Finding Your Own Spirituality

Your Core Beliefs Determine Your Spirituality

Every one of us is influenced by several primary factors during our lives that determine our core beliefs as adults. From family and friends to the various institutions such as schools and churches that we come into contact with, we develop our own understanding of the world and our place within it. We also develop core beliefs about life, death, God, the universe and so on. For this reason, there are likely as many personal beliefs as there are people. These are beliefs that have been instilled in you since your early years and they are not easily changed.

HERE is an interesting video on how our beliefs have become instilled throughout history. Hopefully, you will find this very illuminating.
Your core beliefs can change drastically during your life. A serious situation can arise at any time, which demands that you re-evaluate those beliefs. For example, if you lose a child, you would most certainly be devastated, but such a terrible event would most likely cause you to re-think your beliefs on death. Is there a God, did angels come to greet your child or is he or she just gone forever? A death in the family is by far the biggest factor that determines whether your core beliefs will stay the same or change in some way. Another reason you might change your views is if you are in a life-threatening situation yourself, such as a car accident. Some people even have a near death experience that completely alters their beliefs.

”All personal breakthroughs begin with a change in beliefs.”

Anthony Robbins

Obviously, death is not a welcoming topic but it is vital to this discussion. How one feels about death determines to a great extent how one lives their life. If you believe death is the end, with no consequences for your actions, you will likely take more risks when it comes to your thoughts, words and actions. However, if you believe there is a God, almighty presence, universal energy with action and reaction results or something similar, you will take much more care with how you act and treat others. This option means you have chosen to live spiritually. It doesn’t really matter if you are Christian, Catholic, Anglican, Buddhist, Hindu, Sunni, Jewish or whatever. What is important is what you believe is the “right” way to live and treat others.
For a more comforting video, please enjoy This One by John Lennon:

Find Your Creativity Niche
& Enjoy Your Latter Years!

Being creative is not something that just happens, unless you already have a particular talent that you would like to explore. The first step is to get out of that easy chair! The next is to find inspiration by reviewing your options and looking into those that interest you in more detail.

There are many options to choose from, including art, which takes in charcoal drawing, sketching, oil painting, installation art, sculpture and more. If any of these artistic endeavors appeal to you but you have no particular skills, check out the local art programs available in your community. Colleges, art institutions and even some art galleries offer programs in art.

Do you like music? Perhaps you’d like to learn how to write songs. Maybe, joining a local choral group would be a better fit or learning to play the piano. You could also collect and listen to the tunes you love the most, which should bring you many happy hours. Instead of buying all kinds of CDs, you can borrow from family and friends, and then load them into the media player on your computer. Of course, you can also download music, but be aware that this practice is frowned upon, since you are stealing copyrighted material.

Another option is crafting and there is an endless list of things you might consider, including scrap booking, beading, candle making, ceramics, etching, stained glass, leatherworking, macramé, needlecraft, knitting, egg art, fabric painting, paper machete, doll making, soap making, weaving, crocheting, rubber stamping, pottery, basket weaving and woodworking. Again, courses may be available in your area. If not, the Internet can be a valuable source of information. Do your homework first and you’re bound to enjoy your craft so much more. You might also want to try airplane modeling, cabinet refinishing or furniture restoring.

Though you might find yourself in the kitchen cooking every day, you can also turn this activity into an interesting endeavor. Consider taking up cooking as a hobby, so you can try new recipes. You don’t have to become a skilled chef to learn how to create new dishes that your entire family can enjoy. Have you ever tried Thai food? How about Japanese sushi, homemade pizza, Caribbean Adobo, Chinese lemon chicken, Greek baklava, French Cassoulet, Indian Gee, Irish cabbage and bacon pie, Italian chicken parmesan or Polish pierogis?

Photography is another option and today, all you need is a good digital camera that you can also hook up to your computer with a USB cable so you can transfer the pictures into your photo album. You might also want to have a special “camera dock” for this process. Once your photos are on your computer, you can share them on line or if you have a printer, you can make copies for family and friends.

