Sonia Marsh - Gutsy Living

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Is 75 the new 45? Can you can do this?

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When I first saw this YouTube video, I was told it was Ginger Rogers at 92, dancing with her 29-year-old great-grandson. I couldn’t believe it!I told my friends at the gym this morning, “You’ve got to see Ginger Rogers and how well she can dance at 92.” Of course, I exaggerated how she was flung up in the air, landing with a back-flip…etc…

I felt motivated to push myself harder, do an extra set of leg extensions and leg curls and another fifty ab crunches on the ball.

“I have to share this with everyone,” I told my husband, and then it occurred to me, “What if it’s not Ginger Rogers?” After my Google search, I discovered that Ginger Rogers died in 1995, and this was a 75-year-old, Englishwoman Sarah “Paddy” Jones who took up salsa dancing after moving to Spain some years ago. In the clip, Sarah is dancing with her dance instructor, Nicholas ‘Nicko’ Espluos.

Disappointed, I thought, well at seventy-five, this no longer seem sensational. Had it been Ginger Rogers at ninety-two, this would be spectacular, but so what at seventy-five.

Then I started thinking about some of the fifty-year-olds at my gym, the ones I used to train as a personal trainer. Many huffed and puffed their way up the stairs, couldn’t get off the floor mat without grabbing onto a chair, and I changed my mind and decided: Sonia, you’re crazy! Sarah “Paddy” Jones is 75. She deserves to be praised for her flexible body and her Gutsy attitude. So what if she’s not Ginger Rogers. She’s “Paddy” and she’s amazing.”

The first minute of the video is a teaser, so please watch to the end. I guarantee you’ll be inspired to start moving, taking a dance class, yoga, or lifting weights, if you haven’t already.

If you’re inspired, please let us know, and share with a friend or someone who could use some motivation today.

Any regrets in your life?

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regret. nothing.

Do you find yourself saying: “I wish I’d done… or I wish I’d been… or I wish I hadn’t…” How does that make you feel? We’ve all made mistakes and there’s no reason to beat ourselves up or spend our life feeling guilty about our past.

My mother died when I was twenty-five, and she was fifty-seven. This triggered within me the goal to live a Gutsy life and never postpone my dreams. None of us know how much time we have left, so why not enjoy today, and every single day.

I remember writing about this topic before, and one person’s comment made a lot of sense:

There is no point in regretting anything, because you always do what you think is best at the time. Who would deliberately make a bad decision? Nobody. So, no regrets! Keeps you sane as well.

Perhaps teenagers are more prone to making bad choices even if they realize it at the time. Most of us have made mistakes, some bigger than others, but instead of looking at them with regret or failure, we need think of our past choices as opportunities that resulted in our growth and change.

Drifting back to the past, where we may punish ourselves with our mistakes and regrets, is a waste of time. The what if”s are useful for those who wish to write fiction, but not to be used against ourselves. Instead, we need to look at living in the moment; a universal bond that links all humans whether rich or poor, but so many of us forget to appreciate. I force myself to enjoy the minutes I have right now. It doesn’t happen automatically; I have to stop and think about what I’m doing at this moment.

When a friend wrote: “I was pretty much told, if you have no regrets you are in denial and a liar,” my first thought was: Who would make such a statement?
What do you think?
Any regrets?

Do you have a vision for 2011?

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Fireworks #1

Do you feel pressured to change something about yourself? Whether it’s your health, your work, your life, your marriage or your location, when the New Year is staring you in the face.

I don’t know about you, but there seems to be more pressure this year, than ever before. Perhaps I’m reading more blogs related to goal setting, making things happen or listening to the media, however I feel bombarded with messages on how to:

  • structure your day
  • organize your work
  • become more efficient
  • take baby-steps to reach your goals
  • make to-do lists
  • make short -term goals
  • make long-term goals
  • add five minutes to your walk a day and you’ll soon be able to run a marathon

As most of us know, January is the month when we make resolutions, and February is the one when most of us break them. Of course, this does not apply to you and me.

I try to set my goals based on a clear vision of where I want my life to go. For example:

  • In the next year, my goal is to have an agent and/or a publisher for my memoir.
  • In the next year, I want to launch my improved blog and website.
  • In the next 2-3 years I plan on moving to our house in Naples, Florida.
  • In the next 5-7 years I want to do 27 months of Peace Corps work.

