The midlife experience for women might be described as "Life Reinvention 101." We've come through the first half of our lives having done what we've done, learned what we've learned, and been who we've been. We understand it is up to us, to a large degree, what the second half of our lives will be. We might redefine in huge broad strokes, or we might simply fine tune. But there is a sense of urgency. Barbara Scher captures it in the title to her ovular (not seminal!) book about creating the second half of life: "It's Only Too Late If You Don't Start Now."

One of the ways to "start now" is to kindle the sparks of your vision. Whatever dream you see for yourself, nurture it. Allow yourself to move in that direction. If it isn't right for you, you will know it. As you move forward, more of your vision will come clear. Taking action will result in your greater clarity about what's for you.

You may have only inklings and inclinations right now -- that's fine! Honor yourself by nurturing them. Feel inclined to take a comparative spirituality course? Do it! Curious about Tai Chi? Try it! Psyched to learn how to cook with kale? Borrow a good cook book.

Or you may have a great deal more than inklings. You may know you want to start a foundation or a theater troupe. You may know you need to work on solving the world hunger problem. You may know you have to live at the ocean now.

Wherever you are in your own process of nurturing your vision, consider these suggestions as ways to support you in your process.

1. Create a visual expression of the dream and place it where you can see it daily. Part of my vision for myself is to further develop my work as a coach, writer, and speaker and to reach a greater level of prosperity through it. My own coach gave me a beautiful bamboo plant, a symbol of prosperity. Seeing this lush, beautiful bamboo in my office every day keeps the spark of that dream glowing for me, and inspires me. The bamboo also reminds me that my coach is holding my vision with me; I feel supported. What is your dream? How can you create a visual expression of it?

2. Declare your intention. Say it out loud several times a day, for yourself, in the form of an affirmation. Speak it to your friends. Making a declaration is itself an action that can be very powerful. Be open to the ideas that come into your mind when you declare your intention. You may tap into intuitive information you would be wise to act on. Trust yourself to know.

3. Protect your dream; it is a fragile organism when it's new. Just as you would protect a newborn baby from danger and harm, or a tulip shoot just peeking out from the soil -- protect your vision from harm. Do not expose it to the kind of people my daughters call "dreamkillers." You know who I mean. When you say "I'm training for the AIDS Ride, they say, "Isn't it a lot of work to raise all that money?" When you say, "I'm cutting back my hours at the office so I can spend more time painting," they say, "Aren't you afraid they'll find someone full time to replace you?" It's better not to declare your vision to people like this, certainly not at this stage in the life of your dream. Share it with people who are likely to say things like, "Great!" or "How can I support you in that?" or "I can totally see you doing that. What a great idea!"

4. Keep moving! Stay in action, taking steps toward your vision. The steps can be as small as looking up a website, or as large as...? What's important is that you stay in action. Each next step you take will bring you to a new location where you can see a landscape you couldn't see before you took the step. There is new information for you here, feedback for you to process. Let it in and let it inform your next step.

The sparks of your vision can lead to the roaring flames of a great new adventure. Trust the process and have faith in yourself. Enjoy your journey!

If you're considering hiring a coach to help you on your journey, contact me for an initial consultation at no charge.

Copyright 2003 Sharon Teitelbaum. All rights reserved.

Sharon Teitelbaum, http://www.stcoach.com, a Work-Life and Career Coach, works with high achieving women with young children, people at mid-career, and professionals seeking greater career satisfaction and work-life balance. She coaches by phone and in person in Boston. Her newsletter, Strategies For Change, offers practical tips for work-life success.

Getting Unstuck Without Coming Unglued: Restoring Work-Life Balance, Sharon's first book, was published in 2005.

A motivational speaker, Sharon also also delivers keynotes & workshops on work-life issues. Clients include Children’s Hospital Boston, SunLife Financial, Arnold Worldwide, and many parent and alumni groups. She's been featured in national publications including The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, and Working Mother Magazine.

Married for 30 years, she is the mother of two amazing young women.

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