fingertips—whether it's your phone, tablet, or computer. Going digital may not appeal to everyone, but it is undeniable that it’s not just convenient and efficient; it's resourceful.

Making the change to a digital lifestyle may require a mindset shift and the willingness to learn new skills. However, the advantages are worth the effort, which I share in my Effortless Efficiency: Time-Saving Keys for the Modern Matriarch free guide.

Making the Change

When I decided to embrace the digital transformation, I had to face my fears and let go of outdated limiting beliefs.

Here's what I had to explore:

• Self-Reflection: How was keeping myself small and holding onto my limiting beliefs serving me? What could I gain by learning new ways of doing things?

• Challenge the Limiting Beliefs: Was it really true that I was stupid? What experiences in my life showed that this was false? What was true, and what was fiction?

• Choose Commitment Over Fear: What was I more committed to, staying in my fear or working to overcome it?

It was a slow process of learning new skills, putting them into practice, and giving myself the time I needed to grow. Eventually, I learned and accepted that holding onto the past was not in my best interest. So be willing to be a beginner and give yourself the grace to make mistakes.

The reality is that if we don't evolve with the times, we'll be left clinging to a past that no longer exists. So, I'm here to cheer you on with the changes you're implementing and encourage you to keep going. Take it one step at a time, no matter how small. Those little steps really add up!

Remember, it's about progress over perfection.

Ready to Simplify Your Life?

If you're ready to dive deeper into effortless efficiency and learn more time-saving keys, download my free guide: Effortless Efficiency: Time-Saving Keys for the Modern Matriarch. This guide is filled with smart solutions to transform chaos into calm, maximize your time, and simplify your life.