life after 50, over 50, retirement, baby boomer women, baby boomersNow that I’ve been retired from my full-time job for about a year, I’m settling into a new lifestyle — sleeping later, exercising more, cooking and eating healthier, seeing my friends and meeting new friends, traveling to new places and working on my blog. I’m excited about the changes I’ve made in the past 12 months.

I think I’ll always be a work in progress. I still want to slow down more and gain greater focus and balance in my life.

“What are your goals for the next six months, one year, five years?” asked my coach Dr. F as I told her about my current challenges during my life after 50. “You should write down goals for all areas of your life – personal, health & wellness, work, financial. Having goals will help you achieve greater balance. You’ll know when to say ‘no’ to certain things and ‘yes’ to others.”

I thought about the goals I’ve achieved during the past six years since losing my spouse and how I’ve adapted to all the changes. I never wrote down my goals, I was too busy executing them. It was a high-stress period, but I did accomplish a great deal in a short amount of time.

♦ I bought my “condo on the corner” at the shore. I do love the beach.
♦ I met a new man online and now I have a great boyfriend L.
♦ I sold my house and moved into a townhouse.
♦ I helped launch my two adult children into their adult lives.
♦ I launched a new career as a blogger and retired from my 30 year corporate career.

Setting SMART Goals
As I head toward 60, perhaps it’s a good time to revisit my goals for the second half of my life. I should write down my goals like Dr. F says.

“Create SMART goals,” said Dr. F. “SMART goals are specific, measurable, reasonable, and have a timeframe. SMART goals help you move forward and are about what you want rather than what you don’t want.”

“Allow yourself guilt-free play each day,” said Dr. F. What’s that you say? Have fun each day? I can do that. Yes, I can. Yes, I can.

I liked what Dr. F suggested. It sounded positive and practical. Now I just have to do it. Can I do it? Can I? Can I? Ooh, ooh, ooh, I’m going to give it a shot. Here goes. Here are some of my SMART goals. One for each area of my life for the next year. I don’t want to go too far into the future.

♦ Personal: I want to travel to a new place. I can do this. Yes I can. I am going to San Jose, CA in July to the BlogHer conference. I’m going a day early to explore the city since I’ve never visited San Jose. Wow-o-wow, this goal is coming up next month! Can’t wait to see all my midlife blogger friends at BlogHer.

San Jose

Do you know the way to San Jose? I

♦ Health & Wellness: I want to practice yoga each weekday. I love yoga. It’s a great way to de-stress and focus my mind, body and spirit. I’ve studied mindfulness too, so on days when I cannot get to my yoga class I can meditate at home to calm my mind.

Yoga, life after 50, boomer women, health and wellness

Practicing yoga keeps me grounded.

♦ Work:I am going to write one chapter of my book each month. Is this achievable and realistic in addition to writing my blog? I’m going to keep close track of this goal and check on my progress in three months. That’s good. I included a timeframe.

life after 50

I want to write a book during my life after 50.

♦ Financial:I will live on a monthly budget that I have established for my expenses during my life after 50. This is a BIG goal. I’ll have to watch my spending. If I go over one month, I’ll have to be more careful the next. It’s easy to measure because the numbers in my checkbook will be my guide.

retirement, finances, life after 50

Can I manage my pennies and live on a budget?

Ooh, ooh, ooh, I forgot to add my “guilt-free play for each day.” Ah yes, I am going to spend an hour each day reading The New York Times,a chick-lit novel, a magazine or anything I want to read. I’m going to have fun reading my fashion magazines.

magazines, life after 50

I am going to have fun reading my fashion magazines.

I like this goal-setting idea. What about you? Do you have goals for your life after 50?

Judi

Speaking of setting goals, here’s a great opportunity if your plans include pursuing new passions during your life after 50:

Merck Consumer Care, the makers of OXYTROL FOR WOMEN – the first and only over-the-counter treatment for overactive bladder – and MORE magazine are launching the “Open A New Door” program to help women 50 and over overcome barriers when pursing their passions.1,857 women 50 and over on MORE’s reader panel were surveyed to reveal what dreams they want to pursue in their second stage of life and what barriers they would face trying to reinvent themselves. In a perfect world, 97% of the women surveyed would choose a variety of ways to reinvent themselves in the near future. However, nearly 9 out of 10 (89%) of these women admit they would face obstacles in their quest for reinvention.

One woman who enters the “Open a New Door” contest will be awarded $10,000 to help her realize her reinvention goals in the areas of professional development, volunteerism or travel, in addition to a personal coaching session with Pamela Mitchell, founder and CEO of The Reinvention Institute. Women 50 and over can visit MoreOpenDoors.com to enter. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN IN THE OPEN A NEW DOOR CONTEST. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE THE CHANCE OF WINNING. Starts 8:00:00 am ET on 5/20/14, ends 11:59:59 pm ET on 6/30/14 (“Promotion Period”). Open to women who are legal residents of 50 United States and District of Columbia and 50+ years. Void where prohibited. Subject to the Official Rules, inclusive of the entry judging criteria, available by visiting MoreOpenDoors.com during the Promotion Period or by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope for receipt by 8/4/14 to: Open A New Door Contest RULES, P.O. Box 13106, Bridgeport, CT, 06673-3106. Sponsor:  MSD Consumer Care, Inc.