Those who enjoy the old fashioned way to take pictures will need to purchase the right equipment, including a camera with at least a 50mm lens and flash. You might also want to get a tripod, wide-angle lens, zoom lens, camera bag and an assortment of additional products. If you know nothing about taking pictures properly, research the subject beforehand and make sure you read any users manuals that come with your equipment as well. For those who truly love photography, it is easy to set up your own developing center in a darkroom or basement area. Of course to do this, you will need special equipment for that too but once you have it, you can spend many hours coming up with your own unique creations.

If you are the more active type, you might want to consider an activity that lets you stretch you physical muscles a bit, such as cycling, dancing, golfing, belly dancing or tennis. You may be over 50, but if you’re still in good shape physically, there is no reason why you cannot get involved in one of these activities. They will also get you out of the house and meeting new people.

Have you ever considered writing your autobiography or just creating a personal memory book? You could write articles, children’s books or poetry. The great thing about writing is that if you enjoy it, you might also be able to make some money freelancing. Starting out might be a bit difficult, but if you are an avid reader, you will probably like it. The best way to get started is to join a local writing group where you can share your work and get valuable feedback. Of course, you can also go to Aging With Creativity’s own site: Boomers Write for lots of tips and tricks to inspire the imagination.

Those who like fashion might want to explore tie dying T-shirts, cutting out patterns and sewing up new outfits, learning how to add rhinestones to clothing and overall, simply coming up with your own creations.

Astronomy is another interesting area that you might want to consider. Most communities have at least one astronomy group (either private or through a college) that meets on a regular basis to view the starry nights. You could also read up on astronomy, so you know what to look for when you go out with the group, including constellations, planets and more.

If you’re more the sedentary type but still like to have fun, why not consider having a social night once a week or once a month with family and friends where you get together to play board games or cards. If you enjoy playing games, get yourself an X-Box or join an online community where you can play a whole host of different games. Aging With Creativity will soon have its own “Games” site, so be sure to check back on this site in the future.

A new area that is becoming all the rage on the Internet is videos. We all know how successful YouTube has become in a very short period of time. In keeping with that emerging trend, Aging With Creativity will be providing you with a new site where you can view, upload, download and share your own videos. There will also be plenty of advice on the equipment you will need and how to transfer your videos to the web. We’ll keep you posted!

Don’t ever let age get you down. You have plenty of life left in you, so make the most of it! When it comes to any creative pursuit, sharing an activity with your partner or friend can bring many hours of joy. However, there are still plenty of things you can do on your own to make living over 50 the happiest years of your life!

How to Cope with Bad Memories

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just get hypnotized to forget your more painful memories? Unfortunately, the experts say this cannot be done. However, there are coping strategies that you can use to make those memories less painful.

Some of us have terrible memories of such things as being bullied at school, losing a parent at a young age or even childhood violence, abuse or rape. These memories tend to ferment in our minds until they just seem to boil and sometimes the problem is handled with through drugs or alcohol. These are not solutions but rather Band Aides to cover up how we feel.

Such memories can also cripple you with a negative self-image and must be dealt with, as this can hold you back in every aspect of your life from getting a good job to having healthy, happy relationships. You must consciously create a new and positive self-image based on who you are today – not who you might have been in the past. To assist you in doing this, here area few tips:

1) Whenever you hear your mind belittling you in some way (you are so stupid or you don’t deserve to have whatever.) immediately replace that thought with a positive one. Keep doing this and eventually, you will automatically think positive things about yourself. It is a matter of reprogramming your mind.
2) Recall the negative memory and try to find a positive in it. For instance, did that experience make you a more understanding person? Did it help you cope with events that occurred later in life? It helps to understand that everything happens for a reason.
3) Is there someone from your past that you truly hate because of what they did to you? There is no way to get past this except to forgive that person. I know this can be terribly difficult, but it may help to know that we are all on our own path in life and along that path, lessons (no matter how difficult) are placed in front of us to be learned. That person was on his or her own path and karma will come into play at some point. By hating, you only hurt yourself.
4) Realize that the past is just that: the past. Why let it ruin your future?