My 2017 Age Esteem Wishes For You
- Live each day fully.
- Stretch your body, mind and spirit.
- Inhale happiness and love; exhale pain and fear.
- Embrace new experiences.
- Fill your mind with love and happy thoughts.
- Build play into your day.
- Share your talents with others of all ages.
- Learn something new each day.
- Laugh often.
- Celebrate frequently.
- Love yourself unconditionally.
- Seek the positive in each person and experience.
- Give thanks for the blessings of your life.
- Meet new challenges with a sense of adventure.
- Greet each new day with anticipation and zest.
- Reach out to others in need.
- Become a living model of Age Esteem for those who meet you!
With love and gratitude for all you have done, the person you are, and all that you are becoming,
Bonnie Fatio
KEEP UP YOUR “AGE ESTEEM”
Does the accumulation of years sometimes get you down? Then have an injection of positivity from Bonnie Fatio, the Founder of AgeEsteem, an organisation which provides everyone with “the vision and means to live our lives fully at every age with a positive attitude”.
Based in Switzerland but accessible from anywhere in the world, Bonnie is a highly experienced motivational speaker and coach who decided to tackle the negative views and stereotyping about seniors that abound in society, and which we ourselves absorb to our detriment. She envisions “a world where age and aging are celebrated and people of all ages are recognized as important, contributing members of society” and works hard to promote this. Bonnie is a sought-after speaker around the globe, and runs workshops to help people feel good about themselves at any age, as well as contributing her advice and message to other organisations, including the United Nations.
You can read about Bonnie and AgeEsteem on her website www.ageesteem.com where you can sign up to receive her zesty newsletters as I do and even receive free e-gifts from this inspirational lady. Go on, get a regular dose of Age Esteem. It’s all completely free and is equally valid for men and women.
Written by age-esteemer Debbie King, this was first published on her blog, Age With Me. Debbie lives AgeEsteem. She has attended AgeEsteem workshops and models positive aging in all she does. I encourage you to visit her site to learn more. Thank you, Debbie King! – Bonnie Fatio
Four of the women who have influenced my life.
A Time To Remember
“We stand on the shoulders of those who go before us.” Kenyan Proverb
In many parts of the world a day set aside each year to remember those who have died, those who have gone before us. All Saints Day, following Halloween is one such a day. It is a time to remember those who have positively influenced our lives, whether or not they were people we knew personally.
Each person leaves a legacy. And no matter how great or small their imprint may seem to the masses, to a chosen few that imprint has been inspirational.
When I think of my own mother I am overwhelmed by the richness of all she taught me through her actions and her words. She has not been written up in history books, yet she positively influenced the lives of a multitude of youth as a teacher, and families through her church work. Her outreach increased even further when she authored seven books after taking early retirement due to diminished vision. (Yes, she wrote her books typing on an old state-of-the-art Smith-Corona despite severely impaired vision.)
You, too, have people in your life who may seem insignificant to the world at large, but who have been important to your growth into the person you have become. Take a moment to remember each of these people and to be thankful.
People with age-esteem are grateful for those who have influenced their lives.
Bonnie Fatio
Are You Lonely?
People with age esteem know it is important to have friends from diverse generations. As we get older, friends of our own generation and older may no longer be present to visit and chat. It is important to have younger friends as well.
This was again brought to my attention when a friend sent me the following story from an English newspaper.
“An elderly couple called 999 because they were lonely and officers responded by going round for a cup of tea.
Two police constables from Greater Manchester Police were sent to the home of Fred Thomson and his 95-year-old wife after she called the emergency services suggesting her husband was having difficulties.
The police constable said he and a colleague arrived at the house believing the husband may have had a fall but found “the couple did not need medical attention and in fact the call had been made out of desperation”.
The couple offered the officers a cup of tea. They were desperate for conversation and the presence of others.”
