Tag Archives: empty nest

Suffering is optional

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Tiffany Eckhardt, turning 52 could cause a crisis, but believes that suffering is optional... age is just a number.
So what I can’t tolerate dairy anymore! My hubby found a vegan red velvet cupcake!

This week I turned 52, the expected time frame for a midlife crisis. However, I believe that suffering is optional because age is just a number.  

You have the power to cultivate any outlook on life you want.  I love birthdays!

I was born in 1970 and am consider Gen X, the lost generation.  Who decides these things?  I don’t feel lost.  Do you? 

Funny thing is I can never remember how old I am, which is ridiculous given the easy math, but I also can never remember what day it is either.  

Jeff thinks it’s intentional.  Maybe it is.  LOL! 

How do you view birthdays?

Do you love birthdays?  If you don’t, what about a birthday makes you cringe?  

Does aging mean you loose purpose, as if the older you get the less meaning you have to others?  

Are you worried about being alone?  Loneliness is a real challenge for empty nesters.

Is your health the issue that has you loosing sleep at night?  

Your best years are ahead

While I recognize the down side of aging, I truly believe that there is way more to celebrate with each new year.  

The truth is you have the power to create wellness and take control of your health.  I am living proof of this!  No dairy? Jeff found vegan red velvet cupcakes for me… there’s always a solution.

You can learn to love your own company, another thing I have cultivated in my own life.  

Learning and investing in your growth never stops at a certain age.  Each new year is another opportunity to discover new things about yourself.  

The secret sauce is to discover your purpose and find meaning in this season.  You will then begin to loose track of time and love birthdays, as you truly believe your best days are ahead.  

Suffering is optional?

You seriously don’t have to indulge in suffering about your age or any other limiting belief.  If you are feeling sad or lonely I get it!  I still get lonely at times, and am sad that my house isn’t full of irreverent teenagers.  But…

“If you could only sense how important you are in the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of.  There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.”  Fred Rogers

I can help you walk through the real emotions that downsizing, or an empty nest can generate.  I understand the stages of change that you are dancing through, but I also know how to get you from resistance to resilience.  

Don’t waste any more time yearning for purpose or meaning in this season!  

You might be thinking that I don’t understand your situation. Try me!

I invite you to schedule a chat with me… it is so easy!  Simply follow my calendar link and pick a date/time that works for you.  I’d love to learn about your journey, where you are and where you’d like to be.  

Your best years are ahead and suffering is optional.

~Tiffany

And the birds fluttered around her writing “YES” in the sky.

What does reinvention mean to you?

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What does reinvention mean to you? Could it simply mean change? Tiffany Eckhardt, midlife coach would like to help you fly free into this next season in life.

What does reinvention mean to you?  Could it simply mean change?

The only constant in life is change.  ~Heraclitus

Generation X, those born between 1965 and 1980, are also called the lost generation.  If you are a GenXer, you work hard, are loyal and follow the expected course.  You might not understand the millennials work ethics because your approach to change is very calculated.

Midlife, the central period of life, is full of heartbreaking change that many are not prepared for.  I’d like to propose that it is an exciting time of reinvention, a time to get lost on a path that you’ve always dreamed of taking.  A time to fly free!

How will you show up for change?  

After I graduated high school, I enlisted in the AirForce.  I had little direction in my life, and thought it would be an adventure.  My high school career was rocky, I never felt like I fit in with any one group.  When I got to tech school, I felt freedom to be anyone I wanted.  So, I walked into our community room with a newfound confidence and proclaimed, “I am going to the movies, would anyone like to go with me?”  

Jeff took me up on that offer… and the rest is history.  

I want you to envision the season of midlife the same way I did as an Airman out of basic training.  You’ve followed the predictable path and now you are entering a new room, or season of life.  How do you want to show up?  

Do you feel lost?

As a member of the lost generation, do you feel unprepared for this season of your life?  

It sucks that change never seems to get easier. 

As a self proclaimed master of reinvention, I have changed course numerous times in my lifetime.  That doesn’t mean that I became a totally different person, but that I simply tried a different approach to life.  

Looking back through my journals, I discovered there were predictable stages that I went through with each change.  

The Four Stages of Reinvention

That is why I wrote the journal, The Four Stages of Reinvention.  Here’s a little video I created to explain the journal…

Join me

This Wednesday, March 16th at 1pm CST I will offer a class on The Four Stages of Reinvention.  I’d love for you to join me!  

This class will be a zoom call with like minded women who feel a little unprepared for this season of life.  I will walk you through the 4 stages and offer a few journal prompts and practices along the way.  

It’s a free class! 

To join the class, REGISTER HERE. Once you register, you will be given a zoom link for the class.

Here’s to flying free into the next season of life with confidence!

~Tiffany

And the birds fluttered around her writing “YES” in the sky!

