Ageless Passions by Karen Putz

Category: Unwrap Your Passion

  • Don’t Put Off Living By Waiting for Perfection

    growing bolder with passion

    All too often, I find that the quest for perfection often gets in the way of enjoying life. People are waiting for all the ducks to be lined up, the “i” to be dotted and the “t” to be crossed, and the perfect time to arrive–before they start living what they really want.

    When I decided to take up barefoot water skiing after a 20+ year absence, I was quite overweight and very out of shape. I wanted to put it off and get in shape before heading down to Florida.

    I’m glad I didn’t. I would still be waiting today if I waited for everything to be perfect before getting back on the water.

    Because I’m still carrying extra pounds and lumpy in all the wrong places.

    Perfection is the killer of dreams. Waiting for everything or anything to be perfect means that the world never gets to see your gifts. They never get to see the beautiful, imperfectly perfect human being that you are.

     

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    I left a mistake in one of my books after publishing it. I could have easily taken it down and fixed the typo.

    But I left it in there.

    I often give this book as a gift or hand it out at workshops. It’s a simple writing journal with inspirational quotes about passion. The book is a reminder to keep our focus on our joy–to do things in life that matter and to live with gratitude.

    The typo in there is a wonderful reminder to celebrate life in all it’s glorious imperfections.

    So that thing you’re putting off until everything is perfect…

    Quit waiting.

     

  • Break Through Your Limits by Walking on Fire

    tony robbins on stage

    One of the things on my Bucket List (henceforth known as the Dream List, as a Tony Robbins graduate told me) was to experience a workshop by Tony Robbins. A few years ago, I met Mina Shah, one of Tony’s top trainers and I came close to signing up, but I felt the time wasn’t right.

    This year, the opportunity came up and everything fell in place for me to attend the Unleashing the Power Within workshop in Schaumburg.

    I have to admit, I was a little apprehensive about doing the firewalk that Tony Robbins offers at the end of the first day. In the days leading up to the workshop, I wavered back and forth between thoughts like, “What if I burn my feet,” to “I’m scared,” to “Oh come on, millions of people have walked on fire.”

    At one a.m., over 7,000 of us trudged out to the parking lot in complete darkness. Only the lights from the hotel rooms illuminated from above. Just before it was my turn to walk, the crew spread a fresh layer of glowing embers.

    Oh crap.

    The scared feeling escalated just a tad.

    But heck, everyone before me was walking through the hot stuff and smiling on the other side. Surely I could, too.

    And I did.

    I was blown away at how easy it was once I had the courage to put the first foot forward. All that followed was one foot after another until the crew stopped me and sprayed my feet.

    I was shocked to discover how easy it was. All the fears, all the wondering, all the limiting thoughts were for…nothing. Why did I waste all that time on things that turned out to be such a waste of time?

    firewalker karen putz tony robbins chicago

    Of course, walking on fire is simply a metaphor for life. The exercise is meant to identify the fears you have–the limiting beliefs–and walk right through them.

    Because if you can do that, you can do anything.

    Whatever it is you’re facing in life–here’s what you do:

    Walk through the fire.

  • Unwrapping Your Passion: Interview with Carole Cannon

    carole cannon

    When I met Carole Cannon at a Passion Test workshop, we connected immediately. Every bit of Carole screams PASSION! Carole’s journey hasn’t been an easy one. Carole lost her last child from a placenta abruption during childbirth and almost lost her own life as well. Her husband died of a heart attack at the age of 42, leaving Carole to raise their five children alone.

    Carole found her passion at a rummage sale. Someone dropped off a massage table. The table triggered an “Ah ha” moment as Carole realized she could become a massage therapist. The clues were present all along: in high school, Carole used to give massages to friends.

    In this interview, Carole talks about discovering her passion and what it means to wake up and love your life:

     

  • Reinventing Yourself at Any Age

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    “All our life experiences are building blocks to the next opportunity, to the next path, to the next journey, and it’s up to us to take that and go in that direction.”

     ~Karen Putz

    I’m turning 50 this year and I am so looking forward to celebrating that milestone.

