There’s a whole world of adventure out there…right here…at your fingertips. It’s the world of the internet; Social Media, New Media, YouTube, blogs, podcasts, videos! As Video Blogger sensation (Wine Library TV) Gary Vaynerchuk says, “This is the time to make your dreams come true.” Anyone can get their message out there to the world via video, audio, personal essays, blog posts. Anyone can get their products out there to the world. And you can distribute for very little money! The flood gates have opened. But, so many get stumped, stuck, paralyzed by the not knowing part. The overwhelm. “How and where do I begin?” In New Media Tea Time, Living Careers.net’s Danielle Gruen and moi, team up to share our knowledge, tips, ideas, on how to navigate this Social Media, New Media madness. Oh, if that’s not enough, we pepper the show with chocolate and tea tidbits. The fabulous feline Hailey is purring somewhere nearby absorbing all this tantalizing info. In episode 5, Danielle and I talk about, What is a personal brand?” And how to find your passion to create your own midlife adventures.

“Yesterday’s history, tomorrow’s a mystery, today’s the present, that’s why they call it a gift.”

We all know it’s best to live in the present, but why does it seem so hard to do? Why do we always forget to live in the moment? Maybe it’s because often our present doesn’t seem like much of a gift. When we seek immediate gratification in the present it can seem like a booby prize, leaving us disappointed..

But if we remember that living each day in the present, adds another layer of adventure to our lives, building up to one huge reward, we’ll realize the gift at hand.

Adventure Tip: Give yourself a gift of being in the present. List three reasons you’re grateful right this moment. Try not to over think this. What comes right to your mind? (and heart).

-Tracy Pattin

SO, here’s another option. How about we forget about seeking happiness and focus on finding our purpose instead? I often talk about “adventurizing your life” creating midlife adventures instead of being in a midlife crisis. It’s all about finding your purpose through experiences.

How do you do that if you don’t know what your purpose is? By giving. It’s that simple. Think for a moment when you gave to someone. What did that feel like? Even if it was a compliment to a stranger, “Hey I love your shoes.” The person turns to you surprised, smiles and says “thanks.” That simple exchange could have lifted that person’s spirits for the week, not to mention yours for just making someone smile. This action puts you on the path to your purpose by giving you a visceral experience of selflessness.

This weekend I caught up on the phone with a gal pal. She was talking about being in a funk, feeling a little lost. We both shared our worries and fears and challenges of being single women in midlife. (see the upcoming blog!). After a couple of hours of championing each other we said good-bye and made a plan to get together.

Today I got an email from her thanking me for lifting her spirits, telling me that her attitude completely changed after our talk.  Then I got to thinking. This is that sense of purpose. It was not about being happy, it was about being helpful. I feel so fulfilled, satiated and most of all grateful to simply have been there for a friend. Now, that’s a great midlife adventure.

Adventure Tip: The next time or moment, you find yourself striving to be happy (or complaining that you’re not). STOP! Do something for someone else. Even if it’s a phone call or email (better a phone call) to let someone know you’re thinking about them. Then ask yourself (and the Universe) “What is my purpose?”  Before you know it, Happiness may just sneak up on you. And who knows? Maybe even your life’s purpose.

Adventure Quote: When you make a decision and take action, the Universe conspires to make it happen.

-Tracy Pattin

There’s a whole world of adventure out there…right here…at your fingertips. It’s the world of the internet; Social Media, New Media, YouTube, blogs, podcasts, videos! As Video Blogger sensation (Wine Library TV) Gary Vaynerchuk says, “This is the time to make your dreams come true.” Anyone can get their message out there to the world via video, audio, personal essays, blog posts. Anyone can get their products out there to the world. And you can distribute for very little money! The flood gates have opened. But, so many get stumped, stuck, paralyzed by the not knowing part. The overwhelm. “How and where do I begin?” In New Media Tea Time, Living Careers.net’s Danielle Gruen and moi, team up to share our knowledge, tips, ideas, on how to navigate this Social Media, New Media madness. Oh, if that’s not enough, we pepper the show with chocolate and tea tidbits. The fabulous feline Hailey is purring somewhere nearby absorbing all this tantalizing info.

