60 Before 60, Pat Mussieux

Birthdays, milestones for all of us, can be momentous or simply another day. For one woman, Pat Mussieux, a special birthday, her 60th, is one she has chosen to celebrate in a unique way.

A full year before Pat turned 60, she decided to ask her blog readers for suggestions about what she could do in the 365 days leading up to this milestone. "This is not a bucket list; this is a conscious journey to 60 so I can live in the moment, be present as I close my 50s. I'm also doing it to help other women get it, to say to themselves "Today, I'm going to...", and to know that 60 is a new chapter."

It's a perfect fit for Pat; in her own business, Confidence and Courage, she's a coach to Boomer Women, Boomer Women only. Pat coaches only Boomer Women because “I’m a similar, credible other; they know that I know. I know that all things are possible and I know that I’m authentic, I’m effective, I’m progressive.” Pat offers coaching/mentoring and teaching powerful mindset techniques to help women get out of their own way, figure out what they want to be when they grow up, explode their business and make the kind of money (and therefore have the kind of freedom) that they dream of.

Pat's turning this personal milestone into a business opportunity as well as a new leg of her own personal growth with her "60 before 60" campaign. By asking her readers for suggestions, Pat's giving them their own buy-in to her positivity about life. "Women are struggling to re-invent and adapt; I'm trying to establish a new mind-set that is outside our comfort zone perhaps, by making this birthday an adventure.

"We can blend our personal and professional sides; you need to be who you is, you is who you is, so live it out loud."

Pat's life hasn't always been so positive. When she left her husband of 22 years, her first year on her own was..." I kept telling myself “I can handle this; I’m a smart, independent woman!” But she became clinically depressed. Pat had days when she could barely get out of bed. During one of those days, watching Oprah, she saw Sarah Ban Breathnach discuss her book, “The Daybook of Simple Abundance” and the companion to that book, “The Simple Abundance Journal of Gratitude,” -- a tool that Oprah described as life changing. “When my own life began to fall apart, I held on to the Gratitude Journal habit. Many, many days I found it difficult to write about anything good… other than “Thank goodness the day is over!” Or “Thank you for the dark of winter, so I can just curl up on the couch and feel sorry for myself!”

Pat still journals every day. "For many women who struggle with self worth, journaling gives you a sense of growth and accomplishment because we move through our accomplishments too quickly. Get an empty book, notepad, and just start writing. Start with 5 things you're grateful for and that will get you into the habit of journaling daily."

"Next you must invest heavily in your own growth - every successful person does. I had to transform from pain to profit; unless you're making a sale, you're not in business."

Turning 60 will, or has already, happened for all of us, including Pat. "It's a big deal to me because I know I'm good and I know I'm poised to make a huge difference in the world. I know there's a tidal wave of boomer women turning 60 and it's a trigger, a time of reflection, transformation, and so I wanted to give every woman some ideas to get unstuck - me too!"

"The catalyst for my project was simple - to drive people to my blog, so it's a business tool, but it's also personal and I wanted it to have a sense of fun, control, adventure and consciousness."

"The response was overwhelming, and it's still continuing. The common theme was creativity and travel. It stimulated my thinking but it also included warm, fuzzy ideas too. I read my first Danielle Steel book, so now when I visit my Mom, we have one more fun thing to talk about."

"I'm doing 5 things a month, from Spin Cycling to a canoe trip to High Tea in Niagara-on-the-lake, to a bible study group. I'm stretching my comfort zone and I'm having fun. I get a sense of what I'm capable of; my fears no longer hold me down and I'm open to embracing whatever happens."

"Professional women need to realize that our personal and business lives are connected because otherwise your life is incongruent and it sends mixed messages to your clients and to yourself. All meaningful and lasting change starts first on the inside and then the real you appears on the outside."

Pat's birthday won't be the end of her project. She plans to continue seeking out people who "inspire, teach, stretch." And Pat will write another book about her 60 before 60 project "to get my message out to a larger audience and it'll be a fun book to read too that will leave the reader feeling hopeful, happy and inspired to live life like she means it."

"This project has created another facet in my life; it puts the sparkle on the journey to 60 and the diversity of activities has made the experience so much more textured - instead of feeling bad about 60, I'm bubbling over in anticipation and I'm learning as I have fun with it."

The day of Pat's 60th birthday will be a month, not a day. She has plans to include day trips with friends and family, and maybe rent a villa in Portugal also. "I've been invited to walk the Camino (the 780 kilometre medieval pilgrimage known as the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain), so my celebration will have great meaning and great memories."

"This project has given me and can give other Heart Business Journal readers so many lessons for success, for both our personal and professional lives. I've learned from this project that we are more alike than different. We need to stop comparing the inside of us to the outside of everybody else."

"Just be the best that you can be. Be truthful and get happy. Surround yourself with people who will help so you can live your full life!”

©Marcia Barhydt 2010