Expecting the Worst

Expecting the Worst

I excel at expecting the worst. I have a vivid imagination, and when something happens, my mind leaps ten steps ahead constructing a worst case scenario. In my twenties, I learned that psychologist Albert Ellis had coined a term to describe what I was doing. He called it “awfulizing,” imagining that things are as bad as they can possibly be. 

William Bridges, "Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes"—A Review

William Bridges, "Transitions:  Making Sense of Life’s Changes"—A Review

Bridges explores the typical transitions that we all make throughout our lives including career changes, retirements, job loss, marriage, having a child, losing a loved one, getting divorced.  These transitions may be forced upon us by circumstances outside our control, or they may be things we initiate, but he points out that all transitions are stressful.

Mika Brzezinski on Growing Your Valu

Mika Brzezinski on Growing Your Valu

Brzezinski concludes that “It is simply not enough to know your core professional message.  As women, we need to grow our value in all aspects of our lives to be nourished, energized, and successful—not simply in material ways but also in authentic joy and gratitude.  To be a truly successful working woman—with or without kids, in or out of a committed relationship—you need to know your inner value.”

“Happy Because I Made it That Way”: Art and Entrepreneurship at Mid-Life

“Happy Because I Made it That Way”: Art and Entrepreneurship at Mid-Life

As 1984 drew to a close, Olive wrote in her diary, "1984 has ended and in spite of adversities. . . . [I]t was happy because I made it that way. I made up my mind to 'do my thing' as people say today and not try to change what I knew couldn't be changed. . . . Along with counting my blessings, I made big strides in a small business I had started a couple of years ago. This has been a great pleasure." 

Overcoming “Overwhelm”: A Review of Brigid Schulte’s Overwhelmed: How to Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time

Overcoming “Overwhelm”: A Review of Brigid Schulte’s Overwhelmed: How to Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time

At mid-life, Brigid Schulte found herself drowning in “overwhelm.”  “Overwhelm” is her term for the sense that was never had enough time to do all the things on her to-do list and certainly never time for anything resembling leisure.  That’s a complaint I hear constantly from the clients I see in my personal and career coaching practice.  

The Big Rock in My Way: Obstacles to Change at Mid-Life

The Big Rock in My Way: Obstacles to Change at Mid-Life

Ida Fisher Davidoff wrote, “There are two kinds of people and let’s say they’re driving along and they suddenly come to a boulder. One kind of person says, ‘just my luck! I’m in a hurry and now there’s this big rock in my way.’ The other kind of person says, ‘Oh, there’s a big rock here. Now, how shall I handle this? Is there room to get round it? Will I have to do something to move it, and if so have I got anything with me? Or shall I change my route instead?’ The second person puts their energy into solving the reality of what confronts them.  The first person becomes overwhelmed, sees themselves as a victim, an object, and lapses into inertia and dependency.” 

Life Stories: Inspiration for Reinvention

Life Stories:  Inspiration for Reinvention

All the ink spilled on mid-life reinvention among the Baby Boomer generation could lead a body to believe that Baby Boomer women created mid-life reinvention. But that’s not true: my research showed me that mothers of boomer women were pioneering midlife reinvention well before the advent of the women’s liberation movement, those heady years when boomer women came of age.