Sara D.'s Comments
Mar 15, 2007 | comments: 49
Sara D. Mar 15, 2007, 2:59pm EDT
Bye everyone, Thanks for being here.
Please contact me at www.saradavidson.com for further conversation, and to get the free Leap workbook!

I loved all your comments.
Mar 15, 2007 | comments: 49
Sara D. Mar 15, 2007, 2:56pm EDT
Hi Liz,
Yes, I think the lessons and inspiration in Leap! apply to us all, at every age. My daughter, who's 22, and her friends are reading it and enjoying it. They have to deal with "What should I do with my whole life?" It's different in your 20s than your 50s, but my hope is that when you tell a true story well, it will resonate with a large number.
Mar 15, 2007 | comments: 49
Sara D. Mar 15, 2007, 2:54pm EDT
Hi Christine,
Re-locating is a great idea. I describe in Leap! how I moved to Boulder, CO, where I'd never been and knew no one. I also have an article posted on gather called "Re-Pot yourself," about giving yourself new soil when things look brown. The great thing is, if the move doesn't work out, you're not stuck, you can go elsewhere or return from where you came. But you've learned impt stuff in the process.
Re friends, best thing to do is talk about it when you feel they're trying to keep you back where you were. Don't let it slide and let resentments build. Your true friends will support, but there may be some adjustment pains.
Mar 15, 2007 | comments: 49
Sara D. Mar 15, 2007, 2:51pm EDT
Hi Becky,
Everyone finds a different passion to pursue. The only trend is that most want to continue to be engaged in the world, to contribute and create, to feel alive. But what helps, if you don't know what that passion is, is to learn something new, something that scares you a little and you're not sure you can do. Becoming a beginner again is wonderfully invigorating.
Mar 15, 2007 | comments: 49
Sara D. Mar 15, 2007, 2:48pm EDT
Hi Amy,
There were many moments, almost every interview, when I was stunned by the wisdom or inspiration I'd just heard. And not just for baby boomers, for all humans. Ex: When a friend told me about the "Second Arrow" in Buddhist thought. The first arrow is the bad thing that happens to you. The second is what you do to yourself because of the bad thing that happens.
When I went through the narrows, I berated myself for failing at work, failing at love, failing with my kids. That was the second slew of arrows. If you can just deal with the predicament itself without adding this self reproach, it will be much easier!
Mar 15, 2007 | comments: 49
Sara D. Mar 15, 2007, 2:45pm EDT
Hi Karin, I purposely interviewed some famous people to see if they have a special pass to get through the Narrows easier than the rest of us mortals. They don't!
What they do have, usually, is more financial resources. But even Carly Simon lost her NY apt when they tripled the rent, at the same time her record company was dropping her and she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She told me, in Leap!, "I felt discarded like a dog." So the experience is universal. It's our reaction to it that differs.
Mar 15, 2007 | comments: 49
Sara D. Mar 15, 2007, 2:43pm EDT
Hi Steve, I would like to have spent another year interviewing people, but my publisher gave me a deadline and had to stop. I hope to do more in future. Who would you like to talk with about this time in life?
Mar 15, 2007 | comments: 49
Sara D. Mar 15, 2007, 2:39pm EDT
Hi Jeff, I jsut tried posting a comment and I think it failed. After interviewing 200 people, I found there's no gender difference about the Narrows. Men hit it just as hard as women, sometimes harder, because they've been so identified with work and their self worth is tied up with that. This is true for women as well, but they've often been freer to develope other aspects of their nature. The important thing is to find what's meaningful for you. Everyone goes through this according to his or her character and situation. There's no one blueprint that applies to all. AS Carly Simon says in Leap!, it's critical to "follow your own star."
Mar 15, 2007 | comments: 49
Sara D. Mar 15, 2007, 2:33pm EDT
Ann, it's a different world from the one your grandfather lived and worked in. If your daughter will listen to you, (and many won't) suggest to her that she needs to start saving for the years when she won't be earning. Even if it's $10 a week. Good luck!
