Hello {!firstname}:

Last Friday, Richard and I took the day off and spent it playing with our nephew and his family who were in the Berkshires for school vacation week. The highlight of the day was a trip to the Berkshire Museum, just three blocks from our home. We stopped for lunch on the way, and then explored every square inch of this small gem of a museum right in our backyard.

The relatively new Hall of Innovation highlights many of the spectacular innovations that Berkshire residents have spawned over the decades, and always leaves me inspired and energized. So just what is innovation and how can we become innovators in reinventing our lives in this next stage?

Innovation, according to the Museum, is "improving the way something is done by experimenting with a new idea or approach, analyzing the results and revising the idea, and going back and trying it again." Interesting? It doesn't mean experiment with a new idea or approach and if it doesn't work, give up. It means keep trying -- with fresh approaches and new ideas.

Innovators "must overcome obstacles, defeat and rejection by persisting even when financial or material resources are scarce, solving problems creatively, and refusing to quit when confronted by rejection or defeat."

So, how can YOU become an innovator as you transition into your encore life?

To your endless innovative possibilities! ☺

Lin Schreiber, Retirement Revolutionary

The only bathing suit I have makes me look like my grandmother's grandmother, I don't have any glamorous "resort" clothes to pack, and I haven't lost a pound in the past 12 months I've known I'm going to Costa Rica. But, the good news is I'm going to Costa Rica. In three short weeks! With a terrific group of women!! And, you can, too!

There's still time for the spontaneous you out there who is yearning for some relaxing, fun "ME" time, to come explore the many wonders of cloud forest (and coastal) Costa Rica March 21-27. I promise you'll return Older (but only by seven days!), Bolder, & Better than ever before!!

Check it out.

Expand Your Thinking About How You Might Make a Difference
by Lin Schreiber, Retirement Coach

There are many different ways we can make a contribution in our encore careers. Often, we think of volunteering when we think of giving back. And, while there's nothing wrong with volunteering -- worthy non-profit organizations everywhere survive and thrive because of their volunteers -- I was reminded this week by one of my coaching clients of one powerful and very different way of making a difference on the planet.

Rose and I have been working together for four months, and this week she had a major breakthrough around her encore career. When we began our coaching relationship, she didn't know what she wanted to do, but Rose was certain that whatever it was, it had to include some kind of contribution.

In our very first session, Rose announced that she thought she would like to join the Peace Corps and put her talents to work in a third world country when she retires. So, it won't surprise you to find out that Rose's entire 34-year career has been spent in various helping professions. For the past 12 years, she's been the Executive Director of a non-profit that provides independent living situations for mentally and emotionally challenged adults. She loves her work and the people she helps, and at the same time, she comes home drained and exhausted at the end of each day.

Rose plans to retire in four years, and is fortunate that she will not have to earn an income to meet her financial requirements. She does want to continue to be productive and is on the path to discover a meaningful, fulfilling way to continue to contribute in this next stage of life.

Over the last four months, Rose has identified her values, and many of her needs, wants and desires. Yesterday, her long buried dream of becoming an artist was uncovered. As a child and into her teens she loved to paint, but put that aside to go to college and get a "real" job.

What was her breakthrough? Rose sees that she's served in a certain way during her career, and is burnt out and yearning for a big change. The realization that she could express herself artistically, and make a different kind of "difference" by creating works of beauty stunned her. And, she doesn't have to wait until she retires to start to pursue her art. She plans to set up an easel in the corner of her den, purchase some materials, and find a painting class where she can relearn some of the basics.

Best of all, she's excited about -- and looking forward to -- her future. Is there some form of creative expression that you've been longing to try? What's one small step you can take today to begin?

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you keep it intact and include this blurb with it:  Encore Career Coach Lin Schreiber, author of the popular ABC's of Revolutionizing Retirement, helps self-reliant women reinvent themselves in the next stage of life, formerly known as "retirement," by designing a new encore life that includes a fulfilling encore career. To claim your free Encore Career Starter Kit, visit her site at http://www.EncoreCareerStarterKit.com.

Remember the blog I was doing for awhile for my friends at REAL Powered by Humana? Well, they keep adding lots of terrific value on their website, and the latest is a fun and exciting sweepstakes running from 2/22/10 -- 3/3/10.

It's called "REAL Moments" and is a reminder of the importance of celebrating these times in our lives that are so full of new choices, challenges and opportunities. What's your "REAL Moment"? Share it and you may be the lucky winner (chosen at random) to win a Flip Mino HD Camcorder to capture your future "REAL Moments" in high definition -- anytime, anywhere! Share your "REAL Moment" and enter the sweepstakes.

I would enter if I could, but I can't, and I can't tell you why just yet. Yes, I'm such a tease! ☺

Two more Purpose Prize Winners coming up:

March 2: From Homeless to Helping Kids Find Their Way Out of Poverty with Ann Higdon

March 9: What Kids Can Do to Change the World with Barbara Cervone

And if you missed the terrific shows with Nasrine Gross and Liz & Steve Alderman, you can listen to or download them here:

Fighting Illiteracy in Afghanistan One Couple at a Time with Nasrine Gross

Turning Personal Tragedy Into a Force for Global Good with Liz & Steve Alderman

"Often we set out to make a difference in the lives of others only to discover we have made a difference in our own."

~ Ellie Braun-Haley

Lin Schreiber, PCC, loves helping self-reliant 50- to 60-something women reinvent themselves in ideal encore careers in the next stage of life, formerly known as "retirement".

She is a sought after speaker and through her business, Revolutionize Retirement™, she delivers comprehensive coaching programs to individuals over the phone, and to groups at her Boot Camp live events at Kripalu Yoga & Health Center. Combining her contagious enthusiasm, non-stop energy, and passion for her subject, Lin creates a fun, dynamic learning environment that energizes and inspires her audiences and her clients.

Founder of www.RevolutionizeRetirement.com, Lin is featured on the PBS series Boomers: Redefining Life After Fifty™ and is author of The ABC's of Retiring Retirement.

Lin is currently hosting the weekly, one-hour live internet talk radio show, The WOW Zone! on Voice America. www.WowZoneRadioShow.com

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