Blog Reflections and Plans for 2018

Well, I am back!  It has been a busy week with family and festivities and I do hope all of you had a great time over the holidays. I have been enjoying Christmas through the eyes of my grandchildren.   Now, though, it is time for a new year to begin.  Usually, this means reflection and looking forward.

Let me begin by saying how much I still love to read books…the kind you hold in your hand and occasionally write in, highlight, and book mark.  With that thought in mind, I want to say  2018 is a year I would like to book mark…turn the corner of the page down and remember.

Why would I say that at the beginning of the year and not at the end?  Because, this is the year I will turn 65.  It has been 15 years since I experienced my wakeup call at age 50.  Fifteen years since I completely reinvented my life and started again with a new look outside, and a new attitude inside.  (If you would like to read most of the story and have not, then just follow me in email and you will receive the PDF of my Reinvented Style).

I would love to say that every decision of the last fifteen years has been a success, but I think I will always be a work in progress and always be learning something new.   So, for 2018, I will share with you what I believe I have done right in the last 15 years, and what misakes I have made and hope to correct going forward.  I also will continue to share with you what new things I discover which will help all of us in our journey through the second half of life.

Because a few of you have asked for it, I will bring back I MATTER posts one day a week.  My whole blog has always existed to encourage and inspire you to believe you matter and should place yourself at the top of your priority list.  However, I received emails when I re-designed the blog this past year asking for the posts with “the sign” to return.  Apparently, that little reminder has helped and I am happy to bring it back.  I also was asked to write more often about the Foundational Five Style Concept I developed at the beginning of my reinvention journey.  So I will do that post soon.

Also, one of the popular themes from the past was WOULD YOU WEAR IT?  I find looks around the world of retail and ask the readers if they would wear it and explain why or why not…this is a way we learn from each other.   I plan on keeping the Monthly Style tip on the first Friday of each month, so look for the January tip coming up this week.

Those are the foundations from the past I want to bring back, but I also want to continue to grow and bring new ideas.  I have tried every year to get back into videos, but it is so time consuming that it is difficult; however, I still want to try and would love to start a podcast.  I am still editing two magazines for my day job, so the blog is something I do in my “free” time; however, it is very important to me to keep it going and growing.  I am asked often why I have not changed the name of the blog to reflect my journey into the sixties.  Two reasons…one is a marketing/branding answer because I have spent money and time promoting my name.  The second answer is that when we age past fifty then we are all “over 50” no matter whether it is 51 or 101.  The phrase “feeling 40” represents an attitude to live over fifty feeling our youthful best.

Moving to WordPress with a new design, was a commitment I made to myself and to you that I am here for the long haul and hope to keep bringing you…

Encouragement… to live each day to its fullest, and look and feel your best every day.

Inspiration…to find fascination with this second half of life and be inspired to live with JOY.

Education…to keep learning and discovering new things about the world around us and ways to improve our own lives.

Life is short…let’s have fun…2018 here we come…fifteen years and smiling on!

So tell us, do you have any plans or resolutions for 2018, and are there topics you would like to see discussed here??  Thank you so, so much for being here…you are more than readers to me, you are friends.

Linking with VISIBLE MONDAY.

42 Comments

  1. I turned 65 last year and was able retire from a job that was not bringing me joy any longer. I have always volunteered because I get so much more than I give and have increased my volunteer commitments. I meet wonderful people and it keeps my mind active.
    I really need to work on style and have always admired how you changed.
    Thank you for continuing your blog!

  2. Thank you for being here, Maggie. I am envious of your retirement and look forward to the day I can be at home and volunteer more…for now, my busy life keeps me young and my mind active, so I am choosing to rejoice that at my age I can continue to make a contribution which brings a paycheck. Thanks for the comment and Happy New Year! Let me know if there is ever anything you would like to see discussed.

  3. I also turned 65 last year and continue to work. I work with children and just find begin around them keeps me young and definitely entertained. But the real driving force that keeps me working is the health insurance. I have great health benefits.
    After a lot of soul searching I have come to the conclusion that I really do need to focus more on myself and not so much on others. I have spent the last 40 years focused on family and am finding as we all get older, I am not the priority in their lives. A tough realization to accept , but there it is. So in 2018 I am going to try to put the focus on me! Not in a selfish way, but work on getting myself in better physical shape, pursing some interests I have pushed to the side and just having fun! I want to do something just for me every week or so. I never get manicures or massages or anything just for me. I never wanted to spend the money. But you’re right! I matter and I’m worth it! That’s going to be my resolution for the new year….Happy New Year to all!

  4. Thank you for the reflection on the past 15 years and the preview of 2018. I look forward to reading your new posts. Happy New Year and may it be enriching for us mentally, physically, and spiritually.

  5. And I am so proud to call you may friend, Jennifer. I learn from your blog every day! Let’s have some fun this year!

  6. You go, Linda Ann! I agree it is sobering when we realize we are no longer the focus in our children’s lives and have new boundries to deal with in respect to grandchildren even. It is past time for you to care for you and I look forward to making this journey through 2018 with you!

