If you follow Starting Over at Sixty you know that I write a lot about being purposeful in planning your life.  It really doesn’t matter how old you are, but as I age I am aware of having a limited time on this earth.  No gloom and doom, just fact.  In my head, I have 30 more good years (fingers crossed, even more, and I hope not less).  When I was young I had an infinite amount of life ahead, and maybe that’s the way it should be for young moms working in and outside the home.  It was too hard to think of anything more than the day ahead.  Now, all I have to do is look in the mirror to be faced with the truth.  So, I am trying to be much more deliberate about what I want my life to look like and how I want to spend my time.  I feel an inner urgency that I never felt when I was younger.  And, coming from an unhappy marriage to a very sad divorce, I am ready for lots of fun.  In fact, Fun is my middle name!  It is time for me to write my own life script.

Visualize the Life You Want

My first step has been to visualize what I want my life to resemble.  I don’t want to always be running from one place to the next and from one task to the next.  But, I do want to be busy and active and vital. That means building a lifestyle that allows me to be just that.  For me, intentionally including more workouts in my week is important:  they make me feel better and give me more energy.  I schedule workout classes and sessions with my trainer and give them the same importance I would any other appointment.  If I do it during the day, then I get showered and changed and back to my routine afterward.  If I can’t get it in during the day after work is fine.  I used to give myself a “treat” by not exercising during the weekend: no more.  At least one of the days I get a workout in and feel better for it.

Know Yourself

From my 30+ year marriage, I know this:  you can never find true north when you are living a life that is contrary to everything you know to be right.  And it only took me 30 years?!  I know myself and always did, but now I listen to that voice inside instead of trying to change it.  I follow my heart as much as I always did but now I try to be smarter about it.  I am much more in tune with my inner compass.  I know who I am and I listen to my inner conversation rather than trying to change it, which allows me to live a happier life.

My Script

If I were to write a script for myself for a normal week it would look like this:

I write posts each week and work on StartingOveratSixty.com, working on the social media, submitting posts for other sites like Huffington Post and Sixty & Me and corresponding with followers accordingly. I also write content for a web design firm as an intern and help with some client acquisition. I work out about an hour most days.  I usually have lunch and/or dinner with friends.  I take my dog to the dog park about once a week.  I see a movie and do a little shopping.  I like to read and I like to knit while binge-watching something trashy.  I sing in a citywide choir that allows me to also sing with women in the state prison.  I love that and it fills my heart.

Now, if I write a script for the year I will also include:

My children live across the country so I like to visit them whenever I can.  Writing for Starting Over at Sixty allows me to do that from anywhere and that was purposeful.  It is important to me to travel with my children at least once a year so we can all be together on an adventure, whether it is in the U.S. or International.  So, if I were traveling for a total of three months every year that would be about perfect. I don’t like to go longer than three months without seeing any one of them.

Finally, in order to be here for more than 30 years, I have to clean up my diet.  that is the part of the script where the sad music comes in.  Nothing more to say about that.

Now, Add the Surprise Ending

I have in my head some additions to the script that would be more than the cherry on top, they would be the edible gold leaf!  I will keep those to myself for now, but if any of them were to come true, I would post a boomerang of me tap dancing!  One might include me being on Jimmy Fallon, promoting my appearance on SNL with my husband, Dwayne Johnson.  Edible Gold Leaf!

I would love to hear from you on what your script looks like.  Do you want to make changes to it?  do you want to re-write it?  The most important thing is that you have a script that you get excited about today and every day so you can have your own happy ending.  Stay away from mine!