Brave Enough To Embrace The Magic Artwork

S.O.F.T. and Strong: Midlife Women On A Mission

Midlife. The in-between years when you're no longer young but you're not old yet either. It's that time in your story when you're crying all the way home from leaving your kid at college. Or crumpling up your high school reunion invite because life has not turned out at all in the way you said it would. You're waking up in the middle of the night wracked with financial worry. You're going through a divorce or grieving your spouse or wondering who that man is across the table as you haven't really connected for years. It's exhausted caregiving and a waistline you don't recognize. It's staring out the window blankly and asking "NOW WHAT?" Hey - this is a transition when life doesn't give us the choice about whether we go through it or not. But...there are choices that are in our control. Life doesn't stop here. YOU are meant for so much more. And that's what this podcast is about. Instead of being known as a woman who is "menopausal", WHAT IF you could be seen as a beautiful Woman on a Mission? Someone who is taking all life by storm? Who doesn't back down? Who never gives up? Someone who knows what she wants and isn't settling for less. People know you as confident, intelligent, sensitive and intuitive. You get things done. You can be trusted to follow through. You're a woman with a vision. The antidote for sinking into all the inevitable midlife mindsets our culture trains us to believe is PURPOSE. I'm Bernice McDonald, Midlife Coach, and I'm here to guide you as you get your feet back on solid ground. Life shifts. Like winter to spring. So shift with it! Leave your past missions behind as they're done. Open up your heart and your mind to what's next. Your Next Great Mission. We all have one. And you do, too. Let's answer the Midlife Call. Find our next great mission. Live with purpose. Please come and join us!

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S.O.F.T. and Strong: Midlife Women On A Mission

Brave Enough To Embrace The Magic

May 01, 2022 • Bernice McDonald • Season 2 • Episode 10

Remember the giggling? As a little girl, remember breathing in the fun in life in whatever moment you were living? Life was an adventure every minute, right?

Princesses, Knights... imagining doing whatever came into yours and your friend's heads. Then something happened.

As we grew, older, life took place, right?

Bombs went off scaring you to death.

Shock boulders landed on you creating stories that weren't so fun. They told you why you shouldn't be happy. Why you should be cautious. Fearful.

Rocks from other people on their paths as they walked beside you got thrown. Words that hurt. Actions that left you alone and doubting who you are. It's been a long path you've walked, right?

But let me ask you a question today. Where did the magic go? Did it just disappear? Poof! Gone? Because we really don't live in that place of magic much as we get older.

And especially when we reach that place in our fifties where we get really sober about what life is and about what's to come. Are you recognizing yourself in any of that?

The fear of aging is REAL. How do we age gracefully? Beautifully? That's what we're talkin' about here... how to start loving yourself. How to reinvent yourself at 50...or 60 and beyond!

if I could, I would tap you with a Magic Wand and whisk all the cobwebs from your eyes. BUT...I don't need to. Because you've got this, Gorgeous. Come listen to this episode and I'll show you HOW to start feeling the magic in life again.

Download here: FREE e-Book: How To Find Your Passionately Personal Midlife Mission

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Are you in the struggle of navigating midlife with grace and power? I hear ya!

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"The Way of the Beautiful Warrior." Our brief daily emails provide insights and inspiration, turning the challenge of midlife into an empowering adventure.

Click this link and embrace your journey as a Beautiful Warrior today.

Season 2, Ep 10: Brave Enough To Embrace the Magic

(00:01):

Remember the giggling as a little girl, remember breathing in the fun in life in whatever moment you were living? Life was an adventure every minute, right? Princesses, Knights... imagining doing whatever came into yours and your friend's heads. Then something happened.

(00:25):

As we grew, older, life took place, right? Bombs went off scaring you to death. Shock boulders landed on you creating stories that weren't so fun. They told you why you shouldn't be happy. Why you should be cautious. Fearful. Rocks from other people on their paths as they walked beside you got thrown. Words that hurt. Actions that left you alone and doubting who you are. It's been a long path you've walked, right?

(01:10):

But let me ask you a question today. Where did the magic go? Did it just disappear? Poof! Gone? Because we really don't live in that place of magic much as we get older. And especially when we reach that place in our fifties where we get really sober about what life is and about what's to come. Are you recognizing yourself in any of that?

(01:43):

We have walked a long path, you and I. However, we're talking about how to do this beautifully, how to go on from here and, perhaps, take a sharp, bright turn into a life that embraces that magic. Again, we're talking about being S.O.F.T. and Strong. The 'S' we talked about in the last episode about finding that inner strength, the inner brave, the courage it takes to stand up for who you are. And we talked about a whole bunch of ways to do that.

(02:24):

Today we are talking about the 'O' in S.OF.T., which is to be open to the magic. The magic in life. The magic in love. The magic that is there for you if you open your eyes and you see it, you look at it, you take it in. It is so crucial to keeping you feeling alive, to be able to tap into that beautiful thing that we call 'magic'.

(02:58):

I'm not talking spells, I'm not talking, waving your magic wand. I'm talking about the sparkle in life. I'm talking about what lights you up from the inside out and brings that glow to your face, brings that glow into your life so that you could take little mini-vacations during the day out of the tough stuff, out of the stuff that can dampen every joy that you have so that you can step away from that and find, instead, the things that light you up. That set your heart on fire. That inspire you and make you realize that, yeah, you do have a lot in life to be thankful for and a lot to appreciate.

