Forever Fierce Day 2018

Forever Fierce Day 2018: women coming together and sharing what it means to be fierce at midlife.

There’s no doubt that midlife for baby boomers and Gen Xers is vastly different than it was for previous generations. Midlife these days is the beginning of an exciting new phase of life and the Forever Fierce women are here to show just how cool that can be.

Once again, these pioneering generations are paving the way. We have a lot of living to do still and?we deserve to be seen as the beautiful, intelligent, strong, kind, caring, loving, fierce women that we are. Age is irrelevant!

I’ve been blessed to be part of this movement from the beginning. It all started one year ago today, with the inspiration of our founder, Catherine Grace O’Connell. You can read about it here: THE FIERCE 50.

 

Catherine Grace O ? Founder, Forever Fierce
Infographic with ways to participate in Forever Fierce Day

It’s been an amazing year and I’m so proud to be part of the Forever Fierce team. The message aligns so well with my philosophy of helping midlife women to create a healthy lifestyle and be confident and happy in their own skin.

For me, being fierce means being true to myself and having the courage to stand up for what I believe in. It’s not always easy to ‘find your voice.’ And sometimes you may wonder if it’s even worth bothering, because who’s listening anyway?

That’s why this year’s campaign is about sharing the voices of everyday women who don’t necessarily have a ‘platform.’ Forever Fierce Day is a celebration of all of us, from all walks of life: because we all matter and we all deserve to be heard.

Below I have some of the wonderful women who enrich my life every day, sharing what it means to them to be FIERCE at midlife.

 

Meet my Fierce Friends

headshot of Amanda
Amanda, 54, Perth, WA, Australia.

When you get to midlife your life seems to come to a grinding halt. I found I lost myself, didn’t know what I wanted, what direction to take, where I fitted in. Your kids are off your hands and now its just the two of you. You have to take a step back and look at your life and figure out where to from here. What do I really want to achieve in the next phase of life.

For me it was looking at my health and exercise and getting into a routine of eating regular healthy meals, smaller portions. Enjoying life and stepping out of my comfort zone and just doing and achieving things I thought I never could. You really have to work at it. Some days you can just get into a rut, our bodies change, our mindset changes.
These things  are big to cope with when you are just so used to cruising through life and going on about normal day to day things. We tend to get more emotional about things, little things are big in our eyes. We tend to be more sensitive and irritable than we normally would be. Our hormones just take over and take control. I now can understand what a midlife crisis is all about. As it is a crisis as my world just got turned upside down. Things are different and now I am in a new direction and path.

Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.

Debby headshot
Debby, 56, Queensland, Australia.
I am proud to be the woman I have become. I’m a wife, a Mum, a grandmother, work full time and awesome friend. Here in my midlife I am happy where I am, I’m healthy and I enjoy my life. I don’t let anyone push me around or force me to do anything I don’t want to do. I make my own choices and think it’s my time to shine. I’m empowered by my circle of friends who are all fierce women in their midlife. I love the woman I am now and will continue to grow, improve and enjoy each and every day.
Colleen headshot
Colleen, 51, Texas, USA.

Confident is definitely a word for midlife…

We are more set in our ways, we know what we want. We know what’s important with ideas and giving up bad habits. It’s the best chance to become the real u. Transition happens; we now can anticipate potential pitfalls and know how to handle them. We are more maturely prepared to take on anything.
We integrate old passions: music, art, careers; we then honor our creative side and finish what we started …. in midlife the idealistic person is gone and a more cautious one emerges …. we are more healthy, more active and feeling our best … we can take on the world …. the little things in life really make the biggest impact on us and we no longer feel the need to be accepted by others because we know our beauty lies within.
And we love ourselves, our bodies and are honestly happy. Myself personally, all my relationships with family and friends are stronger at this point in life which makes us stronger, wiser and fierce; midlife really is a wonderful thing.
Headshot Cherie
Cherie, 47, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
I’m not sure how, but somehow all of a sudden I ended up here in mid-life! I’ve been waiting for the “crisis” to hit but so far so good and if anything, I dont think the dreaded “mid-life crisis” will ever hit me as I’m more in control, confident and happier than I ever have been. I have a great job, an Admin business, a beautiful husband, many friends…. some have carried through from my younger life and I’ve made many more along the way, so there’s so much to be grateful for.
This mid-life thing is actually proving to be fabulous, I know who I am and where I’m heading and I would never want to turn back the clock. I’m fiercer than ever and wish my younger self could have known that such great things were ahead.
Diane posing on a motorbike
Diane, 70, Corrimal, NSW, Australia.
I do agree that women can feel invisible as they age and I think times are really changing as far as male/female roles go. Women being judged on appearance and how productive they are has a lot to do with this. In days gone by men were seen as suave and sophisticated as they aged and women faded into the background not giving themselves as much consideration and care as others. Our upbringing can play a big part also. Keeping active and open minded has helped me as I have gotten older.  
Because I have gone to gyms and participated in group sessions I have mingled with many who have been the same age as my children and the majority have made me feel very welcome and I have responded to this and the others I now just ignore. I was one who chose to put my family first and looked after my grandchildren to help out but it was my choice and I loved it. However I did work part time as well, again my choice. I am still learning to be more confident and have more self belief and I think I can learn from both older and younger people. Respect across the board is my motto, it is something that is earned from attitude towards others. Give to others what you would like in return.
 
Tina headshot
Tina, 54, Jackson, TN, USA.
If you think back to our Grandmothers, you have to admit that this generation of mid lifers is not the same. We ARE fiercer! We are stronger, we speak our minds, we will not back down from a challenge and we wear blue jeans and t-shirts. I love being a mid lifer! I joined Instagram two years ago to keep me accountable on my weight loss journey and to make sure that I get to the gym. Little did I know, there is so many women out there just like me!

I love to lift weights and run (not fast) and kickboxing, and no you won’t get big like Arnold Schwarzenegger, it’s physically impossible. When we get older we lose bone density and muscle. Working out and weight lifting will help maintain bone and muscle. Just get out there and move!!!

Jo headshot
Jo, 46, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
FIERCE in midlife – great question!
 
Life is tough; life is busy; life is a struggle.
Life is happy; life is rich with love; life is fantastic.
Every day it changes.
 
Midlife is somewhere I never thought I would get a few years ago. A double lung transplant gave me that chance.
I am FIERCE because I made it.
I am FIERCE because I was determined.
I am FIERCE because I had a life I didn’t want to give up on.

Today I take no day for granted. I love, laugh, smile and just breathe it all in.

“A strong woman looks a challenge in the eye and gives it a wink.”
illustration of two champagne glasses

Cheers to all the fabulous, fierce midlife women around the world as we stand up to be counted!

How You Can Join the Celebration

Meet the team behind the scenes: FOREVER FIERCE ADMIN TEAM.

Spread the word by sharing this post on your favourite social media platform and tell us what it means to YOU to be fierce.

Join the conversation in the Facebook group, FOREVER FIERCE REVOLUTION.

UPDATE: Read about FOREVER FIERCE DAY 2019!

And BRIDGING THE GAP, that united millennials and midlifers in a reciprocal mentoring campaign.

Don’t forget to pin it for inspiration!

Pin with images of all the women

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