Sonia Marsh - Gutsy Living

Life's too short to play it safe

  • Home
  • About Sonia
  • Blog
    • Starting Over
    • Solo Cruising
    • Travel & Adventure
    • Peace Corps
    • Writing & Publishing
  • Books
    • Freeways to Flip-Flops
    • My Gutsy Story® Anthology
  • Media
    • Press Kit +Videos
    • Print Media
    • Awards-Reviews-Testimonials
    • Sonia’s Blog Tour
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Archives for Karen Walrond

Here’s my life list, what’s yours?

June 16, 2011 by Sonia Marsh

10 items on Sonia’s life list

Starting today, we are sharing 10 items on our life list, which according to Karen Walrond is all about creating our own adventure. How do we do that? By “Injecting cool stuff as well as the more mundane stuff,”  Karen says. The idea came from Mighty Girl who was sponsored by Intel and Verizon to make her life list. Check her list out on her blog if you want ideas. (I wonder how we could get ours sponsored?) just a thought.

I listened to Karen Walrond speak at the WDS conference in Portland, a few days ago. Her topic was something that we can all relate to: “The Beauty of Different.” I became enthusiastic about what she said that people want to “fit in,” yet they love people who are different. I never thought of that before, but it’s so true.

As a photographer, Karen loves to capture people’s faces and in her video below, you’ll understand what she means when she says, “The reason we love different so much is that we find it beautiful.” Talk about different, Karen is a former engineer and a current yet (non-practicing attorney) a photographer, author and was born in Trinidad and Tobago, yet grew up in Houston. She states all her life she was trying to fit in until she discovered that people actually love different.

 

10 things on Sonia’s life list

1). Take a Spanish immersion class. Live with a family in Panama for three months to become fluent.
2). Host a party with friends to share and discuss the 10 most important things on your life list.
3). Join a bike club that is non-competitive and friendly.
4). Teach English abroad through CELTA program.
5). Write a second book about, Being Gutsy over 50.
6). Make presentations on Gutsy Living in the U.S and abroad.
7). Visit Australia with the goal of perhaps living there for a while.
8). Volunteer in Kenya or Tanzania with children.
9). Build a community of baby-boomer adventure-seekers who share an enthusiasm for life.
10). Explore new places and keep learning and growing.

Please share your life list if you want to participate. If you don’t have one, you can still participate by commenting. This post will be up until Monday June 20th, so you have time. Remember you’ll have 100 items on your own list, so these don’t have to be the most important.

Just think about what you’d like to do, however big or small. Doesn’t matter.

Are you stuck in a rut? Make a life list

June 9, 2011 by Sonia Marsh

I’ve been stuck in a rut, going to bed around 9 and waking up at 5. After my cup of coffee, I jump in the car and head to the gym. There I ride the reclining bike followed by the same weight training routine I started 28 years ago. Even my dinners fall into a set routine: grilled chicken, turkey and fish, week after week.

Photo credit Candy TX

My life has pretty much become one boring routine, and I don’t do boring well. That’s when I get the urge to take a trip abroad and experience a new culture; but like most people, I can’t afford that. So I have to change something in my daily life but what? Start hiking? Visit new places in my local area? Sign up for a yoga class?

I feel like I spend my life in a cubicle (kitchen) in front of my computer screen for eight hours a day, including weekends. I need to rediscover joy and passion and make daily life “Gutsy.”

Last weekend something changed within me. I almost canceled my trip to Portland, and that would have been a disaster. You see I was scared of being one of the few middle-aged people to attend the World Domination Summit. (No this has nothing to do with politics or religion.) I soon found out that we were 500 people of all ages and all professions who believe you should make your passion your life. It’s about taking risks and quitting your cubicle job, if you’re fed up with it, and doing something that’s important and meaningful to you.

I was surrounded by inspiring people who have taken risks to pursue their dreams. For example, Judi Ettenberg, decided to save her money and quit her attorney job in New York, to travel the world. She is now a writer and you can follow her journey on her blog Legal Nomads.

 

Sonia (me) and Maggy

I made new friends.

Maggy from London who is fearless, and Brenda from Michigan, who has recently become fearless.
Maggy loves African music and plans on living there soon. As a mother and a wife, Brenda told me she’s been afraid to try new things. Her new motto is to say, “yes,” right away, and so she went sky-diving for the first time at the conference.
When Karen Walrond, a former engineer and a current (though non-practicing) attorney, spoke about “Adventure occurs when you embrace possibility,” and that not all of us can travel whenever we want to, this resonated with me. Karen talked about the importance of writing down your own life list.  

So what is a life list?


A life list is not a bucket list. It must contain about 100 things and in addition to the awesome things you want to do, it must also contain some of the mundane.

For example:

  • Take a gentle yoga class
  • Take a ride in a hot air balloon
  • Make your own ice-cream
  • Learn how to paint
  • Start a blog
  • Start hiking.
  • Start a gourmet dinner club with friends

I realized that I can make changes which may not seem big, but they make a difference in how I feel.

If you feel like your life has temporarily stalled, and you’d like to jump start it, here are ten more tips on how to get out of being stuck in a rut.

Do you like the idea of a life list? Please share some things you want to change in your daily life.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Sign up for my Gutsy Updates

Sign up to receive awesome content in your inbox, every month.

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Welcome to My New Life

Welcome to My New Life

Do you feel trapped?
Let me Help You Rediscover Your Freedom.
I divorced at 58, and now belong to myself.
If I can do it, so can you!
Let me help you find your purpose and become your own best friend.

Click the cover to buy on Amazon

Recent Posts

  • I’ve Forgotten How to Drive — My Tesla’s Drives Better Than Me
  • Why I Quit Dating Apps at 68—And My 35-Year-Old Son Has the Same Problem
  • Solo Cruising Doesn’t Mean You’re Alone

Also Available At:

Latest from the blog

  • I’ve Forgotten How to Drive — My Tesla’s Drives Better Than Me
  • Why I Quit Dating Apps at 68—And My 35-Year-Old Son Has the Same Problem
  • Solo Cruising Doesn’t Mean You’re Alone
  • Single Woman Cruising Solo
  • What Does Self-Love Mean to You?

Top Posts

  • “My Gutsy Story®” Bonnie Kassel
  • Differences Between a French, a British and an American Gym
  • Join the "My Gutsy Story" contest and sponsor prizes
  • Online Dating: My Coping Mechanism for Boredom
  • Book Launch Party! My BIG Day is here
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2026 · Beautiful Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Loading Comments...