SMART Living 365

Ideas to create a more happy, peaceful and rewarding life--365!

10 Reasons Why Rightsizing Is The Perfect Path To A Happy Retirement

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Filed under: Aware, Rightsized, Sustainable

Rightsizing * A SMART Living Guide To Reinventing RetirementA big topic in my age group is retirement. About half of my friends are looking forward to it while the other half are already there. As for Thom and I, we see ourselves standing with a foot on both sides. We aren’t retired, but neither are we chained to our work. What makes us different from others hoping to retire soon is that we’ve embraced what I call rightsizing. Rightsizing is a process that any of us can do to come into greater alignment with our most cherished values and goals. On a practical level, rightsizing points to actions we can make at any age that will help before, and especially after, a person retires.

In case you are wondering, I am not a financial advisor. Most retirement “planning” comes from people who would like to manage your finances. That approach tends to put the focus on how much money you make, how much money saved, and how much you need in the future to maintain your current lifestyle. Rightsizing, on the other end, downplays money and instead puts the focus on what is most rewarding in your life.
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What Did You Make Up Your Mind About Today?

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Filed under: Aware, Rightsized

My husband Thom had a rather cantankerous relationship with his mother.  Bert, short for Roberta, had a very strong need for approval, especially from others. That led her to working every day to make Thom the perfect child. Unfortunately, the more she tried, the more rebellious he became. But even then, something she did do for him was to plant an extremely powerful seed in his mind. Ironically, rather than tell him directly, he overheard her saying it to a neighbor. That seed, that statement was, “Thom can do anything he sets his mind to.” Not only did that seed sprout and take root, it’s been a guiding principal in his life. And I’d bet, when you think about it, most of us live our entire lives based upon what we’ve set our mind to be, do, or have. Regrettably, many of us ignore the power of that set point as well as our ability to adjust it in a positive way by design. [Read more…]

New Evidence That Planning and Goal Setting Are Keys To Positive Aging

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Filed under: Aware, Rightsized

SMART Living 365.comLike most people my age I am increasingly interested in what leads to aging well and happy. I am also keenly aware of how different that is from many of the conversations my parents had in later years. Rather than go through a depressing list of “organ – recitals” that often characterized our parents and their friends, the new emerging conversation about positive aging is leading in exciting and interesting directions every day. One recent study from the Netherlands combines the idea of healthy aging to people’s hopes, plans, and wishes for their future. Could it be that having goals and planning for certain experiences can make us happier and more satisfied as we age? This particular study says yes. [Read more…]

Please Be Responsible For The Energy You Take With You Wherever You Go

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Filed under: Aware, Rightsized

SMART Living 365.comI’m the sort of person that if you invite me to dinner I will always ask what I can bring. I firmly believe that doing things together makes just about anything more easy and fun for everyone involved. But this morning I received a great reminder while being taken on my two-mile walk by my dog Kloe. As usual, I was listening to an inspiring talk by Abraham-Hicks and she clearly reminded me that everywhere we go and with everything we do—we take our energy (or as Abraham-Hicks calls it, we take our vibration) with us. Whether invited to a party, talking on the phone, or putting posts on Facebook, we are all sharing our energy and vibration with everyone we encounter. So, are we bringing our Wholeness, wisdom, and clarity—or are we bringing our worry, fear, and pain? For those of us who believe we want to be a positive force in the world, maybe it’s time to claim full responsibility for everything we bring to the table. [Read more…]

A SMART And Rightsized View Of Real Estate Ownership

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Filed under: Aware, Rightsized

My husband Thom and I have been real estate brokers and investors for over 35 years. And while I’ve been mainly writing about the subject for most of those years, Thom has actively been a specialized commercial broker. Even better, we’ve used our knowledge and background to manage our own purchases and investments. Then about seven years ago we began switching our thoughts about real estate ownership; what it means and what it can do. That’s when we started gradually rightsizing our lives.   Lately, it occurred to me that while I often take what we’ve learned through the years for granted, it might benefit others to see it through our eyes. In fact, in many ways real estate is a perfect mirror for a rightsized life. [Read more…]

10 Reasons Why We Need To Disrupt Aging And Retirement

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Filed under: Aware, Rightsized, SMART Book Reviews, Sustainable