So here’s my first change starting right this minute: I’m going to start smiling more. Why? Not only is it supposed to energize the brain and muscles, but it will make me feel happy and perhaps someone else too.

What about you? Do you have goals for 2011, or do you prefer not to think about it?

How to make a "someday" dream into reality. Chris Guillebeau talks in LA.

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Last Friday evening, one of my recent dreams became a reality: I met Chris Guillebeau. I arrived early and parked myself in a plastic chair, second to front row seat, inside a fun and funky bookstore called, Book Soup, in West Hollyood.
Bursting at the seams, a crowd of enthusiastic fans of all ages, including a young boy, (you can view photos taken by Dyana Valentine,) came to listen to him speak. There is a photo of Chris talking to me in the middle of all the pictures. You can’t miss my bright red sweater.
Chris talked about: how to live a remarkable life in a conventional world. He believes the two most important questions we need to ask ourselves are:
1). What do you really want to get out of life?
2). What can you offer the world that no one else can?
He mentioned a common theme that crops up when people e-mail him about taking action for something they want to do, or to change in their lives.“I worry I’m too late.”
Chris replies, “The best time to start was probably last year, but failing that, today will do.”
Unfortunately, I did not hook up with Jodi Sagorin, whom I wrote about last week.
I have many “someday” dreams that I plan to make into reality.  
What about you?
What dreams do you wish to make into reality?

Be a risk taker, make a Google connection

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 Jodi Sagorin author of blog
Have you ever Googled a topic that interests you and found someone online that you’d like to connect with?
Well, here’s what happened to me yesterday morning. I Googled “Gutsy People” since I’m intrigued by risk-takers, and nineteen-year-old Jodi Sagorin, and her blog, “If you never did, you should,”  popped up.
I was fascinated by this young woman and her passion for adventure, and risk-taking. Was she born with it? How did it develop? Did it come from her parents? And then I noticed an article in the Orange County newspaper, my local paper, “Irvine teen chooses India over prestigious University.” Jodi wanted to volunteer in India to empower women in poverty-stricken areas.
I sent Jodi an e-mail asking if I could interview her and if she was still in India. She wrote back, and she’s now in Orange County, only one town north of me, and is also a huge fan of Chris Guillebeau’s, “The Art on Non-Conformity.”
So why did Jodi start her blog?
“To show people that it’s possible to live a life of adventure. I traveled a lot with my parents as a child. My dad’s the gutsy one! He’s a skydiver, heli-boarder, surfer, snowboarder, skater, anything and everything.”

How did you become Gutsy? What influenced you? Is it something you’re born with or you develop?

I was definitely born gutsy and I have the battle scars to prove it. My parents had their hands full with me, constantly yanking me out of trees, out of huge surf, you name it. The nurses in the broken bones department in the ER knew me by name. Although my gutsiness is inherent, I’m a firm believer that anyone can be gutsy if they make the decision to be. If you’re not born with it, work on it. Challenge yourself. Get out there. Dive in. Jump off. Launch. It’s so worth it.
What motivates you in life?
Ever since I can remember I’ve wanted to live a full life. Full of adventure and full of experiences. I’m always dreaming, goal-writing, scheming, and sparking. I think that’s what it’s all about. I guess my motivation is the fear of conformity and mediocrity.
What would you like your life to be like at 25, 35, 45?
Toughie! My answers are the same for each one: I want to be running a few businesses I love, traveling the world, jamming and collaborating with awesome people, jumping off things, dreaming, doing, and staying enthusiastic about life in general. I guess you can throw in an awesome guy and possibly some spawn of my own, too.
What would you tell someone who’s afraid of change?
Get over it. Embrace it. Live a little. We’re all a little scared of getting out of our comfort zone, but once you realize that change is progress, life gets a whole lot more interesting. Make the decision to be remarkable.
Who do you admire?
I admire a lot of people and have tons of people I consider heroes. The ones that come to the top of my head are: Seth Godin, Chris Guillebeau, Danielle Laporte, Lachlan Cotter, and Jonathan Mead.
Chris Guillebeau
So tomorrow evening, I shall meet both Jodi and Chris Guillebeau at his Unconventional Book Tour in Los Angeles
at Book Soup (8818 Sunset Blvd.), Friday night at 7pm — hope to see you there!
Do you have any stories to share about people you admire?

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