How I Changed My Life At 51

This blog post is sponsored by MSD Consumer Care, Inc., the makers of Oxytrol® For Women.

I had risen through the ranks during my 23-year-career at a publishing company, to become an Executive Editor and Publisher. I had a six-figure salary, a great family health plan and I had been pretty much free to cultivate my own ideas for the publications I ran. I was pretty certain I’d still be an employee there when I died. Why not?

When I turned 51, in 1998, I suddenly thought I had to get out. I had given the company immeasurable passion, talent and time over two decades and continuously helped boost its “bottom line.” Why couldn’t I do the same things, but for my own business? Not only could I benefit financially; I could explore new avenues for my creativity, such as custom magazine publishing.

During the next few weeks, I mulled over the decision, consulted with people who knew me well and worked through my fears, which included losing my trusty health coverage as well as consistent paychecks. At last, resolved to leave, I delightedly gave the president ample notice (I think it was 6 weeks) and set the wheels in motion to create my company. I should note that a big retailer had already asked me to develop wedding and baby registry magazine-catalogs for it, which, of course, helped boost my confidence level, and my bank account, as I made this big transition.

Sixteen years later, I have never for a second regretted my decision to reinvent myself as an entrepreneur.

Although it’s not always comfortable without a paycheck you can count on, and you still have bosses (your clients), work incredibly long hours and must deal with loads of details, there’s a freedom to this way of life that suits me just fine.

‘No matter what happens, you always have your talent,’ a friend once told me. I’ve never lost sight of her sage advice, which helped guide my latest reinvention, when I launched faboverfifty.com a little over four years ago and became a web publisher. As the media world changed, so had my business. I wanted to create something for and about the fabulous women of my generation, but I didn’t want to launch a magazine. The Internet looked like it was the future.

‘I’ll start a website,’ I suddenly thought one day. So what if I didn’t know a thing about programming, website design or how to drive traffic! Why couldn’t I apply the skills I cultivated as a magazine and newspaper editor and publisher to launch a website? Skills such as developing a strategy, marketing, selling and creating content. I also was fortunate to be funded by someone who believed in my vision and to find the right people to help expand and execute it.

As I’ve matured, emotionally and physically, I’ve turned into a staunch believer that you can’t do anything alone.

If you want something badly for yourself, and believe in it, you really do have the chance to get it. One thing you can never do, however, is let something stand in your way, especially if it’s easily fixed. Don’t let naysayers stand in the way. Don’t let trips and falls stand in your way. And, most of all, make sure your health is in tip-top shape before you embark on a big move in your life. If you’re like one of the 20 million women in the U.S. who have overactive bladder (OAB), that could include managing your OAB symptoms. It can be a real confidence sapper for some women.

For those women with OAB, a new over-the-counter product, Oxytrol for Women has come to the rescue. It’s a patch that can be discreetly applied, every four days, to the abdomen, hips, or buttock to help relax the bladder muscle and reduce frequent bathroom visits. After all, you want to concentrate on your new stage of life, not your OAB symptoms.

And speaking of focusing on your new stage of life… MSD Consumer Care, Inc., the makers of Oxytrol® For Women, and MORE magazine, have launched a campaign called Open A New Door to support women who want to reinvent themselves. Visit MoreOpenDoors.com to learn about a potentially life-changing opportunity.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN IN THE OPEN A NEW DOOR CONTEST. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE THE CHANCE OF WINNING. Ends 11:59:59 pm ET on 6/30/14. Open to women who are legal residents of 50 U.S. and District of Columbia and 50+ years. Void where prohibited. Collection, use, sharing and publication of personal information, including photographs, in connection with this Contest is governed by the Privacy Statement, available online at MoreOpenDoors.com. For Official Rules, inclusive of the entry judging criteria, and complete details, click here.

Comments are closed.