Happy Birthday!

A special Poem for Cousins
And SHE who’s my dear friend:
She keeps my mind a-buzzin
As through our lives we wend.
Hers is a BIG, BIG Birthday,
So Big I’m all agog!:
Speechless, verseless, quite “bouche-bée”
No words, nor time for blogs.
Corny though it might be,
Her real Kernel of truth:
Since she was a baby
She’s found eternal youth!

Written by Alexandra Taylor for AgeEsteem®

Jubilee, Oh Jubilee

Jubilee, oh Jubilee

I hope your glee rubs

Off on me.

A state in which I’d like to be:

Jubilant with Jollity

(Even at my age: Eighty!).

It all depends on attitudes

Not straight laced with platitudes,

And furrowed brows

And unused vows,

But simple ways to Reign Supreme

Like a Queen – with Age Esteem.

Written by Alexandra Taylor for AgeEsteem®

in honor of all Age-Esteemers celebrating their 80th birthday this year.

Some people may say that the new 65 is the new 45.  It isn’t.  The new 65 is the NEW 65! – And this is just one glimpse of what it looks like.

Today’s 65ers are visiting new places, testing new limits, and living exciting adventures like my friend Evie shown here sliding in a Costan Rica rain forest.  Evie is also among those who are constantly seeking unique ways to contribute their talents to society and she volunteers her time in a local shelter.  – A 65er full of Age Esteem!

Bonnie Fatio

A 100 year old doctor is still delivering babies in Georgia, USA.  He has delivered over 16,000 babies since 1947 when he began his practice.  It seems that everywhere he goes he is greeted by someone who he helped bring into the world.

What is his secret?  Being passionate about what you do!

Other people who have celebrated 100 years of living have shared the same important age-esteem traits.

• Purpose, meaningful activities
• Contact with others of diverse ages
• Keep moving
• Continue to learn and to exercise their mind
• Positive attitude

Each birthday is a new beginning. Enjoy and celebrate! Flaunt your age-esteem. Life is as wonderful as you make it. Begin now to create the best of your life.

Create the best of your life:

• Make a collage to represent your life today. Use photos, clippings from magazines, anything that is symbolic of your life as you see it today.
• Now make a second collage to represent your life as you would like it to be for the best of your life in the future. There may or not be similarities between the two.

Keep this collage where you can see it. Add to it as new dreams come to mind. It is the vision of what you would like your future to be.

…and of course after you make yoru collage send us some photos. I’ll select my favorites and send you a free copy of my book!

Realize a dream: Is there something you’ve always wanted to do but thought you couldn’t or the time didn’t seem right? A major birthday is a great occasion to act on that dream!

• Write a wish list. On a sheet of paper write “AgeEsteem Wish List” and write down every wish that comes to mind. Nothing is too wild. Let ideas flow without censor. Keep going until you’ve written at least 50 wishes.
• Choose three of these wishes to act on during this birthday year. Have you always wanted to learn to tango? Sign up for lessons. Age is no obstacle.

Refer back to your list every three months to put a new dream into action.

Flaunt your age-esteem. Celebrate your birthday and create happy memories with friends.

Celebrate: Celebrate your birthday! There are many places in the world where reaching age 30 is still considered almost a miracle.

• Throw a party for yourself. It doesn’t have to be costly. Invite each friend to bring part of the meal, or make pancakes or spaghetti. Ask people to wear their favorite hat or shoes.
• Focus the party on your guests. Prepare something for them: a limerick, song, dance or story album with their photos. Ask each person to share their favorite birthday memory.

You’ve come a long ways since birth, and even just in the past months.

Take inventory: Birthdays are opportunities to evaluate where you are and where you wish to go.

• Make a list of the knowledge and skills you’ve acquired since your last birthday. Take the time necessary to enlarge this list.
• Add your accomplishments of the past year. Some may seem minor, but all are important building blocks.
• Now that you’ve identified them, how can you capitalize on this knowledge and the skills and accomplishments and put them to use

It’s silly to waste precious time crying over a new year or decade. Live your age!
Unlock your age-esteem!

Live today: It’s your youth of tomorrow. You’ll never be this young again, so why waste it worrying about age? Live in the present.

• Acknowledge your age. Look yourself in the eyes in the mirror and tell yourself, “I love being 30!” or whatever age you are.
• Make a pact with yourself to focus on the present. Regretting the past or worrying about the future creates negative energy. Plan for the future, yes, but live this moment!

So what’s the big deal? You’re now 40 instead of 39!

A split second moved your age from one year into the next, yet nothing changed
except your self-image.

When our nephew was living with us he went to bed one night as a 5 year old. The next morning he woke up as a 6 year old and ran to the scales to weigh himself, then to the mirror to see if he’d grown. He burst into tears because nothing had changed!

Your body isn’t any older today in relation to yesterday than it was yesterday as opposed to the day before. So work on building your age-esteem! – Only your self-image has changed.