Sense-of-Adventure-After-50

There are a few myths about aging circulating out there, and here’s one of them: aging makes you less adventurous and less creative.

This is so not true. Let’s quickly debunk with these impressive women who hit their adventurous and creative strides well past their 6th decade:

  • Gladys Burrill is a cancer survivor who ran her first marathon at age 86 and became famous after finishing the Honolulu Marathon at age 92.
  • Author Laura Ingalls Wilder started writing at 43, and at age 65 she published Little House in the Big Woods, a series she continued until she was age 76.
  • Folk artist Anna Mary Robertson “Grandma Moses” began painting at age 78, had her first art show at age 80 in 1940, and painted until age 101.

And here’s some inspiration from someone who’s not as famous – Sherrill is a 72-year-old woman who sold all her possessions and packed up her house to travel the world. What started as a camping excursion turned into 10 years of globetrotting.

Want to make your sense of adventure and creativity come alive? Broken into two parts (to make it more digestible and achievable), here’s a step-by-step guide on how to embark on your journey:

Find Clarity

Being crystal clear on what matters to you can help tremendously when it comes to realizing your sense of adventure and creativity. While we all have a glamorized idea of what we think we want, the reality is, it takes a lot of work to simply define our truly authentic goals.

And chances are, it takes even more work to achieve them. Like anything challenging and truly gratifying in life, chasing your goals and dreams takes real work and endurance.

So, if your activities align with your core values – which are a focal point when finding clarity – you’ll be more likely to withstand any setbacks in the long-run as you work toward your goals and nurture your sense of adventure and creativity.

Self-reflection is a foundational step that most people miss when trying to figure out what activities they want to partake in, especially for the long-term. And while most people search far and wide, authentic clarity comes from within.

For women over 50, this step is especially important because they tend to live a life of duty. And as life gets in the way, your original life goals and desires that you had when you were younger can oftentimes end up locked up in a hope chest.

So, before you set off to try a wide variety of hobbies, activities and experiences, do some deep digging to uncover your authentic core values and desires.

Questions to Help You Find Clarity

Pulled from the 12 Weeks to a Rewired Retirement course, here are some questions to help you get started in finding clarity. Challenge yourself to think differently from your typical life routine. Ask yourself and dream big:

  • What would you do if you had more courage and no fear or uncertainty standing in your way?
  • What have you had to lock away in a hope chest because life got in the way?
  • What’s one thing you want to experience, accomplish or do in life so that you have no regrets?
  • What have you always wanted to learn? What are you curious about?
  • What three core values do you want people to envision when they think of you?
  • In just three words, what’s your philosophy for living?

There’s so much more to finding clarity. The key is to be diligent and patient with your self-reflection and brainstorming process. It’s a critical and foundational step.

Research Your Options

Once you’ve done this self-reflection and have your new sense of clarity, you’re ready to see what’s out there. Researching your options is so much simpler once you know exactly what you’re looking for.

From your list of brainstormed ideas, you’re now able to search with intent for opportunities that you can join.

You can start your search online, since the internet is a beast when it comes to finding resources. Then, as you explore offline options, brainstorm with like-minded people about where and how to engage in your new venture.

The key is in creating new experiences for yourself, which starts with engaging with new people who share your same core values and sense of adventure and creativity.

Adopt a Growth Mindset

Before you set off on your new venture, another important step is to adopt a growth mindset. When you create any new experience for yourself, it can not only feel awkward and strange, but it can most certainly come with its set of challenges.

Of course, you’re not used to doing things that put you out of your comfort zone and may have the inkling to stop or second guess yourself. And that’s ok. Out of your comfort zone is where all the good stuff happens.

The secret to having a growth mindset is to embrace challenge. Look forward to failures, setbacks and pain points, and learn the skill of learning. Then stop seeking approval.

By understanding this is all part of the process, and by appreciating the process, you’ll not only be more likely to grow as an adventurous and creative person, but you’ll also create lifelong learning and new fulfilling experiences for yourself in the long-term.

How will you awaken your sense of adventure and creativity? What ideas come to mind as you brainstorm and self-reflect to find your clarity? Let’s have a chat and get creative!