    But at the age of 44, I felt quite the opposite about life. I was NOT looking forward to the years ahead. Life had become ho-hum and I wasn’t thrilled with approaching mid-life. Instead, I was looking back with regret, wishing I had done this or that. I had the feeling that the best years of my life were over and done with–and that aging was a downhill process.

    karen and judyMeeting 66-year old Judy Myers turned all of that around for me. I first saw her on the TODAY show which featured her story of taking up an extreme sport at the age of 53. Judy was older than me and truly living life to the fullest. We both shared a love for barefoot water skiing, and she brought me back to the sport I loved as a teen. Our story has been shown on PBS and CNN:

    A Mom Who Walks on Water

    Making a Splash on Water

    In the last five years, I’ve reinvented myself over and over by trying new things and experiencing new paths. In fact, I love helping others to the same–to unwrap their passions and start living life wide open.

    karen love

    Over at Boomers Reinvented, LeAura Anderson is on a mission to encourage the Boomer generation and beyond to reinvent themselves and live their best life.  I shared my own reinvention in an interview with LeAura in which we talk about passion:

    Life Wide Open (Captioned)

    If the first half of your life journey hasn’t quite been the life you wanted, you can simply start reinventing yourself right now and pivot in a new direction. Learn new skills or try something you’ve always wanted to do. Connect with a mentor and receive guidance. Experience something you’ve been putting off for “Someday.”

    Life begins now. Don’t put it off. Reinvent yourself.

  • The Three Places You Can Discover Clues to Your Passions

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    “I don’t have a passion.”

    “I don’t know what my passions are.”

    “I haven’t found that ONE passion.”

    Is this you? Are you searching for something “more” in your life? 

    I used to be so envious of people who found their passions early in life and went on to have stellar careers in that direction.  For many years, I was drifting through life with a couple of minor dreams, waiting for that magical “Someday” to appear so that I could start living them.

    Someday I was going to write a book.

    Someday I was going to travel.

    Someday I was going to get up on stage and speak.

    Someday I was going to live my passions–if I just knew what they were…

    It wasn’t until my 44th birthday that I started looking for some clues to my passions. I explored this topic in great detail.  I loved to write. I loved to talk to people. The more I thought about it, the more I began to realize the inklings of passion were indeed there. I just had ignored them for so long. 

    I was fortunate. I took those clues and created a life centered around passion and joy. I ended up writing several books. I unwrapped a long-buried passion for barefoot water skiing. I travel and speak on various topics–especially PASSION!

    There’s a richness in the journey when you center it around what you’re passionate about. Passion fuels you. 

    So where can you start?

     

    You can start with this simple activity that will begin to bring focus on your passions. Carve out some time in your day–you’ll need at least 30 minutes. An hour is even better. No distractions. Turn off the phone. Shut the door.

    Or even better, go someplace where technology isn’t a factor. I did this on a picnic table in a forest preserve near my home. 

    Here are three places you can discover clues to your passions: 

    The Past: 

    Reflect back on your childhood thoughts. What did you long for as a child? What did you grow up dreaming about? What were your moments of joy? What have you abandoned doing but wish you could do again?

    The Future: 

    What are you putting off for “Someday?” When you envision the future–who are you with? What are you doing? What do you have? How do others see you? 

    Right Now: 

    Where do you often go in your mind with your thoughts? What do you daydream about? When you are doing something that is of no interest to you, where do your thoughts drift off to? 

    Your past, present, and future thoughts are rich with clues. Being aware and writing them down is a powerful way to gain clarity.

    Want even more? Sign up for Passion Mentoring 

  • The Ricky Martin Email I Almost Deleted

    piccolo universe logo

    “High Profile Blogging Opportunity with Ricky Martin.”

    That was the subject line of an email that showed up in my inbox as I attempted to whittle down the proverbial pile.

    Yeah right, that’s spam, I thought. I moved the cursor to delete it.

    But something stopped me.

    I thought back to the time an editor from the Chicago Tribune contacted me and invited me to write a weekly column for the local section. It was fun seeing my articles in print each week. What if this was a similar opportunity? My intuition prompted me to open the email.

    Sure enough, it was a legitimate proposal to write parenting articles for Ricky Martin’s Piccolo Universe. It also lead to an opportunity to do some writing work for Walgreens as well.

    (So there’s a lesson there–listen to your intuition!)

