Lane 8, Impossible?
“When everybody tells you that you are being idealistic or impractical, consider the possibility that everybody could be wrong about what is right for you.” — Gilbert Kaplan
Super Hero?
Men of a certain age is the target audience for Mid Life Celebration. Baby Boomer men, and Gen X men over 40 years old.
All are welcome, of course. Yesterday’s Mid Life Celebration Guest Blogger, Lorie Sheffer, recommended “Men of a Certain Age” on TNT, tonight (Monday’s) at 10PM.
Click here to view Men of a Certain Age website. Viewing it will give you a quick idea whether or not you want to check it out. I’ll have to record it because 9:30PM is “lights out”.
Took a quick look yesterday. Really liked what I saw.
If you’ve seen it, and feel like it, share a quick comment about the show. Happy Monday.
MONEY
Top ten MONEY questions you should have answers to:
1. Do you spend less than you earn?
2. What is your net worth (assets minus liabilities)?
3. Do you have a CPA and Attorney?
4. Do you have a will?
5. Is your image tied to your possessions?
6. How much do you donate to charity?
7. Do you have a passive income source(s)?
8. How are your investments and assets diversified?
9. What size is your rainy day fund?
10. What’s your retirement date, and plan afterwards?
These are the basic, fundamental questions you should have ready answers to. Money is the one most people struggle with understanding how it works.
There is a Peace that surpasses all anxiety, when we have a solid, practical, and proactive approach to Money.
SPIRIT
Top ten SPIRIT questions you should have answers to:
1. What is Love?
2. What is more important than Love?
3. What is Hate?
4. What is worse than Hate?
5. How does the mind or body influence Spirit?
6. If you or your dearest loved one was dying, what would you do?
7. How do you count your blessings?
8. Whom do you thank for your blessings?
9. How often do you pray?
10. What’s at the very center of your spiritual beliefs?
These are the basic, fundamental questions you should have ready answers to. If not, you will not have Joy in your Spirit, nor will you have Peace in your Soul.
It’s that simple.
BODY - One of Life's Big Four
Things you should know the answers to:
1. What’s my weight?
2. What’s my cholesterol?
3. What’s my blood pressure?
4. What’s my BMI (body mass index)?
5. What’s my trigyliceride level?
6. What’s my resting heart rate?
7. What do I do for exercise?
8. How important are my eating habits?
9. What are my health goals?
10. What are my health beliefs and habits?
Knowing these is crucial for being personally responsible for your health. Not knowing these is a recipe for disaster. There are no short cuts to finding Peace.
There is a Peace that surpasses all understanding when you have done your best. Making excuses chases Peace away.
MIND
Top Ten MIND questions you should have answers to:
1. What do I read?
2. What do I study?
3. How much time do I spend learning?
4. How much time do I spend teaching others?
5. How well do I know my priorities?
6. What do I watch on TV?
7. Who are my friends?
8. How do I stay focused on continuous learning?
9. What is my IQ?
10. What should I be learning that I’m not?
Knowing these will give you Peace. There is no short cut.
Midlife Is Like An Ocean
Midlife Crisis is a household name.
There are two Mid Life Celebration Guest bloggers who are not.
Up first, this Sunday, is Erika Liodice, from Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.
Erika found Mid Life Celebration and invited me to be a Guest Blogger at her blog, Beyond The Gray.
Lorie Sheffer is also from Pennsylvania, and from my hometown of Spring Grove. Small World After All.
You’ll find their Midlife perspectives similar, but different.
Carpe diem!
Impossible Is Nothing
Click here to read the six steps from an Everyday Health article.
Or, simply read my list that says the same thing, just differently:
Ready, set, go!
Spirit
Midlife heartbreak or midlife opportunity. Pretty simple. Two choices. You get to pick one.
If you and your spouse (and yes, want to acknowledge some readers will not be parents), worked hard all your life and played by the rules, and you gave birth to a child without eyes and never able to walk, which would you pick?
Mid Life heartache or mid life opportunity?
Well, there was a Family that had to make this choice. They were featured on ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition as well as numerous other media pieces, including a heartwarming You Tube Video feature, about 6 minutes long, available at the end of this post.
One of my “secrets” to unspeakable joy is the daily effort to read, listen, watch, experience, think, do and reflect on the countless blessings that surround my ordinary life.
You have all these blessings too. But in order to feel the Peace and Contentment that are the fruit of these blessings, you must become fully aware.
You must become willing to invest time everyday. Even if it’s only six minutes. Will today be another day to postpone your new beginning?
If it’s not, click here.
No Easy Answer
Two simple choices:
They both have pros and cons.
Welcome to life – the real world.
Two Simple Choices. Pick One.
Simplicity is Complicated
Simplicity is an elusive goal sometimes.
Ok, simplicity is elusive most of the time.
But so are a lot of things that are important. Should that stop us from our pursuit?
There is only one, resounding answer to this question.
And maybe by tomorrow I’ll have my movie soundtrack song(s) to share with the world. This was a fun, and frustrating, exercise.
And anything but simple.
Should have seen it coming.
Chicago Tribune Building
Ever heard someone say what you say, but in a different way?
How’d it feel?
Some might feel threatened, because they thought their thoughts were original.
Some rejoice because it validates their thinking and belief system.
For me, it’s the latter.
Click here to go to Brian K. Rice, and his LeadershipConnextions blog. Brian quotes some of Gail Sheehy’s thoughts on Mid Life.
The purpose here today is simple – provide you with links, offering the same thing using different words.
PS. Tomorrow, we’ll revisit yesterday’s question.
Hard To Pick Just One
First thing on the list today, inspired by the Third Day song I’m currently listening to:
It’s simply joyful to know that so many people visit each day. Your visits humble me, inspire me.
Second thing on the list: If a movie was made of your life, what song would be featured?
If it’s easier, what top two or three songs? Hard to pick just one.
Breathtaking
“To Love and be Loved.”
“Wait! That’s it? That’s all you got? Are you kidding me?”, people might be thinking.
And I say, “What? it’s too simple for you?”
Hello. Earth to astonished person. Wake up. Of course it’s simple.
It’s profoundly simple, and yet simply profound.
“To Love and be Loved.”
Most of life is simple. It’s our nature to want to complicate things, to believe, “Everything is important.”
Why? It’s remains a mystery to this very day. Perhaps it’s the whole “keeping up with the Jones” syndrome.
Simplicity is the way. The only way.
By the way, “I’ll bet you still don’t have an answer, do you?”, he thought to himself as he finished writing this blog post.
Mid Life words are helpful. So are mid life phrases:
Life can change in an instant. This One-Take-You Tube video I shot the other day while leaving from my podiatrist illustrates this perfectly.
Life is short, play hard. Carpe diem. Just do it.
And expect Joy to follow.