Ageless Adventures: Wendy Deacon
Fall is already a beautiful time of year and a time that ushers in change.
But I hope this year you’re viewing it as your best season yet and embracing it as an awesome opportunity and potential catalyst in your life.
A Glimpse Into The Season Of Change:
Looking back, I was already feeling something in my late 40s. I had worked hard and succeeded, I felt happy and life was good. But was there something more? There was a bit of change happening but it took me until age 49 and into my early 50s to truly feel awake and now I’m hooked.
For me, this started on January 1, 2017, long before COVID. I was with my closest friend unexpectedly at a hospital and hearing her physician tell her they had found “some type of mass.” Her situation and the news got significantly worse within the next 24 hours. stage IV ovarian cancer. Wham. Just like that, I was trying to remain strong for my friend while it stopped me in my tracks and started me thinking about my own life. What if this is it for me? What if at age 49 or 56 I didn’t get a chance to get to my bucket list?
“I found many women, like me, who had a significant life event that started them reflecting and reevaluating life.”
I found many women, like me, who had a significant life event (i.e. divorce, job change, etc) that started them reflecting and reevaluating life. COVID then came along and kicked it up a notch and now more than ever, women like us are forging a new path forward. A very different path from the 57-year-old grandma of previous generations.
Committed To Live With More Intention:
I loved my career in healthcare and am so grateful for my personal success, but I was realizing that it was no longer enough. I shifted my priorities and left my job and career, took a year off to travel and write. And then started my company that helped me prioritize my health and happiness.
Although I had always been an active and outdoorsy kind of gal, I increasingly craved getting out there and going after real experiences. Experiences that uplifted my soul and made me feel alive. I no longer would put off visiting the beautiful Hawaiian beaches or snowy glaciers in the travel magazine photos and instead committed to live with more intention, more curiosity, and much more adventure. To stop thinking about a bucket list in the future, and change my focus to finally start setting up and then actually go after my Live-it-Now list…..today.
Today, I’m convinced more than ever, that one of the keys to keeping me physically, mentally, and emotionally feeling (and looking) my best is committing to live with curiosity and adventure. I don’t need more stuff. I absolutely love to try something new and to visit places that inspire me. And I feel most alive when I’m out on that mountain trail in Italy overlooking a turquoise-blue water-colored lake I didn’t know existed. Or, when I am standing under the Northern Lights in complete silence and awe out on the snow in Iceland. Or, when I discover that I giggle like a schoolgirl when I tried off-roading in a 4-wheeler in the slot canyons of Utah.
“I absolutely love to try something new and to visit places I that inspire me.”
Awesome Season Of Change:
What about you?!
What are you setting up today that aligns with your priorities?
As a part of the Kuel Life Community, I’m sure you can identify with much I and the other Kuel Life Thought Leaders share and I hope you use this awesome season of change to consider what you want and then make the plan and actually go for it. To help get you started, I hope you’ll also identify at least one fun experience, or adventure you would like complete or a place you’d like to visit just for you before the holidays arrive. I hope you find it soul-filling and a wonderful and positive addiction that will keep bringing a smile to your face.
As for me, I am thankful for all the steps along the way that led me down this path and I hope to always remain awake. An ageless woman who adventures and keeps exploring – throughout this season of change.
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About the Author:
Wendy started DestinationU in 2019 and through her community and platform, she is a champion for aging adventurously. She is on a mission to resource and empower women over 40 to reimagine what’s possible and live with way more adventure, fun & fulfillment.
Wendy had a successful career, but after a series of personal life changes, she decided it was time for a seismic shift to create something much more personally fulfilling. She authored several books, started building the DestinationU community and started setting up and leading more customized group adventure trips.
Wendy encourages you to adventure out into the “wild,” both literally & figuratively, and invites you to connect with Wendy and her community at www.destinationu.net, on her Life Reimagined with Wendy Podcast, DestinationU Wendy YouTube Channel or Instagram account.