A time to gather

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A time to gather!  Americans are barreling into the holiday season with Thanksgiving, a special day to gather the family around the dinner table to give thanks.  

Holidays can be a lot of fun with adult children, but can also be tricky as siblings scatter in pursuit of their dreams.  

It’s not always possible to gather everyone around the table each year, which can be heavy on the hearts of midlife moms.  

A smaller gathering

You may think that the holidays will never be the same after the kids have flown the coop. 

That thought probably makes you a little sad and lonely. Me too!

When your heart feels sad, you’re less likely to put effort into the holiday.  You don’t feel like cooking a big dinner.  The decorations don’t come out.  Traditions are ditched.  

Of course the holidays won’t be the same, especially if you don’t have the same energy for them.  

Gratitude

This year I will celebrate Thanksgiving without my extended family.  We will see my family and our daughter’s family between Christmas and New Years.  

Of course I’ll be sad without my family around the table.   

After I allow myself a good cry, I will remember that I can create just as much magic for myself as I once did for my kids.  I am worth the effort.  

Giving yourself permission to create the magic for yourself is empowering and fills the season with meaning again.  

Although the holidays are definitely different, you can truly be grateful for the gift of midlife by acknowledging the time you now have to pursue what makes you feel alive.   

Enchanting 

What if you had another way to look at the holidays?  

It took me a long time to fall in love with the holidays again.

After years of trying to navigate the holidays with an aching heart, I’ve put together five tips to help you recapture the Christmas magic!

My free Midlife Mom’s Guide to Recapturing Christmas Magic will help you believe the holidays can be enchanting in any season of life.   

You don’t need to spend too much time feeling sad or lonely.  I’d love to send you a copy today.  Simply message me or email me a request.  I will forward you the pdf version of the guide.  eckhardt.tiffany@gmail.com 

As always, I invite you to schedule a chat with me. I can help you create magic for your holiday season!

Happy Thanksgiving!  

~Tiffany

And the birds fluttered around her writing “YES” in the sky.   

Holiday Traditions With An Empty Nest

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Holiday Traditions with an empty nest. Tiffany Eckhardt, certified life coach offers how to navigate the holidays with an empty nest.
Grandkids & shenanigans!

Do you find yourself missing the awe of Christmas through your little one’s eyes?  Does your heart ache a little as you navigate holiday traditions with an empty nest?  

You are not alone.  It is a bitter sweet season for many of us.  

A love/hate relationship with holiday traditions.  

Confession:  I had a melt down today.  Jeff and I returned from a trip north to visit our grand babies in Michigan and celebrate Thanksgiving with my family in Ohio.  I could blame it on exhaustion from the long road trip, but the truth is decorating an empty nest is just not as fun as it used to be with kiddos under our roof.  

As a young Mom, I remember wearing myself out to provide my littles with all the treasured traditions that my Mom and Grandma effortlessly modeled for me.  I became weary of Christmas to the point of almost dreading all the work, which was not how I wanted my kids to remember their childhood.  

One year I lowered my expectations during the holidays and insisted on creating our own yearly traditions.  I have fond memories of cutting our tree down at the local tree farm, baking cookies and giving new PJs on Christmas Eve.  Most years I caved on Christmas Eve and allowed the kids to open all their gifts.

It has been ten years since Jeff and I celebrated our final Christmas with our kids at home.  All the holiday hoopla doesn’t seem worth it without the kids.  My meltdown is definitely a sign that I need to rethink my relationship with holiday traditions and work to create new ones for this season of life.  

Our final Christmas before we all flew the coop. Tiffany Eckhardt, certified life coach helps midlife women navigate the holidays with an empty nest.
Our Christmas finale.

Honor the past

Why is it so hard to move on, even after ten years?  

It is common for people to focus on a familiar past, especially during the holidays when you need the comfort of family traditions.  

It is helpful to allow yourself a trip down memory lane, but don’t wallow there.  Although memory lane is nostalgic, don’t forget to take off the rose color glasses.  

For instance, I have a lot of great memories of creating Christmas magic for my kiddos, but am brutally honest about the feelings of overwhelm I often experienced.  In fact, one year I decorated our Christmas tree with caution tape.  We had just purchased a historic home that we were in the middle of renovating.  I had a huge case of Ba-humbug!  

Having a healthy relationship with your past is part of my three step process to reinvent midlife and is especially helpful during the holidays.  

Living in the Now

Living in the now means creating a sense of tradition for this season of life.  

The holidays can be an exciting time to allow your creative juices to flow!  Regardless of the changes from year to year, pick a few traditions that just make you happy. This year I am excited about a few new ideas for holiday decorating and gifts… stayed tuned.  

As a reminder, there isn’t a playbook or manual for midlife.  Create Christmas magic for you!  