Unfortunately, we can't spare our children from learning by making their own mistakes. But if you put the info in gently, it may register, eventually.
Mar 15, 2007 | comments: 49
Sara D. Mar 15, 2007, 2:29pm EDT
Hi Alice,
Even though the Narrows may be decades off for you, it's never too soon to start aligning yourself and your life with your passion. When I was struggling, a history teacher asked me, "If you knew the world was going to end in 2 days, what would you do?" Ask yourself that question. And then look at your life and see if there's space in it to do and work in what's most important to you. i.e., one man told me, he'd want to be with people he loves in nature. I asked, how often do you do that? He said, once a year, maybe. Time to fit that in to the schedule.
Mar 15, 2007 | comments: 49
Sara D. Mar 15, 2007, 2:25pm EDT
Hi Linda,
Great question. A few of the people I interviewed were in tight financial straights, and I know that many are facing this critical issue: not enough saved, maybe no health insurance, and a need to earn money longer than they'd planned.
I did not focus, in Leap!, on finance - there are many books that help you plan for and figure out how to finance retirement. However, I do touch on several strategies: one is to scale down, which I did; one is to take a job to bring in money and when you feel more secure, pursue what your heart wants to do, regardless of the financial payoff. And last, consider starting your own business. You don't need much but a passion and a computer to begin a small business, and it can be anything you're interested in. I discuss this at length in Ch 8, "Get a Job." And there's also some guidance in the Leap Workbook, available free at www.saradavidson.com
Mar 15, 2007 | comments: 49
Sara D. Mar 15, 2007, 2:20pm EDT
Hi Josh,
Your parents are lucky that they have each other and a solid relationship that can weather this transition. Patience, and support are what's needed. No one call tell anyone else what they should do or what's right for them. But you can help the person get in touch with what makes him or her feel most alive, engaged, excited to be here. Once you know that, the way will unfold.
Mar 15, 2007 | comments: 49
Sara D. Mar 15, 2007, 2:18pm EDT
Hi Kerry,
That happend to me when I hit the narrows - I couldn't make things happen with the old strategies - setting a goal, working hard, not taking no for an answer. At this time, I found, it's more effective to be receptive, intuitive, patient, wait to see what unfolds, what your inner guidance tells you, instead of trying to power your way forward.
Againk, the LEAP Workbook, available at www.saradavidson.com, could help you more specifically.
Mar 15, 2007 | comments: 49
Sara D. Mar 15, 2007, 2:12pm EDT
Hi Bridget,
The only way I know to plan for it is to understand that when it happen, it's a natural transition and you're not alone. Just knowing that will help. I've also talked to people who don't find it traumatic, who find it energizing - the opportunity to open new doors, have more freedom, take steps you might not have been able to take before.
BY THE WAY, you can get a FREE Leap Workbook on my website: www.saradavidson.com, if you order the book or state where you already purchased it. The workbook has exercises and questions that will help you get through it and find what's right and authentic for you.
So take a breath, and relax.
Mar 15, 2007 | comments: 49
Sara D. Mar 15, 2007, 2:04pm EDT
Yes, Ann, most of us don't initiate change until we're forced to. And I've found that when you're down, in the dark, real transformation can occur. When everything's beautiful, there's not that impetus to really look inside and take major steps. I wish I didn't have to get brought to my knees, but it seems I do.
Mar 15, 2007 | comments: 49
Sara D. Mar 15, 2007, 1:58pm EDT
Thanks, it's great to be here. Let's get started!
Mar 15, 2007 | comments: 49
Sara D. Mar 15, 2007, 11:17am EDT
Hi - the chat happens from 2-3 pm EST. Please join us! Sara
Feb 27, 2007 | comments: 2
Sara D. Feb 28, 2007, 2:59pm EST
can't wait to read and chat...
 
Sara D.
Boulder, CO
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