Thoughts on Aging

At age 60, I am feeling great (today, lol) and am doing well at taking care of myself.  I am 60% done, with a whopping 40% to go!  I have a giant jar of marbles on my vanity – one for each week until I am 100.  Each week I take a marble out.  The space reminds me of the time passed, and the marbles left remind me that I will not be here forever – and if I have something to do or say (and I do!) – I better get to it and not waste any time.

When we are young, we have energy and health, but no money and little wisdom.

When we are very old, hopefully we have wisdom and some money.

The era those overlap, when we have money, health, and wisdom, is the best time – when all our options are on the table.

“Youth is a gift of nature, but age is a work of art.” – Garson Kanin

“The more sand that has escaped from the hourglass of life, the clearer we should see through it.” – Jean Paul Richter

“To keep the heart unwrinkled, to be hopeful, kindly, cheerful, reverent – that is the triumph over old age.” – Thomas Bailey Aldrich

Feelings aren’t facts

Just because you feel offended or hurt doesn’t mean something is wrong.  

You have your history, ego, and sensitivities…

Learn to challenge your thoughts.

The world needs more leaders. Can you help?

The world needs more leaders – the kind with titles and the kind without.

A leader brings out the best in other people while accomplishing goals.

On your team at work, in your department, on your block, in your family, in a Scout Troop, in the community, on the sports team, in church, with kids, with teenagers, in your company, and everywhere.

Anyone can be a leader if they want to.  And being a leader opens doors.  If you do well leading a small team or initiative, you will get an opportunity to lead a bigger one, because there is a shortage of leaders.

Will you help?

Are you trustworthy?

Trust is a big deal.  If people do not trust you, opportunities do not come your way, people will avoid you, and it is difficult to get people that know you to help or cooperate with you.  Your bridges are burned.

If you are trustworthy, becoming successful is far easier.

Trustworthy – If we say we are going to do something, we do it when we say.  Make your word the law. If you tell yourself you will do something, follow through.  Others can trust you not to do something unpredictable, irrational, or harmful.

Are you trustworthy?

How to get people to like you

To get more people to like you, you have to like more people.

People like people who like them.  They can’t help it.

Don’t you?

I bet you really do not like people who you feel do not like you – right?

So to get people to like you, you have to like them first.

What is in your well?

What are your values?  What is in your heart? 

Whatever is down in your well will eventually come up in your bucket.

What is inside, you will manifest outside.

Win the inner game first.

What do you think of you?

People will never rise above their own opinion of themselves.  

That means you.

If you don’t see yourself as successful in a given area, then when the “threat of success”  or opportunity comes, you will self-sabotage to get back to who you think you are.

You will always perform at the level you see yourself.

So the first part of leveling up in your life is to see yourself as being better and believing you can and will.

If you can’t do that, it won’t happen.  If you can do that, the rest is easy.

What do you think of you?

Environment trumps will

Our environment will win out over our intentions over time.

So we must set up our environment to support the person we want to be and the goals we want to reach.

If we want to be clear-headed and not stressed, we need to declutter and clean our environment.

If we want to read and learn, then we must make a space with our book and our journal and pens on it that we see each day.

If we want to fix or build, once we have the shop space set up with the right tools and materials, we can’t help but find ourselves fixing or building.  If we don’t have it set up, we can’t do it.

If you want to workout regularly, layout your workout clothes and running shoes the night before, set up a mini gym in your basement with some dumbells, a jump rope and a mat, and a chart filled out with how many reps of what movements you will do and how far you will run.

If we want to look and feel professional, we need a closet with clothes that fit us well, that we look good in, and a mirror.  In the morning, it’s easy to accomplish it.

Get rid of things in your environment that are remnants from a lower performing past and remove things that no longer serve you.

Set up your environment so it’s easy to be the person you want to be, and do the things you want to do, and feel the way you want to feel.  

Happiness given multiplies

“Happiness pursued eludes.  Happiness given returns.”

Happiness is not something you chase, waiting until you get it to be happy.

Happiness is a way of looking at things while you are doing them.

Happiness is waiting for you to go first.  Then it multiplies.

How about today?

What are you filtering the world for?

What is important to you becomes what you filter and sort for in the world – what you seek and find and what you don’t see and ignore.

Be careful what you are looking for – because you are going to find it.

What are you looking for each day?