Remain in contact with your friends and call on them when you want company. Invite them over for a cup of coffee or tea. I have several older friends who do this regularly, and I am always delighted when I am able to spend time with them. I also invite friends of multiple generations to my home. I treasure their friendships.
Are you lonely? Then either get out of the house and go where you will see others or phone a friend to come visit. Chances are others are lonely, too. Share your age esteem.
Bonnie Fatio
Lost and Found Moments
Do you find yourself with time on your hands? As we age, often we seem to have more “down” time than we might like.
I love moments that others might count as “lost time”. These little windows of unexpected time are a gift.
You know the moments I am thinking of – waiting for a bus, plane or train; the time you have at the hairdressers waiting for your hair to dry or take color; being all ready to go somewhere and having to wait for your partner or child; sitting in a restaurant waiting for your guest to arrive, or sitting in the doctor’s office. Each of us experience moments like these.
People with age-esteem know how to step into the “now” and enjoy the moment. Try some of these ideas next time you have to wait.
- People-watch. There is a whole world of activity around you. Tune into it.
- Carry post cards or note cards with you. Write an old fashioned note to someone to say, “I’m thinking of you”.
- Write in your journal.
- Read that article or book that you have been carrying around in your bag.
- Think. Meditate. Rest your mind and renew your soul.
Actually, I drafted this message while waiting for my hair to dry…
Next time you have “lost” time on your hands, turn it into “found” time.
Bonnie Fatio
The Beauty of Older Women
“So much has been said and sung of beautiful young girls, why doesn’t somebody wake up to the beauty of old women?” – Harriet Beecher Stowe, American Abolitionist and Author
Harriet Beecher Stowe lived from 1811 to 1896. Her quote leads one to believe that very little has changed in the views toward aging, yet aging has transformed greatly during past years. We are healthier, more vital and remain engaged in life as older women. We live our ages with more confidence and age-esteem, and transcend a beauty that only we can bring.
Bonnie Fatio
Your Beauty Will Unfold
Buds and Blooms and Birds and Bees –
Spring brings every one of these…
Besides the Brightest Skies of Blue
(Best when Broiling Bar-B-Ques!)
By Becoming Brave and Bold
Your Beauty will Spring up = unfold
And Be the Better, in Between
Its Benefactor: Age Esteem!
Written by Alexandra Taylor † for AgeEsteem®
Soul Mates
How many times have you met someone who was very different from you in culture, religion, race, experiences, etc. yet you felt an almost immediate connection with the person?
Frequently this happens as I meet new people. Sometimes it stimulates me to get to know the person so that I can discover why this is so. At other times I simply accept the fact that they seem to be a soul mate and enjoy the feeling of connection.
One such experience was during the first international conference where I presented AgeEsteem. Among the other keynote speakers was the South African Ambassador to Switzerland. Although she had been raised during Apartheid in a very different culture with a different color to her skin, as she told her story I knew that our souls merged. Despite different geographical and cultural beginnings, our origins were similar. We had been raised with comparable values and many of the same messages of support and encouragement during our formative years. Neither of us was raised in riches of money; both were raised among the riches of love, a zest for life, knowing education was essential if we were to reach our dreams, and with a faith in right overcoming wrong.
Similar experiences have greeted me over the years as I travel the world and connect with people who are doing amazing things in their own homes and communities. Sometimes these people are older; often they are younger; rarely are they the same age as I am. Age makes no difference. What is within us does. We are connected by yes, our experiences and origins in some cases and our visions and goals in others. – And we are always connected by our shared values.
Next time you meet someone, when you stretch out your hand to say hello, stretch out your heart also. You may find a soul mate.
Bonnie Fatio
Happy Valentines Day!
May each day of your year overflow with love and age-esteem,
Bonnie Fatio
This Is A Wonderful Day
This is a wonderful day. I’ve never seen this one before.
Maya Angelou
Use this thought as you greet each new day to boost your age esteem. This IS a wonderful day. You have never seen this one before, nor will you see it again. Enjoy it to the fullest!
Bonnie Fatio