(03:52):

So let's open the door, break down the wall and set that magic free, okay? Are you with me? So let's talk about laughter and a gentle glow. Let's talk about how beautiful you are when you are living free, how beautiful you feel when you are living free. Free of the expectations that others put on you. Free to enjoy your strengths and forget about your weaknesses.

(04:24):

Imagine that! Free to stop on the street, turn your face up toward the sun and just feel the warmth. Free to soak up the giggles of your grandkids. Free to play. Free to go on adventures. Your heart alive, feeling the joy, creating an incredible glow. Now, this is what we're talking about, right? To be open to the magic.

(04:58):

So how do we get there? I want to encourage you to do a few things today that are going to bring you back and practice experiencing those little mini-vacations, stepping out of what is hard into what feels so much better, what lifts your spirits and reminds you that life is not all about the problems. It's not all about the barriers. It's not about you not being enough. It's not about you being somebody that that feels less than all the time. Finding the magic is about truly enjoying your life, finding the joy.

(05:51):

So here are some ideas for you. Six things.

(05:54):

One: Be in your life today. Be present in your life every day in this moment. Let the past go. In fact, change how you see it. See the past as the fire refining the gold of who you are right now. That's what happens to gold, how it gets so beautiful, how it gets refined. And all of what's called the dross, the impurities, rise to the top. It's because the fire beneath it is very, very intense. It's the only way the beauty of the gold can truly be purified and brought out for us to enjoy, to bring the joy to others.

(06:45):

Secondly: Love who you are. Life is so simple. It's about how you see yourself and how you see others. So learn to see yourself from a place of compassion, from a place of enjoyment, to know that you were born on your path with all of your own gifts, with all of your own characteristics. You are you! Learn what makes you strong, be kind to yourself as you would. Anyone else who has been through what you've been through, put yourself into the no judgment zone, just be who you are and what you're learning.

(07:29):

Third: immerse yourself in gratitude. Let yourself be filled up with gratitude. Relive your sweet moments in life. Magic comes from realizing that you have many, many moments in your life that are precious to you. Remember the time when your first baby was born? How amazing it felt to hold that child in your arms for the first time. Remember a really special Christmas present you got when you were a child and how that made you feel. Remember the hug from your grandma. Remember following your grandpa around, outside, copying everything. He did. Remember your first kiss. All of those precious, precious memories we hold in our heart. They are the sweet stuff in life. They're the moments that you need to go back to immerse yourself in those. When you wanna take a little vacation away from all the stuff that is hard.

(08:41):

Fourth: Appreciate the small things that light you up. Magic is everywhere. If you look, what is magic to you? Is it the sun on your face? Is it a beautiful blue sky? That's magic for me - a blue sky with bright sunshine lifts my heart like nothing else. And when I come across days like that, I soak it in. I look at it. I absorb it into my spirit.

(09:14):

Fifth: Fill your mind with what you want. Focus there. Notice then when the doors or windows open. You'll see it. Our brains are amazing as I keep telling you. Our brains will go where we tell them to go. It's who you want to be. It's what you want to have. It's the impact you want to have in life. Focus on that.

(09:45):

Not on everything you're not. Not on those stories that tell you you're not enough. Focus. Make it a continuous practice to focus on where you want to go and your brain will follow you. Your brain will show you the steps to get there. It might be a friend who coincidentally repeats back to you. The exact things that you've had in your mind lately. It might be an opportunity that presents itself, quote, unquote, out of the blue, when you are least expecting it because your brain will look for the things that you focus on. What are you filling your brain with? Get the coaching. Find the way to open your mind up to where you want to go and who you want to be. That's magic.

(10:50):

The last one. Number six: Return to your sweet state over and over the 92nd rule is this. When something happens, even when a bomb goes off and devastates you, when a Boulder falls on you flattening you like Wily Coyote with his arms and legs sticking out. Remember him from Bugs Bunny? When that happens to you, return to your Sweet State.

(11:21):

When other people throw rocks at you and you can't understand how they could have said that or how they could walk away or how they could do the things that they've done. Allow yourself to dwell in that place of suffering for like 90 seconds, then return to your Sweet State. Return back to the place where you become the person you want to be in that situation. Because life is all about walking toward becoming the person that you want to be. Deciding. The sweet life is about deciding that you'll be okay no matter what happens. That you have the strength, the wisdom, the know-how, the belief in yourself to be able to handle it because you're walking through it. Even if it feels like a war zone, you're walking through it. You can do this. Return to that place.

(12:28):

So to recap: 1. Be in your life today, be present. 2. Love who you are. Life is simple. It's about how you see yourself and how you see others. 3. Immerse yourself in gratitude, relive your sweet moments in life. 4. Appreciate the small things that light you up. Magic is everywhere if you look. What is magic to you? So that you can go there. 5. Fill your mind with what you want. Focus there. Notice then when the doors or the windows open to show you the way. 6., Return to your sweet state over and over. Remember the 90 Second Rule.

(13:20):

Alright, beautiful ladies. We are again at the end and we have covered so much about being magic. About living in the magic. I hope that this is the life you're going to choose. To age beautifully. I will talk to you in the next podcast.