Finding More Happiness As We Age
I had chai with some amazing, independent, creative woman this week, who are reimagining their landscapes and recognising the magic in having life experiences that are a treasure trove to refer to and support new adventures. And this makes them happy.
Fact: Women are happier as they age, and women are happier than men as the age.
But what is happiness? “I think Happiness is a choice and a set of skills.” ~ says Mary Pipher (latest book Women Rowing North) I absolutely agree with this thinking, and I purposefully practice happiness everyday. Life bombards us with expectation, responsibilities, painful events, challenging interactions, the reflection of others, less than thoughts that drip away in the background, often storing up, that create a view of our everyday that can change with a simple strategy that I use:
A LITTLE + EVERYDAY = CHANGE
It’s not easy. It takes dedication. It takes being clear with yourself that you will not accept anything less than what you deserve. It takes looking for the good, for the happy, every day. It takes support. It takes female friends! Because we are always more powerful together!
Here’s a little something someone suggested I do once, which ultimately led to my family moving from the USA to Australia... to me finding a new community to create with, and to connections with more amazing women.
Rate these areas of your life from 1–10, 1 being extremely unhappy and 10 being supremely happy:
Humour 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Meaning & Purpose 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Family & Friends 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Body Image 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Leisure Time 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
What would you like to change? What do you need to change?
Write down 3 goals for yourself for the next 1-3 years.
Write down your 3 most valuable traits.
Write down 3 things you would like to change.
Write down 3 things you can commit to do everyday to support you finding more happiness.
Then, in celebration of you, call those powerful woman friends, or find some new ones, and share your commitment to finding more happiness! What I’ve discovered is that my woman friends listen, they have insight and inspiration, they are my guides and mentors, and I am so deeply grateful for these woman in my life.
I’m celebrating the divine feminine in all of you. Keep sharing your magic, keep loving the world and keep finding more happiness.
Biggest love,
Denise
P.S. Hope you enjoy one of my favorite poems…
Imagine a Woman
by Patricia Lynn Reilly
Imagine a woman who believes it is right and good she is a woman.
A woman who honors her experience and tells her stories.
Who refuses to carry the sins of others within her body and life.
Imagine a woman who trusts and respects herself.
A woman who listens to her needs and desires.
Who meets them with tenderness and grace.
Imagine a woman who acknowledges the past’s influence on the present.
A woman who has walked through her past.
Who has healed into the present.
Imagine a woman who authors her own life.
A woman who exerts, initiates, and moves on her own behalf.
Who refuses to surrender except to her truest self and wisest voice.
Imagine a woman who names her own gods.
A woman who imagines the divine in her image and likeness.
Who designs a personal spirituality to inform her daily life.
Imagine a woman in love with her own body.
A woman who believes her body is enough, just as it is.
Who celebrates its rhythms and cycles as an exquisite resource.
Imagine a woman who honors the body of the Goddess in her changing body.
A woman who celebrates the accumulation of her years and her wisdom.
Who refuses to use her life-energy disguising the changes in her body and life.
Imagine a woman who values the women in her life.
A woman who sits in circles of women.
Who is reminded of the truth about herself when she forgets.
Imagine yourself as this woman.