Have you fallen into a style rut, of late? Do you no longer feel confident about how you look or how you present yourself to the world?

Let’s change that right now. Here are six tips for embracing your gorgeous after-60 styles – updating as needed – and, most importantly, reclaiming your confidence as a visible, vibrant woman after 60.

Style After 60 Isn’t Just About Clothes: Consider Changing Your Hair

It’s said that a woman who changes her hair is about to change her life. After 60, it’s easy to fall into a rut. However, there is an easy way to break out of that rut and renew your sense of confidence.

Get a great new haircut. What do you have to lose? It’s just hair. It grows back. (Perhaps a little slower than it used to, but it will grow back.)

Smile and Feel Great About It

Having a positive attitude is a great way to renew one’s sense of joy. When you smile, what do you show the world?

Take great care of your teeth. Whiten them. There are many options on the market to whiten teeth from budget to blow the bank. What’s in your budget?

More importantly, studies have shown that just the act of smiling, even if you’re faking it, helps lift one’s mood. Even better? Smile and show those pearly whites. (Check out my tips for getting – and staying – happy. Hint: It takes work!)

A post shared by Honey Good (@_honeygood) on Jun 21, 2017 at 4:38pm PDT

Find Your Purpose

The best way to look gorgeous and feel great after 60 is, of course, to start within. Beauty is so much more than skin deep. Are you motivated? Are you passionate? Are you entering this stage of your life with vibrancy and visibility?

If not, do something different! Find a purpose, find a passion. Find a reason to glow from the inside out. This is my top beauty tip!

Update Your Wardrobe

Like hair, it’s so easy to get into a style rut. What looked great ten years ago may not look great anymore. Which is not to say, there aren’t classics that are eternally chic.

But even a classic deserves an update – be it via accessories, a new handbag or just a fresh take on how you style your clothes. Head to my Instagram for inspiration; I regularly share pictures of my favorite looks there.

A post shared by Honey Good (@_honeygood) on Mar 17, 2017 at 3:30pm PDT

Focus on the Good

Have you heard the saying that what we focus on grows? It’s essential that you concentrate on the things that you like about yourself, both mentally and physically.

Is your hair stunning? Are your baby blues still attention getters? We all have a few things that dazzle, and those are the things on which we must focus.

I frequently get compliments from all types of people, and I can promise you I am not flawless. My neck? Let’s not even talk about it. My arms? I often wear long sleeves to keep them reasonably covered.

However, none of this affects that I am vibrant and visible and that I truly feel beautiful well after 60. I focus on the things I love about myself, and the things I’m not as fond of, I minimize. No one is perfect, and perfection is boring. I’m flawlessly happy with who I am!

A post shared by Honey Good (@_honeygood) on Jun 16, 2017 at 3:43pm PDT

Just Add Color

Babies are so beautiful, aren’t they? I recall wanting to just devour my delicious grandchildren. Those rosy cheeks. Those pink lips.

They have something many women over 60 are lacking, and that is natural color in their faces. As we mature, we tend to lose color in our skin. Lips are no longer pink, cheeks are no longer rosy. Oh well!

Fix this by using makeup to add pops of color. With the right makeup, we can drastically change our physical appearance. Embrace flattering hues of peach and pink on the apples of your cheeks. Don’t be afraid to opt for a bold lip. Line and fill the brows: After all, they frame your face! Embrace color and be bold.

More than anything, my beauty tip for women over 60 is to let the world see you. Don’t be a shrinking violet! You’re bold, you’re beautiful, you are visible and you are vibrant. You’re no baby, but you are a babe of the wisest, wittiest, most wonderful sort.

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What improvements have you made to your appearance recently? Do you feel like you have fallen into a style rut? Are you confident about how you present yourself to the world? What style after 60 tips can you offer the other women in our community? Please share your thoughts below!

As we age, it’s easy to sit back and leave it to others to make the world around us an interesting place to live. In reality, though, inspiring ourselves and creating our own stimulation can mean the difference between a humdrum existence and a lovely life.

If you’re feeling stuck or bored—or if you just wish you had something new on which to focus—personal challenges just might be the trick.

There are countless ways to get yourself going—everything from push-up challenges to reading a book every week—but here are six different alternatives that might be exactly what you need to break the boredom.

Learn Something New

Whether it’s a new language or a new skill, there’s nothing like challenging your brain to get you going. The Association for Psychological Science says that engaging in an activity that is unfamiliar and mentally challenging can invigorate us mentally and socially.

Taking up photography might be fun because of the beautiful subjects you’re shooting, while learning a new technology can stimulate your brain. Learning to play a musical instrument does the same thing. Sometimes the change itself is what makes the difference.

Travel Alone

Traveling alone doesn’t mean heading out solo into the jungle. Going alone on a weekend trip to a nearby city can also build your confidence and your interest.

You can make all of the arrangements ahead of time, so you don’t have to be intimidated by an unknown city. Using your own wisdom and creativity to make decisions can be good for you.

Taking off on your own gives you plenty of opportunity to reflect on your personal thoughts as well as the world around you. Ironically, traveling alone can also increase your social interactions because you’re more likely to make conversation with other solo travelers.

Last year, I traveled to Paris for a week by myself, and it was wonderful. It was definitely a quieter trip than when I go with friends or family. I loved the long, leisurely walks I took on my own, and the time I had to relax and read in cafés without worrying about someone else’s schedule. A weekend away by yourself can change your whole outlook.

Do Something That Scares You

Fear is relative. For one woman, joining a local choir may sound exciting, but way too scary, while another has always longed to skydive, but doesn’t feel she has the nerve.

Choose something that only your fear is keeping you from doing. Train for that marathon you would love to finish but are afraid to start. Apply for that fellowship that you always dreamed of when you were working but were convinced you could never get.