Yesterday I finished reading a new book by Jo Ann Jenkins, the CEO of AARP, called Disrupt Aging—A Bold New Path To Living Your Best Life At Any Age. Not only did it remind me that the prejudice of ageism is alive and well in our country, it suggests that the way we think about aging and retirement is due for a big shift. While I didn’t find the ideas in it as bold as advertised, it did get me thinking about aging and retirement in a few new ways.   I was also reminded that the only way such a disruption can ever occur is when enough of us begin to see, think and talk about new and positive ways we can all approach aging in the days to come. [Read more…]

Five Reasons Why Home Exchanging Can Be A SMART Way To Travel

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Filed under: Aware, Rightsized

Thom and I in front of the main square and Parroquia Church in San Miguel de Allende

 

During the last couple of weeks my husband Thom and I visited San Miguel de Allende, MX. This location captured our interest several years ago, especially after learning that this small beautiful city boasts a nearly perfect year-round temperature, warmly welcomes American visitors, and offers flights at very low costs. As with most trips, we prefer to stay in apartments or homes in order to more fully experience any location. This year we tried something completely new—a home exchange. In other words, we offered our home here in southern California in exchange to stay in another owner’s home in San Miguel de Allende. Two weeks later, we are back to share what we learned from it and why we believe home exchanging is a SMART way to travel. [Read more…]

Rightsizing Your Brain Clutter

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Filed under: Aware, Rightsized

brain clutterThom and I are still away enjoying some “rightsized” travel.   This week I  invited another blogger friend named Nora Hall to share some of her SMART ideas on rightsizing and retirement.  Nora lives on the east coast and regularly writes about relationships and retirement with warm-hearted humor and encouragement.  Please enjoy Nora’s thoughts on rightsizing our brain clutter.

I first “met” Kathy Gottberg in 2015 when I read her blog, “Letting Go of the Clutter in Your Mind.” I found it here and continued reading about Rightsizing on her blog.  I was hooked! Her comments made tremendous sense to me and for my audience. I found her wisdom to be especially true when it comes to Rightsizing Your Brain Clutter.

Although Kathy’s thoughts on Rightsizing apply to people of all ages, I focus on individuals who are, or will soon be, retired. That said, letting go of the clutter in our minds apply for all of us regardless of our age. [Read more…]

This is Why Goal Setting Really Matters

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Filed under: Aware, Rightsized

Thom and I are traveling this week so I invited one of my blogger friends named Susan Mary Malone to share some of her SMART ideas with all of us.   Susan lives near Fort Worth, TX and since I found her blog a couple of years ago I am one of her biggest fans.  Not only are her ideas practical and relevant, they are also thought-provoking.  Please enjoy Susan’s thoughts on goal setting and why they matter.

 

I’m starting to hear from a lot of folks who made New Year’s Resolutions, and how they have already gone by the wayside.

Don’t you just hate when that happens?

I’m not into the usual sorts of resolutions. Chiefly because, well, they don’t work. Statistics show that 45% of Americans usually make New Year’s Resolutions. And only 8% are successful in achieving them.

Have you noticed that too? Most of us learned this for ourselves a good while back. I’m thinking the 45% of folks still making them are young. [Read more…]

Going Beyond Trauma And Pain To Reveal Post Traumatic Growth (PTG)

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Filed under: Aware, Rightsized

Most of us are familiar with the idea that trauma, especially extreme trauma like war, rape or life-threatening illness, can lead to a condition called PTSD (post traumatic stress syndrome.) But what many might not realize is that many people who have experienced those extreme tragedies not only learn to cope and adapt but actually manage to thrive. Called Post Traumatic Growth (PTG) these resilient people appear to be both “antifragile” and “stress inoculated.”   Best of all, this mindset allows them to do better than “bounce back” from whatever trauma they have experienced, but rather to “bounce forward” in strong and meaningful ways.

It occurred to me the other day that many people I know are experiencing a certain degree of PTSD during the last several months. Perhaps the SMARTest thing any of us can do would be to cultivate the possibility of PTG into our everyday lives so that we adjust, learn and create something new and better in the days ahead. [Read more…]