Whether it's a complete career change, moving country, walking through fire, or risking breaking her neck in her Louboutins - novelist Thérèse, aka; Lady Robinson, is a woman who's not afraid to take risks. Indeed her latest novel Letter from Paris, published by The Story Plant and available from Amazon for £8.25, is about precisely that.
Lady Terry
Here Thérèse shares her own personal take on why it's important to continue to take risks as a fabulous 50-something, taking inspiration from the characters in her latest book:
"We're programmed to believe that if we haven't achieved a dream by a certain age we may as well give up. Well I'm here to tell you that this is a myth - we are capable of bigger and better as life goes on. Why on earth should there be cut off point beyond which we have to lower our expectations or stop challenging ourselves? We need to embrace life's challenging moments head on and that's what I remind yourself every day."
1. Is there a novel in you? One of the characters in my new book is a fabulous fiftysomething who is also an established author - but if you're not sure you are ready to tap away at the computer quite yet, think about writing a journal. It is a brilliant way of keeping track of how you feel, the things which inspire you and what makes you laugh -and you never know what ideas it might trigger in weeks or years to come.
2. Go it alone - whether it's dining out or a weekend away - dare to spend some time by yourself, it feels liberating and you never know who you'll meet.
3. Wardrobe re-vamp - ok, so not all of us can afford to dress like the gorgeous Ines de La Fressange (I'm addicted to her Parisian Chic book) but investing in a little classic staple like a navy blazer or a biker jacket will make any wardrobe feel tres chic.
4. Be brave - my characters are brave girls by nature, changing career (teacher to events supremo) or even country, but walking into a room full of strangers and challenging yourself to have a chat with the gorgeous man in the corner or the fabulous woman of about your age is a great way of starting to mix things up.
5. Speak French! - so, you might not have done it since you were at school but being able to order smoked salmon on a day trip or in your local bistro will feel amazing - trust me on this one, I've been pretending I'm French all my life.
"Above all I think the biggest risk we could take is not taking risks at all. I try to remember that it is better to regret the things we've done, than to regret the things we never tried."
Read more about Thérèse's adventures at www.thereseblogs and pick up her latest novel 'Letter from Paris', published by The Story Plant and available from Amazon £8.25, as well as Kindle.​
Tagged in Women's Issues