I wrote a book as a way to explore the map of reinvention. Do you want to explore new directions? Is it scary? Of course. But why not try? Dream, examine patterns, be open to magic. Your anxiety can be tamed. As you lean into this exciting path, you can and will succeed. Why not feel new energy and aliveness?
I wrote the book and then I did what I wrote. A shaman in Ecuador said: “This is a good book. Have people pick a number between 2 and 209 (number of pages in the book) and that is their question to explore.” I often do this with people and get magical results.
Reinvent Now
I know you might not think you can reinvent your life, but you can if you say so. I wrote Creating Magic in Midlife: 101 Questions and Answers to help others but I actually did what I wrote about. From 2006 until now I have lived reinvented magic life.
After I left Santa Barbara as a successful psychotherapist specializing in trauma, the magic followed me. After 10 years in South America, I moved to Oaxaca, Mexico, then during the Covid-19 pandemic left for Dublin, Ireland, where I started a new chapter, a Master’s in creative writing.
People often say I am an inspiration. I want to share with you what helped me.
Doing Things That Felt Right, One Step at a Time
First, I went to a beautiful city of 14 million vibrant people. I lived for two years in Buenos Aires as an expat, learned to dance tango (it takes a lifetime, they say) and started to learn Spanish (Como estas? and donde estas? with my New York accent). I started to feel like living each day could be fun. Yes, the life of an expat is very challenging, and I will share more about that in the future. A few of us English speakers started a writing group that I attended weekly which offered support and friends.
After Buenos Aires, I moved to Cuenca, Ecuador, and immersed in the indigenous culture leaning into natural healing and how to live a sustainable lifestyle. Ecuadorians actually fix things instead of always buying new. They work hard and live their lives in harmony with nature. What a concept! Later on, I realized I was detoxing from consumerism and privilege. And I was becoming much happier than I had ever been.
In Dublin, I lived in a tiny house where I could walk everywhere (gave up the car culture for environmental and because I love to walk). My neighbours were friendly, and the city was full of culture. As a writer, I call it the candy store for writers.
Two Suggestions
Dream Your Future
You can use the question I use with clients: If you could have anything you want, what would your life look like? This means anything regardless of money, age, or any realities of your current life. It’s only a vision. You don’t need to do anything about it.
Start Looking for the People, Places and Things That Give You Energy
This is meant to be research. Again, you don’t need to do anything about what you are learning. My position is that motivation comes after taking seriously where we feel most alive.
In future posts, I will share more from my book, more stories and tips on how to explore more of your own dreams and also make less of my mistakes.
Take a few actions and feel your energy rise. Follow me here and please comment so we can have intriguing conversations!
Also read, Reinventing Yourself After 60 Starts with These 4 Questions.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
How does reinvention sound to you? Scary or exciting? If you have started your own reinvention, what does it look like? Is it how you envisioned it, or does it look different now?
