As women, we spend a tremendous amount of time being all things to all people, giving and doing; often in ways that neglect our own emotional and physical needs. One day we wake up and find ourselves depleted and burned out — struggling with brain fog, restless sleep, weight gain, lack of energy, mood swings, and wondering where the joy went. I know because I have been there. 

I endured a decade of soul-sucking stress that felt like everything that could go wrong did. My mother passed away after a long battle with breast cancer. Two years later, my father died from Alzheimer’s disease. There were ongoing financial and emotional challenges in my marriage that created a constant undercurrent of stress. The last kid went off to college, bittersweet and heart-wrenching, and then my beloved dog died. A year later, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

My once vibrant, busy life turned into days of going through the motions. I was drinking too much coffee and wine and not enough water and green tea. There were too many carbs and sugars and not enough vegetables and exercise. Sleep was non-existent. Stress was omnipresent.

And then I got to the end of my rope. The rope was long, and then there was no more rope. There were things within my control; little, everyday things could positively impact me and create momentum. I didn’t just want to feel better; I wanted to BE better — genuinely alive, connected to my life, and crazy passionate about every day.

I focused on the power of food to heal my body; I paid attention to how my thoughts influenced my feelings and relationships.

I was careful to spend time with people who were positive and supportive. Exercise became non-negotiable, and I made a very conscious decision to let go of things that were blocking the flow of happiness and abundance in my life.

Years of busy living take a toll. Our routines become everyone else’s to-do lists, and we can lose touch with the physical, emotional, and spiritual self with whom we identify most. We have been the super fixers, magic makers, cheerleaders, and team builders for everyone — but ourselves.

The middle years can be a time to recalibrate, turn our energy and passion around and embrace the possibilities for us in the years ahead. It’s our turn, and now is the time to snatch our lives from the jaws of mediocrity.

Everything becomes possible by committing to positive change and aligning our actions with our big-picture goals.

We can choose to have a high quality of life — and that starts with our habits. If we control the things we do mindlessly, it changes everything. Suddenly we have a starting point for something so much more significant—a life in alignment.

There is NO room in our lives for willful ignorance, making excuses, and hanging on to behaviors that do not serve us. Stuff happens, life gets complicated, and things don’t always turn out like we hoped and planned. But we always have the power to decide to change the way we travel through our own lives. We can proactively choose to write our story as it should be and use what we can control to make that happen.