Try something that makes your knees knock, and you’ll realize you are a much stronger person that you can imagine. There is nothing more empowering than really knowing how much strength we have inside us. Face your fears and do something that scares you.

Have a Long Overdue Conversation

Most of us are waiting for the right time to have that long conversation with the neighbor, husband or sister. It’s the conversation in which you tell them something that really bugs you or some truth you want them to know about you.

It’s not healthy to keep things inside of us, and it’s definitely not good for any relationship to hold onto unspoken truths. What’s surprising is that these conversations usually open up the relationship between you, and they give both parties room to be truthful.

The intimacy of honesty can make a strong relationship even stronger. It’s definitely a challenge to get up the nerve to tell your brother that it bugs you when he never returns your phone calls, but it’s the truth. Why not tell it like it is?

Abandon an Old Story

For many years, whenever a situation was chaotic and unpredictable, I explained my nervousness by reminding people that my family growing up was always on the edge of turmoil.

This story allowed me to be grumpy and anxious if things weren’t going smoothly. The kind people in my adult life nodded supportively and told me everything was going to be fine.

Although this had been true about my childhood, I’m nearly 66 now, and the only living member of my birth family. This is a very old story and one that really has no value today. When I realized this, I began to let it go. Instead of panicking, I allowed myself to relax in the face of disorder.

No one knows what’s going to happen next, but it’s getting easier for me to live with this truth. Part of that is because I let the old story go the way of the past.

Live a Truth You’ve Been Denying

I don’t really like to go to the movies. I don’t like having to find a place to park, being on a schedule and sitting next to people who talk all through the movie. But it took me many years to admit this. Who doesn’t like a great movie in a lovely old theater?

Yet once I could tell the truth about it, no one cared, of course. Netflix has alleviated much of the problem. However, being able to be who I am and feel what I feel has given me confidence and has let me feel stronger about facing any tests that come my way.

Personal challenges are one of the best ways to remember the substance we have inside ourselves. If we’re just going along with the regular daily routine, we forget how strong we are, how creative we can be, and how interesting our lives really are. Find a way to challenge yourself in the next few weeks, and see if you’ll agree with me.

What skills would you love to learn if you knew you couldn’t fail? Where can you imagine yourself traveling alone? What’s a story about your life that is no longer true? Please join the conversation below!

Sometimes it’s hard to venture out when you’ve been isolated from the world for whatever reason. Have fears of Covid contamination made you feel like a kid coming out from under the covers yet?

Taking Care of Business

My husband could fix anything (the only question was when), which is why trying to navigate home repairs is one of the worst parts of being widowed for me. But I had some repairs that could no longer be delayed so I went to the home improvement store.

When I pulled in next to all the growling diesel trucks with custom toolboxes and toppers, I was reminded once again that I was a woman in a man’s world. I felt small before I even got to the entrance.

Going for Safe

Always one to err on the side of safety, I slid the straps of my quilted leopard-print Covid mask around my ears and began practicing my construction-speak on the way in.

I always try to channel my husband when I go to hardware stores, so I don’t ask for “electrical thingies” in that embarrassing way some women do.

At home, I had even used the measuring tape and counted the number of holes in the switch plate (1, 2 or 3! Who knew?) I needed replacement for.

My at-home preparation was worth every minute. The clerk typed in my order, no questions asked, took my money, and then I moved to stand on an X in the delivery area, which is actually where this story starts. Because, you see, I hadn’t been out for over two months.

Leaving Isolation

I found being in the presence of all these people I didn’t know, who had also been isolated for months, disconcerting, disorienting really. I felt the same way after I recovered from hepatitis when I was seven.

Some were wearing masks and some weren’t. Having learned on social media that some couples were cutting each other’s hair, I looked around and, to my horror, realized this was true! Who knew cutting your partner’s hair was the new disco dance?

Waiting on my orange X, feeling like a little a girl in a men’s locker room, worried about who might have the virus, I suddenly realized no one was making eye contact with me.

Learning to Reconnect

We’ve been isolated for so long we’ve almost forgotten how to greet one another. We’re in our own little worlds, sealed up like heads of lettuce in plastic wrap.

The grand reopening of the economy seemed forced and sad, hopeless even. Maybe helpless is a better word. And it is a helplessness I already understand.

For the first few months after my husband died, I didn’t go anywhere. I didn’t want to see other people leading their normal lives.

I didn’t want to see people who had come to the funeral and then had dinner with their spouse and watched TV slumped against each other. I hadn’t slept much or had my hair cut then either and I was an emotional wreck.

Learning to Feel Safe Again

The first job a new widow or divorcee faces is to find safety again. Grief keeps us on guard, socially isolated, and withdrawn. A sense of helplessness is common and to add insult to injury, I’ve noticed that one helpless memory seems to lead to another.

While those of us who are grieving the loss of a loved one are having a hard time, I think Covid has put the whole world into a universal grief.

Grief about those who have died and left their partners to navigate a strange new world, grief about the world’s economy, grief about the loved ones we can’t see, the parties and meals we won’t enjoy together, the events that we won’t be going to this year, and the fears we share.

Holding Each Other in Safety

To combat this feeling of ongoing dread, try creating a heart space where everything is okay; a heart space that is born when you become friends with your grief. No matter what you’ve been through, you’ve been given this day to live.

Make a choice to feel safe in that knowing and to extend that sense of internal safety to everyone you meet. It’s a beautiful thing to offer safety to others in a scary time like this. We’re all in this together and just for today, everything is going to be okay.

Is this pandemic your first time of self-isolation? What fears do you have now that match those of live after marriage? In what way can you offer safety to someone else today? Please share your thoughts below.