I have always considered myself a pretty clear person. No tap-dancing around an issue or request, but not brutally clear either, I’m not the kind of person who walks into a room, drops a verbal grenade, and then calls it “well, I’m just being honest.” I literally can’t stand the way some deliver that response. There’s a difference between being direct and being downright disrespectful. But I also don’t think you should need to channel a psychic, decode ancient hieroglyphics, or hire a professional translator to figure out what I mean. I’m pretty sure if I say something, I have actually said something. With words and in English. Wild concept, I know.…
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Big Age, Bigger Growth | Episode 03: It’s OK to Disappoint People
Quick Post, Real Reminder Separating your people into categories sounds a little calculating. Maybe even slightly evil. But honestly? I don’t give a toss (toss – UK term for don’t give a diddly-damn). At this stage of life, I think it’s more than warranted. One of the hardest lessons in Big Age is realizing that not everyone around you, and not everyone who has access to you, deserves all of you. Some people are in your life until the wheels fall off. Others are there for a season or a reason. Watch out for the season-and-reason folks. Spot them and place them where they need to be. I mean, seriously,…
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You Need A Bigger World: How To Stop Letting Small Stuff Consume You
That statement, or idea, might seem too simple on paper, but give me a few minutes to explain what I mean. Then you can go ahead and poo-poo it if it still doesn’t fit. Think of that feeling when you’re stuck. Like you’re not making progress, not even a little bit. Or worse, you feel completely out of control. Your mind starts drifting into places it has no business being, and before you know it, you’ve become consumed by someone else’s foolishness. OK, I’ll give you an example of my own. I planned to edit a key chapter. Or maybe it was a blog post, or a note, even. I’d…
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Andropause? Suddenly Menopause Doesn’t Sound So Lonely
When the “Man-Flashes” Enter the Chat Ladies, Babes, Luvs, we need to talk… and now! I don’t know where I’ve been, but only recently did some little internet birdies clue me into the fact that something called andropause exists. Andropause? What’s andropause, you say? In the simplest of words: Menopause for men, kinda. Not gonna lie, I did smirk a little. OK, beam with cheshire-cat full glee. We women, damn near since birth, have had all kinds of shit piled on us. Coming out of nowhere is what it feels like. Jumping us. Sneak-attacking us. Sliding in like skid marks. One minute we’re playing as equals with the boys, then…
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When You’re No Longer Building Your Life on Fear
And making space for possibility. Have you ever noticed how differently we approach life when we’re excited about something versus when we’re scared shitless of it? Somewhere along the way, a lot of us—myself absolutely included—become frickin’ expert-level warriors when it comes to protecting ourselves in any and every situation, and for good cause, let me add. Looking back, it’s hardly an overly suspicious or shocking revelation that so many of us have built parts of our lives around fear. It’s seen as practical and responsible. I know I saw it as telling myself that I was making smart choices and, again to be fair, nine times out of ten,…
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What If You Actually Read Life’s Terms and Conditions?
Would You Still Sign Today? You know those terms and conditions that come with a new phone, laptop, tech, or shiny piece of equipment you want so bad? The ones that are about 50,000 pages long, damn near blurry, so that nobody actually or fully reads them? The first few scrolls of information start off pretty straightforward, clear, and engaging and so most of the time, we just continue the scroll to the bottom and willingly click “Accept.” Not because we agree wholeheartedly with everything or that we’re so comfortable with every condition. But because if we want the thing, then that’s the only option. And in thinking about it,…
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How To Beat the “Later” Trap (It’s Lying to You)
Because when is later? Why later? And what has later actually done for you lately? Stop playing, I’m GenX, you know I had to do it! We’re locked in on our second chapter now, and I’ve decided this one is going to be A Best. Not The Best, because there were beautiful moments in the others too. Plenty of rough ones I could’ve skipped, no doubt, but still some good’uns. But this is the chapter we’re in now, it’s all ours, so what exactly are we still waiting for? More importantly, what are we waiting on? Yeah… What Are We Waiting On? Take finances off the table just for a…
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One Year of Writing: The Truth About My Good Struggle
Happy Birthday to SincerelyIreneB… yeah… me! So here we are. I made it! Twelve months of writing, blogging, posting. And I’m beyond excited about it! One whole year since I showed up to my own party, nervous but absolutely refusing to wait for the ‘Productivity Fairy’ to convince me that now was the right time to begin. One year since I typed out that first post, hit publish before I could talk myself out of it, and officially committed to Starting Sideways. So… how’d that go? Well, grab something and lemme tell ya. The Checklist, Revisited If you read my very first post, you know I showed up with a…
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When “Don’t Worry, Be Happy!” Isn’t Remotely Helpful
Turning “Yeah, But…” Into Something Useful And hold it right there, no, I’m not knocking Bobby McFerrin’s fun-loving, ’80s hit… just the overly simplistic sentiment in those four words. You know the ones with the same vibe as those other well-meaning, Pinterest-pretty quotes that show up while you’re doom-scrolling at 12:49am on a workday. Do you sometimes pause, maybe even smile a little… and then immediately dismiss them?Like, yeah, right. Not for me. Too many of them come off as vacant, sounding lofty, and even aggressively positive. Now, I’m generally a positive person, but too many of them feel like they don’t quite fit me or where I am right…
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Big Age, Bigger Growth | Episode 01: Keep Figuring It Out
Quick Post, Real Reminder -Sincerely, Irene B