What memories can you create today that your future self will look back with fondness? 

A zesty future

Are you struggling this year? I know what it is like to ache for the season of creating Christmas magic for little ones, but I also know it is possible to move forward.  I can help you develop a healthy relationship with your past, present and future self.  

Create an intention for the holidays where you honor your past seasons, but fully live in the NOW with gratitude for each season moving forward.  

If you hang out with me for too long, I’ll convince you that your best years are ahead.

Gift yourself an investment into your future

You owe it to yourself to become everything you were meant to be.  I invite you to make an investment in your mind, your health and your future.

Are you curious how a life coach can help you navigate the holiday season?  Schedule a free consultation with me today!  Simply click the link below and choose a date and time on my calendar that works for you.  

Now that I have allowed myself a Christmas melt down, I can truly enjoy my cozy cottage decorated for this holiday season.  Here’s to  celebrating new holiday traditions!

~Tiffany

And the birds fluttered around her writing “YES” in the sky.  

Tiffany Eckhardt, Certified Life Coach

A 98.8% happier life

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Tiffany Eckhardt, Certified Life Coach helping midlife women lead 98.8% happier lives. Believe your best years are ahead!

Live a 98.8% happier life!

You can live a 98.8% happier life by busting three midlife myths.

Have you accepted that at a certain age you begin to fight a loosing battle with age?  What if you were actually entering into the best season of your life?  

I am a cockeyed optimist with uncommon energy.  

Without subscribing to rainbows or unicorns, but have learned tools that allow me to fully function through life’s good and bad.  

You can create a life that includes abundant wellness and realize dreams at any age.  

Have you accepted midlife myths?

It occurred to me that there are some common midlife myths accepted as truth.  What if they were simply not true? 

First, what thoughts do you actually have about midlife and aging?  Gathering your thoughts in a journal by jotting down all the thoughts that you have about midlife.     

Next, take a look at the thoughts.  Do you like the thoughts? Are they true?  Where have these thought and ideas come from?  

It is widely believed that our bodies are not separated from our thoughts or emotions.  This is why I preach Self-Aware is the first step to Self-Care.  It is time to let go of toxic beliefs.  Then frame, or reframe, what your idea of midlife is and create it!  

Three myths to bust in order to believe your best years are ahead

1.  Midlife means the beginning of a loosing battle with well being.

In her book Goddesses Never Age, Christiane Northrup, M.D. confirms, “physical deterioration occurs in large part because of the accumulation of toxins, which results in cellular deterioration and damage along with tissue and organ breakdown.”  

Yet, she also offers that the body is in a constant state of reinvention.  “You do not have to have the same physical body you had just a few years ago.  Every cell has been replaced.”

I am living proof of this!  In 2017 I decided to question the idea that our bodies have to fall apart in midlife.  I spent three years removing toxins from my diet and home.  In 2019 I learned to manage my mind. Thanks to this work, I am not the same person I was back then.  

You can achieve wellness at any age.  Your best years are ahead.

2.  An empty nest is boring and lonely

An empty nest isn’t lonely because I am there.

Typically women spend there lives between 20 and 40 tending to their families.  Without giving it a second thought, their schedule is dictated by work and family.  When their little birdies fly the coop, there is naturally a void to fill.  

Although change is rarely popular, a new routine emerges from the quiet house.  At this point in life, you are ready to make decisions about what your future will look like?  

Unfortunately, “we believe that if something great was going to happen, it would have happened when we were 20 or 30, right? It would have happened when we were in college or when we were going to school or whatever. That’s when all the amazing things happen. But what if we’re totally wrong about that?”  ~Brooke Castillo

There are several ways to look at an empty nest.  What if you decide to enjoy your own company and believe your best years are ahead?

3.  Time is running out with little options

Why focus on what can’t be done?  

I intend to bust this myth wide open!!!!  There have been too many examples of successful people who achieved greatness after the age of 40.  Success leaves clues.  Studying their stories encourages me to explore my own.  

Time will run out if you indulge in self depravation.  Midlife is the time to invest in childhood dreams, ideas that have took a back seat to the demands of family and what your soul longs to teach you.

What if you made each day count and believe the best years are ahead?    

The Crossroads

I am sure you’ve created a few midlife myths of your own. 

Are you at the crossroads, at a point in life when you are ready to make decisions about what your future will look like?  

I want to help you believe your best years are ahead!  Not only have I mastered the fine art of reinvention, I am a certified life coach that can help you bust the midlife myths.  

Self-aware is the first step to self-care. 

Schedule a FREE mini session today!  It is my life’s work to inspire midlife women to love their lives 98.8% more!

What midlife myths do you wish to bust?  Click the link below to schedule your FREE mini session!  

Tiffany Eckhardt, Certified Life Coach