  7. Happy New Year, Pam! I love your blog. Not only are the style tips usually pertinent to me but also the love and inspiration you convey are ever so enriching. I just turned 67, so I know how you feel. Just know that life continues to get better with every passing year.
    Take care and all the best.

  8. Hi Pam,
    I really love reading your blog updates, and would love to receive the PDF of your Reinvented Style.
    Happy 2018!!
    Bernie

  9. Hi Bernie, Thank you so much…just sign up on the front page where it says to subscribe through email and you will get it!
    Happy New Year!

  10. Thanks so much, Katie. I agree with you, so far each year has been better…even when there are challenges. Thanks for the encouragement.

  11. I do so enjoy your thoughts and appreciate the encouragement
    To do more and be more. This is a time when I need to push myself to take more action in self care on every level. Why is it so much easier to take care of other
    people rather than ourselves? I look forward to reading how you
    transformed your life. Thanks for letting us be a part of your continued blossoming.

  12. So glad you are joining us, Joan. It took a wake up call for me to see I had let go of me…and recently, I went through another wake up moment which I will write about soon. I am happy to share all that I am experiencing in hopes it will help others. Thanks for your comment.

  13. Pam: I read your blog and I wonder. And wonder. And debate. I have been very reluctant to talk about age. I think (but not sure!) that my readers know I am well past real retirement age. But maybe they don’t know that, as I am running my own business, once again. I just turned 70. It was the most difficult birthday I have ever had (and I love birthdays!) There is just something about that number. And yet…and yet… I feel 40. I am very healthy, active, wear a size 6 just as my daughter does, practice excellent skin care (which includes injections; yes, they are fabulous), travel etc etc. But still……it’s hard, very hard to say that number. So my huge debate, which is ongoing, is whether to speak about it on the blog. You are such an encouragement, but I’m still not quite there! So, thank you and Happy New Year!

  14. Hi Libby, the reason I do speak about it so often is because it is a huge part of my reinvention journey and story. But I do not feel my age at all…in fact, I do still feel forty! I don’t know how I will feel when I turn 70, but I hope it is still the same. Thanks for stopping by and commenting…I hope your 70th year is full of joy, laughter, and fun! Keep on doing what you are doing…sounds like it’s all working well.

  15. Pam, Happy New Year to you and thank you for your blog. It’s nice to know that there are many of us ‘of a certain age’ still interested in living a vibrant life and making a difference in the world around us. Your willingness to share your experiences enriches is all.

  16. Happy New Year, Pamela. I look forward to your posts in 2018. You are an inspiration, and welcome to age 65! (I turned 65 last July–Medicare and all that). I always thought you were younger!

  17. Age is just a number. Everyone here is only as old as she feels. Born in 1944, I’m also 40 this year!

  18. Pamela,
    I’m fairly new to your blog, but have enjoyed it quite a bit. I also thought you were younger.
    I just turned 58 and am looking to retire in a couple of years from my current profession.
    I’d like to hear more about second careers and life after first retirements. I want 2018 to be a year of exploration to consider options after retiring.
    Best wishes to you in 2018. Keep up the great work!

  19. Thank you, Jackie. So glad you are joining us. I went from professional life to sixteen years of teaching high school journalism to now editing two magazines. I was hired as an editor at age 62…so it is possible to begin again. I will write more later, but happy to have you here!

  20. Happy New Year, Pamela! I have been following you for a year or so and just love your blog. It has been such a joy to be able to come to a place online that is both informative and helpful while also being kind, inspiring, uplifting and thoughtful. You should be very proud of creating such a space. Thank you and I look forward to reading your posts in the New Year!

  21. Happy New Year my dear Pam. I am glad to see you moving forward with your blog. I am still writing but enjoying teaching social media more and my schedule is filling up for 2018. Happy New Year!

  22. Glad to see you are finding your niche as Delaware’s top blogger, Antionette. Thank you for stopping by and I wish you a very joyful and successful New Year!

  23. I love the clothes you are wearing in this blog. I have temporarily grounded myself from Chico’s, a Talbots and Soft Surroundings, but that red shawl with the loop you are wearing on January 1 is very tempting. I always end up fiddling with a wrap or shawl and what a great idea to add a loop.

    I’m an over planner and your January 1 message was good advice for me.

  24. I am glad the tips are good ones for you, Nina. The “loop” is actually a necklace, separate from the wrap. But both are Chicos. Thanks for stopping by!

  25. Thanks so much, Rebecca. I have an awesome web designer! Here is hoping we both have a special number 65!!

  26. I was referring to a wrap shown at the bottom the blog. I was mistaken that it from Chico’s. It’s from Soft Surroundings. Loop is stitching to the wrap.

  27. I too am turning 65 this year and am so happy I found your website. I love the ideas and stylish designs you share with us. This is a new chapter in all our lives to remember to put ourselves back on track they way we did before husbands, children and careers.

  28. Thanks Elaine…they were both back last week and it seems more were happy to see them. I want to listen to the readers and bring what you want. I appreciate you being here so much.

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