    I knew very little about Ricky Martin when I started, other than a vague memory of Menudo and his song, Living la Vida Loca. Over the last year, I’ve learned more about Ricky and discovered a man with a heart centered around kindness and a penchant for inspirational quotes. He’s the father of twin boys, Matteo and Valentino. He has a foundation dedicated to helping children around the world.

    ricky martin tweets

    ricky martin tweets 2

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    It’s been a fun writing project because it ties two of my passions together: writing and kids. So if you’re looking for some parenting advice and articles, dive in:

    Water Safety for Kids

    Creative Ways to Teach Your Child to Read and Make Reading Fun

    Fun Activities to Keep Your Kids Busy Through Winter

    Meditation Moments: How to Create Calm in the Midst of Crazy Days

    How to be a Powerful Parent on the IEP Team

    Teach Your Baby to Communicate in Sign Language

    Five Smoothies to Kick Start your Day

    Getting Your Newborn Baby to Sleep

    What You Should Know About Your Child’s Hearing

    Marriage and Parenthood: Finding the Romance Again and Again

    Skip the Typical Florida Attractions: Five Fun Things to Do with Your Kids

    Scary Parenting Moments: Preparing Your Teen for the Driving Test

    Your Baby is Born and You’re Depressed. Now What? 

    How Not to Freak When Your Kid Brings Home a Snake

    Having the Courage to Parent YOUR Way

    Mason Jars: Ditch the Plastic and Use Glass Instead

    Concussions in Kids, What Parents Should Know

    The Sandwich Juggle: Caring for Parents While Parenting Your Own Children

     

     

  • Global Voices Of Social Media: Strength, Love, and Triumph

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    25 stories of women from all over the world with one common theme: strength, love, and triumph.

    I’m honored to have my story among these 25 amazing women. From adversity to triumph–each chapter captures the unique journey of what it takes to be passionately ALIVE.

    Download your copy for just .99 here:

    Global Voices of Social Media

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • The Speaker Journey

    karen putz speaking rotary 2

    A year ago, I embarked on a journey of becoming a speaker. In reality, I had been speaking for years and years, but I shifted my focus to specific topics and audiences. I especially wanted to target the areas of parenting, overcoming adversity, and passion.  It’s been a year of travel, learning, and lots of fun in the process. The best reward of all always comes in the form of feedback– smiles, laughter, or tears.  I especially love it when teachers share their amazement at having their students captivated and engaged, because that’s a tough audience to entertain!

    I’ve been doing a lot of speaking at schools with deaf and hard of hearing students as well as parents, due to two books geared to those audiences, The Parenting Journey, Raising Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children and The Passionate Lives of Deaf and Hard of Hearing People.   I also have a presentation designed for all students called “The Gift of a Different Ability.”

    More and more, I’m getting requests to do a two-hour “Unwrapping Your Passion” workshop. This is a fun, interactive session geared toward discovering your top five passions and creating a life around what you really want most. As a certified Passion Test Facilitator and Passion Coach, I especially enjoy this topic!

    If your school, organization, or business would like a speaker who walks on water (yeah, my other passion is barefoot water skiing!), contact me at karen@karenputz.com or 630-405-6262.

  • My Form of Meditation

     

    Every day, I take some time to meditate in the morning.  I also practice what I call the “Stop, drop, and meditate” ritual.  Quite simply, I drop everything and go within.   If I’m outside, I often capture a picture of my surroundings and share it with others.  To my great delight, I find others sharing their meditation pictures with me as well. I especially love the photos I spontaneously get from friends.  In the middle of busyness, it is a wonderful reminder to pause and reflect on what really matters.

    You don’t need anything fancy to start meditating. There’s nothing mysterious about it, although you will find many variations, processes, and rituals out there.  For me, meditation is my quiet time with God.  I’ve heard it said that prayer is “you talking to God” and meditation is “God talking to you.”

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  • Unwrapping Your Passion, The Iron Jen Radio Show

    Early this morning, I shared one of my favorite topics, “Unwrapping Your Passion” on the Iron Jen Radio Show with Jen McDonough. The show was captioned live, enabling deaf and hard of hearing people to join in.

    Jen and I crossed paths over on Dan Miller’s site, 48days.net.   I was inspired and fascinated by her journey to becoming an Ironman athlete and her family’s journey to pay off over $200,000 of debt. In June, Jen and her family will unleash their “debt free” scream on the Dave Ramsey Show. I’m pretty sure the scream will be so loud that deaf people will be able to hear it!

    In addition to the radio show, I had the honor of guest posting as well:

    Unwrapping Your Passion

    The 30-minute replay of the show can be heard here:

    Unwrapping Your Passion on the Iron Jen Show

    Transcript and captions provided by SpeechtText Access:

     Unwrapping Your Passion Transcript