Midlife adventures, as I’ve always said, come in all shapes and sizes. For instance, we can make the decision to take care of ourselves a little better…that’s an adventure. I just wrote a piece for my Tweak My Face series about non-invasive tips to greater midlife skin called 3 Steps to Looking Younger. I’ve been taking one of those steps, using a washcloth to exfoliate. I’ve really noticed a difference. By getting rid of those dead skin cells daily, my skin is smoother, translucent. I look more energetic, vibrant.

Then I got to thinking, What if we exfoliate other parts of our life?

Let’s start exfoliating:

1. Clutter. Getting rid of that outer layer makes room for new, vibrant opportunities.

2. Bad Relationships. Whether in romance, friendship, or business. They say that we must surround ourselves with people who lift us up, inspire and energize us. We are judged by the company we keep. By exfoliating those bad relationships, we make room for  new healthy relationships.

3. Unhappy careers/jobs. This exfoliation is a key to happiness. If we’ve got layers of unhappy dead energy because of boredom, frustration and paralysis in our work, we’re not allowing ourselves to LIVE OUR PASSION! By exfoliating, who knows what exciting, Sizzling creative midlife adventures we’ll find?

Adventure Tip: Get your washcloth, start with your face, then get rid of all those “dead skin cells”  in the rest of your life.  RINSE AND REPEAT!

-Tracy Pattin

Mid-life adventures are not just stepping out and having new experiences. Midlife adventures are also about taking action to look healthy, feel healthy for a SIZZLING YOU. Having vibrant skin is key. NO! You don’t have to have an expensive facelift or even get Botox, Restalyne and all those other procedures. You can opt for some simple inexpensive steps:

Dermatologist, Dr. Shirley Chi (as seen on Southern California’s ABC 7 news) gives these 3 steps:

1. Sun Block- Even if you’re indoors most of the time!

2.Anti-Aging cream. She recommends ROC night cream.

3.Exfoliate! Even a washcloth daily can work. OR microdermabrasion and chemical peels. (note they’re expensive and are right for certain skin types. Check with a dermatologist)

-Tracy Pattin

There’s a whole world of adventure out there…right here…at your fingertips. It’s the world of the internet; Social Media, New Media, YouTube, blogs, podcasts, videos! As Video Blogger sensation (Wine Library TV) Gary Vaynerchuk says, “This is the time to make your dreams come true.” Anyone can get their message out there to the world via video, audio, personal essays, blog posts. Anyone can get their products out there to the world. And you can distribute for very little money! The flood gates have opened. But, so many get stumped, stuck, paralyzed by the not knowing part. The overwhelm. “How and where do I begin?” In New Media Tea Time, Living Careers.net’s Danielle Gruen and moi, team up to share our knowledge, tips, ideas, on how to navigate this Social Media, New Media madness. Oh, if that’s not enough, we pepper the show with chocolate and tea tidbits. The fabulous feline Hailey is purring somewhere nearby absorbing all this tantalizing info.

Click here for New Media Tea Time (Show #1)

Click here for New Media Tea Time (Show #2)

What an adventure it was yesterday!

Adventure Tip: When we push ourselves past our comfort zone we free ourselves of sweating the small stuff.)

It was Elaine Gold’s (TheArtoftheClimb) final chemo therapy session, which meant, her final “Chemo Ride.” I decided to do the entire 45 mile ride with her.  It was the final video documenting her chemo therapy journey. To get to each chemotherapy session, she rode 28 miles to the Oncologist’s office, got the chemo and then rode 13 miles back. Nothing was going to stand in her way of her passion; extreme cycling. Sometimes adventures can surprise you. In my documenting Elaine’s adventure, I discovered so much about myself on so many levels:

•I accomplished more than I thought I could.

•Biking freed me of some fear. Especially on the downhill. I let go (but not OUT of control) allowing myself to brake a little less. Result? Freedom!

