I don’t know about you, but lately I find myself frustrated with technology to the point of finally laughing out loud and throwing up my hands saying, “What’s next!?!” It’s been a slew of things lately: my phone has been saying for weeks that it will be doing an update overnight only to tell me in the morning that the update failed.

I have received three erroneous emails from banks or financial institutions only to find out when I called that they had a computer glitch and the messages were sent in error. My laptop or iPad starts acting up by freezing, spiraling in a non-responding way for minutes on end, or my watch freezes in zoom mode so I can’t read anything on it.

Then you know the drill, you shut it off to turn it all back on again and voila! All is right in the world again. Truly, technology IS great… when it works!

Bring It On!

What if instead of allowing our brain to jump to a maddening “What’s next !?!” question, we intentionally, with positivity, focus on saying to ourselves “Next!”

Granted, it won’t be an immediate thought as we will still have to plow through whatever the situation is at the moment to get to the resolution. But throwing down the gauntlet and shifting our mindset to recognize the success and look forward to our “Next!” adventure might be a better approach… almost like saying “bring it on!”

The Right Attitude

Now that we are older and wiser, a “Next!” attitude might be just the approach we need to make the most of whatever we still want life to look like. Ask yourself, “I conquered that (no matter how big or small), now what do I want next?” Wasn’t it Oprah that once reminded her audience that you become what you believe? So, start visioning what you DO want to happen “Next!”

Write It Down

Our visions become 40% more effective if we write them down. Annually, I find a group (because I enjoy the synergy of being with other women) to create a Vision Board. Have you created a Vision Board?

Initially, I went to a workshop. Then I incorporated that activity into my Widow and Women’s workshops that I was hosting. Then Covid came into our lives, and I even enjoyed creating one in a Zoom workshop I attended! I’m headed to a live gathering with a small group of other women business owners this week to create my next one.

What’s Your Vision?

Vision Board creation is, to me, the ultimate coming together of the right and left side of the brain. As you find pictures, designs, photos, etc. in the creation of your board, your right brain starts stitching a vision together. And as you write or cut out words/quotes, your left brain is also engaged.

The more you can engage your entire brain using more senses, the better. Maybe you have music on, light a candle or use essential oils, and sip a favorite beverage. You are literally stimulating electrical signals in every cell in your body on their way to the brain. How can your brain NOT begin to figure out and help your vision come to fruition?

Happiness Is…

I recently read a summary of the book The Four-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss. Everyone takes away different messages from the same book or movie. That’s because we are all at different points in our lives when we read/watch it. My main “aha” was his definition of happiness. Happiness is whatever excites you along with the freedom and free time to do it. I agree with that.

So, what do you vision your 60+-year-old self getting excited about? Whether or not you put that on a Vision Board, write it down. Then begin your “Next!” approach.

Maybe you want to travel more because new nature experiences and meeting new cultures/people along the way excite you. Put a date on the calendar that you want to go. “Next!” begin researching the details about where, sites to see, living arrangements there, etc. “Next!” explore whom you will go with. “Next!’ open your mind to your “Next!” trip!

Don’t Forget to Plan!

I’m laughing to myself as I’m writing this example about travel because putting a trip on the calendar is also my advice to women who need to get updates or documents drafted for estate planning purposes. I tell them, not jokingly, to book a trip on the calendar.

That will trigger the brain to start thinking about “What if something happens to me on the trip? I better get my Powers of Attorney and estate planning documents in place before I go!” No wonder May and June are the most popular months for drafting estate planning documents (before summer travel/vacation season)!

My “Next!” thinking has really started to blossom as I have realized how important my role as a grandmother is to me. Visiting individual families, partial or full family group vacations, holiday weekend visits, and even Mimi & Papa Camp have all become ongoing activities that excite me. Especially since they also include travel (another excite me activity)!

Enjoying Your Role

I tend to write down impressive information that I hear or read (though I am admittedly bad about also writing down the source). Earlier this year, I am pretty sure it was some fairly recent research, I wrote down some findings about grandparenting.

This is what it said, and I’m paraphrasing: evidence shows that children have better academic, physical, social, and behavioral health when the grandmother is actively involved in their lives. That really affirmed my excitement for enjoying my grandmother role.

What’s your “Next!” vision that excites you? Whatever it is, I encourage you to get your financial house in order as well so you can keep visioning your “Next!” excitements in life with the peace of mind that you have also taken care of the “Next!” steps for your family.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What excites you in this 60+ time of life? Any tips, experiences, or lessons learned to share with our community? What, in your opinion, is happiness?