190. I am a Woman Who

Welcome to the Inspired Caring Podcast where women who are in the messy middle of this big, beautiful and sometimes chaotic life are finding inspiration and resources to care for themselves and figure out the best options to care for their aging loved ones. How we take care of ourselves today impacts how we are aging tomorrow. This podcast will help you feel seen, centered, and aligned. One that relies on you is so lucky to have you in their life. The Inspired Caring Podcast is your reminder that the number one person that counts on you is yourself. Congratulations on being here in this moment. Let's dive in and be inspired. I have been thinking a lot about this concept of I am a woman who I am a woman who gets up early. I am a woman who drinks a cup of coffee in the morning. I am a woman who exercises. I am a woman who goes on vacation and still takes a walk. I think so much of our life is on autopilot where we have fixed things based on rules of engagement for ourselves and for others that are potentially not serving us any longer. I don't operate today at age 53 the way I operated at age 26. I have different patterns of behavior but it has taken intention to along the way examine what is still working for me and what is not. I do think this is one of the beauty and gifts of aging is that we have the opportunity to care a little bit less about things that are potentially less important. I know so many women who have struggled and I mean all generations but a lot of Gen X specifically who have struggled with this concept of perfection and control and our desire to want to make sure that everything goes right and we are all set up for success and we really want things to be perfect and we want to be in control of things and as caregivers that just is not going to work. That is exhausting. We have to loosen our grip a little bit, we have to be willing to question our intention behind why we are doing something and get really curious about what kind of woman do we want to be right now in our skin today standing grounded on these two feet, what kind of woman are you? What kind of woman do you want to be? And then what do you need to do to start to take steps towards being that version of you that you so much desire? I am constantly thinking about time and how at this age of 53 I have this incredibly heightened awareness, incredible heightened awareness about how fleeting life is. I have had so many people that I care about and love pass away. Some unexpectedly, some after many years of illness and I just think what kind of woman do I want to be right now and what kind of woman do I want to be for my future self? What kind of woman who am I as a woman in the future? What does she look like? How does she dress? What is she thinking about? And some of those answers, you know, we're just not going to get to know, but I've been working on this, I am a woman who, concept, for just under a year, I went to a conference in San Francisco where I did a pre-conference workshop and it was a three hour workshop where we were able to go through all of my materials that are within the inspired caring program and I was able to guide this group of people through each of the pieces around the managing thoughts, managing expectations, knowing your values and having some boundaries. What I kept thinking when I was in this beautiful hotel preparing to speak with this wonderful group of people and walk them through this work is I am a woman who, I am a woman who flies nationally to speak at conferences, I am a woman who gets up at the hotel and goes to the hotel gym and exercises as soon as she arrives. I am a woman who enjoys a beautiful meal at the bar and chats with other patrons. I really wanted to be intentional about being in that space and what I was doing and who I am as a woman in that moment because it's what I want to continue to create and manifest in my life. I want more of that in my life, so it's important for me to identify that I am a woman who is doing those things right now, not waiting, not holding off. I'm hopeful that I get a future and many years I'm optimistic based on choices that I'm making today and how I live my life, that I will get those years but I just don't know, I just don't know, but I am a woman who has optimism and hope for the future. I am a woman who gets up and works to accomplish goals and throughout the day is really striving to reflect on how grateful I am and how lucky I am with what I have already been blessed with today, because this is it, this is our life, like this is what we have to work with right now, and I am striving towards big goals. I am a woman who just passed her comprehensive exams for her master's and gerontology degree. That's pretty exciting. It's been a slog, that's been a bit of a slog, but I am a woman who keeps chipping away at it and doesn't give up. Think about what you are as a woman, who you are, as a woman right now, and who you want to be, and then start to take some baby steps towards that version of yourself, and also give yourself credit for where you are today and who you are today. Life is all about becoming and my gosh. The only reason to look back in a review mirror is to see how far you have come and how far you have become. So I love you, have a wonderful weekend, and I look forward to having you back next week.