•When you have your own “uphill climbs” worrying about your own problems, take an adventure, preferably one that helps another. Result? My problems turned into gratitude as I focused on Elaine’s much bigger “uphill climb.”

•Remember to celebrate being alive. When asked what keeps her going, Elaine smiles and says  “I’d rather be 5 1/2 feet ABOVE ground.

To see a snippet of the entire adventure, watch the video above!

-Tracy Pattin

Click ABOVE TO LISTEN NOW or Download

Life starts to take off and our dreams realized when we get really clear about what we want. It’s like that clarity is the lifted fog from our lives, opening the way to opportunity. Then things really start to happen.

Here’s a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:

When we make a decision, the Universe conspires to make it happen.

This quote has followed me since I first heard it 8 years ago. I can trace my life back and find the thread that makes it true. (Click here for an adventure tip to find your thread)  Every time I have made a clear, conscious decision, it’s as if the Universe really did help to make it happen. Amazing people came into my life, opportunities emerged, my path became clear.

I had finally made one of the biggest decisions of my life. At 44,  I uncuffed myself  from San Francisco, and moved to a place I’d always thought I hated. When I was driving to Los Angeles on the very bleak Interstate 5,(and it was a foggy day!) I was crystal clear about my decision. Yet I had no idea what my life was going to be like. I had no job, no place to live. But I had clarity. Today, years later, my life is going strong in LA. And San Francisco? I never looked back.

Making the decision is the first important step, then you have to step OUT and adventurize.

Adventure Tip: If you’re not clear and you can’t make a decision, step out anyway. Your decision may be in that adventure waiting for you.

SizzleintheMiddle audio blog Statistically Dead. Fully Alive.

Click below to Listen NOW instead

I’m sitting here right now talking to my 80 year old mother on the phone. She’s sitting in a French Bistro in Mill Valley, eating her salad, waiting to get in the rush line for the new Daniel Ellsberg Documentary.  “I’m in love with life. I love being 80″ she says to me between bites. “I love the fact that I’m statistically dead but fully alive. I’m past the life expectancy of white women in the U.S. So at this point, each day IS a gift.”

Now, widowed ( third husband AND 2 ex-husbands are all dead) my mom has created another chapter in her life. She lives in a rented apartment in Berkeley so she can be where the action is, during the week and goes home to her townhouse in Napa on the weekends. Her life is filled with great friends of all ages, spiritual quests, workshops, seminars, events. Life. Fun.

So, as the younger version of her, I wonder…What does it take for people in mid life to be excited about life? Why do we freak out about our age? As my birthday is on the horizon, I have mixed feelings. I’m a little melancholy, wishing I were even 5 years younger, yet thrilled about my adventurous, fulfilling life. Why can’t I be more like her about my own age? It’s as if that label keeps trying to trip me as I prance through life inhaling each experience.

Why aren’t more of us feeling “In love with life?” Why, at 80, does my mom feel excited about every moment, each breath? My mom equates her exhilarated state of being (sans anti-depressants! Only wine) with passion. Curiosity. She just finished a poetry seminar with John Fox where he posed the question, “What is the thread of your life?” My mom wonders, “Maybe that’s where our passion exists.”

Adventure Tip: To find  your passion, take an adventure backwards, drawing a line back to your first memory. What would be attached to that line? What images? What words? What experiences? Even if some are unhappy, traumatic, there are nuggets that reveal your desire, your will. Your passion. That’s what keeps us in love with life.

Oh, and by the way, my mom is the author of the book, Widow with A Husband. A book about Alzheimer’s and care giving during her last husband’s battle with the disease. She’s working on her second book about being 80.

Adventure Tip: Look to an adventurous elder for some adventure inspiration. Find out what they’re passionate about.

My mom’s favorite quote these days is:

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow’s a mystery, today’s a gift, that’s why they call it the present.”

Maybe it’s as simple as that. Live each day as a gift. Be in the present.

-Tracy Pattin