The second half of life can be your best… if you know how to create it.

Up early to head out to Grand Rapids today to teach another bridal class for Kérastase.

I don’t go out to teach as many classes anymore like I did just a few years ago. It’s a new season of life. Things are different now and it seems like the brand education season is on the back burner, at least for right now.

Years ago, I wanted all the experiences the beauty industry had to offer. I wanted to make a name. I wanted to be on the scene. And I did.

Years of travel and amazing opportunities were exhausting but I chased it all anyway. National Educator for the luxury haircare brand Kérastase. New York Fashion Week, Celebrity collabs, industry leader recognition, video and production work. Coast to coast I have taught to hairstylists in almost every single state. I have mentored countless beauty pros both locally and online. And I am grateful for every single connection I made and every experience I’ve had.

Now I am feeling a shift. I turned 50 last year.
And I will tell you, I seriously feel more confident, beautiful, healthy and strong than I ever have. Mind you, I have done a ton of work on my growth and development, which has been exhilarating, humbling, joyful and painful (physically, mentally and emotionally). And hear me when I say I have a loooonnnnggg way to go. But I am proud of where I am and who I am. And damn, I wish I could go back and tell my younger self how great we are going to be at an age I used to consider literally ancient.

But if you are in a transition or “dead’ phase yourself, you know it can be scary not knowing the exact direction your life and/or career are headed. No real concrete plan or strategy. But the great thing is that at any point in our lives, we can actually learn to slow down, listen to ourselves and embrace a discovery period like this so that everything can come together as it should. 

And it will. It always does. As long as we keep checking in with our compass

So, what is your compass and how can it lead to everything “coming together?”

For me, the compass is truly knowing what is most important in life.
What makes you happy? What brings joy? What unique talents do you have? In what ways can you use what makes you unique to make a difference? Picture a true dream life for yourself. It’s different for everyone. But it should go beyond the next vacation or career goal you have. I find it has more to do with a real purpose and how our passions and unique talents can be leveraged to help start the journey towards an exciting new chapter and creating the kind of life you truly want to live. Have you thought about what that looks like?

I have actually been in my discovery phase for a few years now. Admittedly, growth and my personal definition of success have come more slowly than I would have liked, so if yours has too, don’t feel alone.  I have still learned more about myself in the last couple of years than I did over the last 20 years at least. And that is valuable info because with self-realization comes different action in the world. With action comes new opportunities and experiences which ultimately lead to the exact right path. So trust the process and try to enjoy the journey.
Let me say that again. Slow down, be present to fully experience your life to the fullest as it is now and enjoy the journey to where you are headed.

I have found that discovering yourself again and finding your next direction can happen at any age. Also, it can change throughout your life and you may go through quite a few re-invention phases. Of course, I am not a therapist (although I have provided many, many hours of informal counsel and encouragement to my clients over the last 30 years) but I do know my own experience and I am pretty certain I am not a unicorn.

I want to to encourage you, no matter where you are in your life, age-wise, career-wise, chapter-wise, it is perfectly normal to not know your next direction, or what you actually want. Just trust that if you keep asking yourself questions about what is most important for you in your life, you will naturally start to have clarity about what your upcoming best-chapter-yet will look like and your will begin to create your own path toward it. Only you clear your path and only you can walk it. And this is what sets you a part from everyone else. Your path, your story. That’s YOUR secret sauce. So what will you do with it and how will you use it to live into your purpose in this next chapter?

Years ago, I dreamed of being a brand educator in the hair industry, I wanted to travel and teach and do cool things that most other stylists never get to.

Now, after achieving the very career I had dreamed of, I am looking to the next chapter, just like you. Meanwhile, I am teaching only a few classes a year and am open to my “what’s next.” Maybe this brand and this experience follows me into the next phase. Maybe not. But the beauty industry is my passion so I will now once again reinvent how I participate in it.

For today though, I get on a plane to Grand Rapids to teach in a salon team about bridal styling. What I know is that connection and sharing with other salon professionals is something that still lights me up. 

Think about what truly lights you up. What shape could that take on in order to put you on your path to your next dream-life experience?

Leave a comment or reach out on social to share your feelings on this and let me know what your next chapter will be. I’d love to hear from you.

XO,

Sarah