December 29th, 2022
Deborah Heiser
Today I’m announcing a brand new addition to my Substack publication: The Right Side of 40 subscriber chat. This is a conversation space in the Substack app that I set up exclusively for my subscribers — kind of like a group chat or live hangout. I’ll post short prompts, thoughts, and updates that come my […]
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December 23rd, 2022
Deborah Heiser
When you think of how you’d like to spend your time, does it involve a schedule or routine? Like many, you may envision days of relaxation as time spent without structure, deadlines, or set times. No alarm clocks, meetings, appointments, or deadlines. On the contrary, the fantasy of the perfect relaxing day is one that […]
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November 19th, 2022
Deborah Heiser
Most people think of aging as physical decline, frailty, infirmed states, and navigating a slow cognitive failure and death. There is so much we have to look forward to as we age. Emotional growth continues throughout life. What is the first thing you think of when someone says “old age”? Most people think of aging […]
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November 14th, 2022
Deborah Heiser
Intrinsic motivation helps us to get engaged and stay engaged. We have control over our cause. Harnessing our intrinsic motivation is essential—and simple. What is it you enjoy most? Think of something that no one needs to urge you to do, remind you to do, or that you put off because you’d rather be doing […]
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November 10th, 2022
Deborah Heiser
How many times have you heard “Go find a mentor”? Most people think of mentoring as hierarchical. Mentees look for a mentor, a few rungs up the ladder, to open doors, guide, and provide opportunities for them. Traditional mentorship is simple and often very effective. But did you know there is another way to find […]
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October 19th, 2022
Deborah Heiser
The Giving Season is right around the corner. We spend the fourth quarter of the year digging into pockets and donating to charities. It is a season dedicated to giving, tied to holidays and the time of the year when we can squeeze in our year end tax-deductible donations. But did you know this season […]
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October 10th, 2022
Deborah Heiser
In our last election, who would have thought we’d see two septuagenarians battling for the presidency? It wasn’t long ago that the Beatles’ hit “When I’m 64” revealed that 64 was considered old: “Will you still need me, will you still feed me when I’m 64?” That’s because a mere 40 years ago, we were […]
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September 23rd, 2022
Deborah Heiser
Tom skipped college and went straight to work. Just like so many of us, he lived in the moment, focusing on the grind of family, and work. He didn’t have time for anything else. But, in his 50s, he decided to take a leap and take a stab at being a radio show host. He’d always fantasized about […]
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August 28th, 2022
Deborah Heiser
Midlife gets a bad rap. But why? After all, we know that happiness is a U shape, with our satisfaction rising by the time we turn 50 (Blanchflower, 2020). We also know that when we reach older adulthood, we will recall our midlife years as better than other periods of our lives (Galambos, 2020). So, why is it that we are […]
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August 12th, 2022
Deborah Heiser
Does the widely used term “meaningful connection” hold any meaning for you? The phrase is bandied about how “friend” is used for those we care about and arbitrarily connect with on social media and work. There is a vast difference between a true friend and a social media “friend.” A true friend is a person […]
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