Hello friends, and welcome to Notes from the Road! This is the place for news, advice, tools, and inspiration for thriving in your 50s and beyond. In this issue:

• Making your New Year’s resolutions stick this year.

• A look at Americans retiring overseas.

• Testing your longevity in less than a minute.

• The importance of being proactive with resolutions in retirement.

• The awe of midlife travel.

Let’s get started!

Well, everyone, it’s the second week of January. How are those New Year’s resolutions going?

I’ve had mixed success with New Year’s resolutions. Maybe you have, too. I start with the best of intentions. I set myself up for success. I try to build systems to support myself.

But each year, it gets a little bit harder to follow through.

It’s easy to argue that at midlife, maybe we should be finished with resolutions. After all, if we haven’t done something by now, maybe we never will. And maybe we’re not going to change anything very profound at this age.

On the other hand, I like that resolutions create distance between us and past failures, providing a clean slate and a fresh start. What better time to create some distance from our past than when we’re on the cusp of so many other changes?

So I’ve delved into my coaching toolkit to figure out how to crack the code of midlife resolutions. (Coach, heal thyself.) Here are three midlife-friendly ways to shift your focus from the “traditional” resolutions you may have in place:

• Un-Resolve: Resolve to not do something. Resolve to not beat yourself up for failing. Resolve to not pick the same resolutions you've picked every year if they will make you feel bad. Resolve to not set unachievable goals for yourself.

• Macro-Resolve (my favorite): Choose 1-3 words that represent what you want to bring to your life this year. Examples: joy, health, calm. Use these themes to set your direction for the year. Reflect on them in the morning and before bed. Weave them into the way you interact with others, the way you work, and the way you react to events.

• Micro-Resolve: Resolve to do something small and reasonable and something you can achieve in two weeks. Then do it again. Then do it again. Create habits so that these are on autopilot. (Bonus tip: read Atomic Habits* to understand why this is the most powerful move you can make).

Have you already made 2024 resolutions? Great. But if they start to go sideways, try adapting them to the ideas above.

Midlife resolutions are an opportunity for a new, lighter approach to self-improvement. Unless your resolutions are truly life-saving, think of them as a chance to play, to explore, and to understand yourself a little better. Try a few new approaches on for size.

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The Weekly Roundup

Worth your time to watch, read, and/or listen.

📰 Here’s What It Looks Like When Americans Retire Overseas. Six retirees share the financial and personal challenges of relocating in retirement. (11.5 min read)

📰 How to Test Your Longevity in Less Than a Minute. Try the sitting-rising test to score yourself. And then act accordingly. (3 min. read)

📰 New Year’s Resolutions Take on a Whole New Meaning in Retirement. Yes, it’s another piece this week on resolutions, but if you’re retired, you’ll need to be more proactive about your intentions. Here’s why. (6.5 min. read).

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