Radiant Bold Aging

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Sir Beaumont and I were walking with a friend who shared her hesitation about taking a much-anticipated trip. Her husband’s mother is not in the best of health, sparking fears of what might happen if she becomes ill while they’re across the world. It’s a valid concern, yet it cuts both ways. What might happen if they went on the trip? And what if they didn’t?

As I’ve grown in wisdom and life, I’ve learned that dreams wither without action, and with age, the belief in our potential can dim and, even fade away.

Ultimately, facing the question, ‘What might happen if I do, or don’t’ transcends more than just the realities of our day to day living. It brings us to the portal of possibility, opening us up to all that is possible when we choose to live beyond our fears, our comfort zones, and, our limiting beliefs. Ultimately, it asks us to lean into the question – Do we let worry and fear hold us back? Or, do we seize life’s opportunities, whether that’s embarking on a journey, returning to school, or asking someone out.

For me, it’s about overcoming fear to launch the business I’ve dreamt of for so long.

Doing nothing about it was keeping me stuck in that place where my dreams were just that—dreams, withering as I grow older and feeding into the diminishment of my self-confidence and growing doubts about my abilities and capacity to stay Vital. Relevant. Energized.

As an example, last October, despite my reservations, I traveled to Ireland alone. Overcoming the “monkey mind” that wanted me to stay put, ‘be realistic’ – the timing was all wrong. Travelling alone was scary… yada. Yada. Yada. I realized that succumbing to the incessant monkey mind chatter full of fear and doubt, was keeping me mired in inaction. Not stepping out of my comfort zone to travel alone, not giving myself permission to believe in my own capacity to ‘be okay’ whatever happened, which included renting a standard, not automatic, car with the stick shift on the left hand side of the steering and navigating uber-narrow Irish roads on the right hand side, was me buying into the notion, I’m too old.

I am not too old. I’m simply the age I am – and being 70 doesn’t mean I can’t learn new things, try new ways, explore new adventures. Not doing those things because I’m afraid will only teach me how to live a life unfulfilled, draining my vitality, relevance, and sense of contribution.

Aging is an inevitable journey from birth, but how we age is a choice. Our bodies, like roads exposing potholes after winter, accumulate aches and pains. However, with regular maintenance—exercise, nutrition, rest, and check-ups—we can manage or prevent these discomforts.

Living fully means facing fears and embracing life’s opportunities. It’s about proactive maintenance of our physical and emotional well-being, ensuring our life’s roads are navigable and our journey fulfilling.

What about you? Have you faced a moment where you had to choose between safety and growth? How did you decide, and what was the outcome? I’d love it if you shared your stories below. Let’s inspire each other to fill the potholes on our paths and move forward with courage and purpose.

We’re all aging. Let’s do it with passion, purpose and pizzazz! Together.

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And… I am holding a free online masterclass to share some of the secrets of aging. It’s March 26, 4 – 5:30pm MDT — click HERE if you’d like to learn more or to sign up! There are limited spaces available and it would be lovely to see you there!

10 thoughts on “Radiant Bold Aging”

  1. I always say that I ‚know no fear‘, but I do a lot of overthinking. When other ppl sleep my brain is in overdrive. I‘m considering and thinking non-stop – I could never do yoga or meditation. When I now do a quick re-think, my most courageous decisions were
    1. divorce my ex, knowing full well that our son wouldn‘t want to stay with me.
    2. get married to HH, who is much younger than me. This still is a daily challenge in so many ways I can‘t describe. Suffice saying that I and some of my girlfriends tried – at the time – to get him ‚the ideal‘ woman to marry, because he‘s not your standard guy. On 21st March we‘ll celebrate our 26th wedding anniversary…
    3. after my divorce taking the highly challenging post of secretary to most feared professor of the ETH (Swiss Fed. Institute of Technology). He was a workaholic, slept less than 5hrs and called me at the office often before 7am to announce that he had prepared several tapes of chores, dictations, agendas to organise etc. I ‚only‘ lasted some 18-20mo because then I got married to HH but at that time I was the ‚longest serving‘ employee of that guy.
    I‘m sure I could think of many more ‚dares‘ that were deeply upsetting, left me despondent but my positivity was always stronger than any misery. And I drink my daily mug of positivitea!!!!!

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    • See! We are sisters! I’ve got a PhD in overthinking! 🙂

      And wow! What a powerful story of daring and courage and love Kiki – btw — I had a boss like that too — I learned so much from her about commitment, drive, passion, and about boundaries. She’s one of my dearest friends and continues to inspire me.

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  2. I’m more of a presence than a pizzazz gal. Embracing where we are and tuning in to our aging body in a friendly way is healing and helps us find our new balance and ease with life as it is. 💐🙏🏻🎈

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  3. It was after my third stroke, only 2 months after my second stroke … I was feeling very dejected. I had already purchased my tickets to a dream trip to New York/Philadelphia 4 months earlier … I was in rehab and only had 12 weeks to go before I was due to fly out … I was thinking of postponing the trip for 6 months, until I was more able and fitter … My friendly Neurosurgeon sat on my hospital bed and encouraged me to go … “you know Ivor, I cannot guarantee that you’ll be any better in 6 months’ time, my advice is to go on your trip while you can! we’ll have fit enough for you to fly to America and I’ll sign the required medical clearance for you”. Next day I messaged my Philadelphia cousins, “I’ll be on your doorstep in 12 weeks’ time”.

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