Mid Life Dreams. We all have them. We all like them. We all want them to come true.
This is probably where we take a wrong turn. Somewhere. Somehow. It happens.
But we are completely unaware. For a long time. A really long time. Maybe a couple decades.
We somehow miss the turn, get lost, and then end up at the proverbial midlife crisis.
It’s a ton of work to overcome decades of status quo.
It’s a ton of work to start a business. It’s a ton of work to get healthy and stay healthy. It’s a ton of work to save enough for retirement. It’s a ton of work to have a peaceful and contented spirit.
Everything is a ton of work.
It’s very similar to the early pioneers. This is the follow up video to the one from a few weeks ago. It was the burning sunset that prompted me to stop.
Unscripted and one-take, the way You Tube videos are traditionally done.
Harvard Business Review simply says this, in reference to the proverbial mid life crisis:
“A growing number of researchers are defining middle age more broadly and in positive terms, as a good time to reassess life goals and chart a new course.”
“Midlife is your best and last chance to become the real you,” declared an article on the topic last year in the Harvard Business Review, which drew thousands of emails in response, says co-author Carlo Strenger, an associate professor of psychology at Tel Aviv University in Israel and a researcher and consultant on midlife change.”
It’s simple.
We go through life and most of us mess it up. We get a second chance.
We did this constantly as children, a little less often as adolescents, and even less as teenagers.
Well, maybe we dreamed more as teenagers, but mostly about sex relationships.
But when did we stop dreaming about flying, or becoming an astronaut, artist, inventor, teacher, parent, Olympic athlete, President, CEO, farmer, race car driver, explorer, adventurer, writer, etc?
When?
When life started to get complicated.
When we can return to simplicity, our dreams will start to flourish again.
How do I know? Because I’m writing this for you to read.
Okay, my wife says I march to the beat of a different drummer. And after 50 years, I’m finally okay with that. It’s who I am – who I want to be.
Are ya with me? Are you cool with who you are? With the way people judge perceive you?
No, really, are you? Most people are, right? Because most people are pretty “normal” (whatever that means).
But if you’ve ever felt sort of out on the edge, the fringe so to speak, it’s a fairly lonely place to be. And it takes guts to be out there.
Had to tell you all of that to tell you this: “You didn’t give enough consideration to yesterday’s challenge to have a convincing answer today.”
How do I know? Because I live on the fringes, an outsider. Outsiders know. Wish it was explainable.
So, may I ask you, again, to take yesterday’s challenge more seriously today?
You know what, don’t even worry about. It’s far too much to ask of an adult, in mid life, to have an immediate, and convincing answer to the most basic of childhood questions.
Just tell those precious young minds to run along, and not to bother you.
Happy New Year’s Eve, the biggest drinking day of the year, in the entire world.
What will your New Year’s (or whatever date you use) Resolution be for 2010?
How did you do with the one(s) you made in 2009?
If you are curious enough or smart enough to pay attention, you can learn a lot from what I share. But like anything where excellence is a goal, the focus has to be constant.
Not everyone can keep up. That’s just the law of nature. There’s only a certain type that has that focus and discipline. What type are you?
Looking back to my 2009 resolution to start an Internet-based business, here are some numbers, mostly for posterity (and certainly not to boast):
Christmas is filled with Joy. Do you exchange gifts this time of year? How about for birthdays?
There are many who think gifts are only physical items, usually bought, but sometime handmade, items.
The real gift at mid life is a cumulative book of wisdom. People at mid life have varying degrees of self-confidence in the value of their “wisdom book”.
All mid life adults have something to offer. And most of us have a unique chapter we could add to Life’s Wisdom Book.
Take for example, all these confident, famous people – click here to be inspired and to perhaps grow a bit more confident in your own mid life wisdom.
Ever dreamed of being a writer, but haven’t “published” anything yet?
Are you an experienced writer and want to expand your reach, relevance and impact?
If you’d like to be a Guest blogger at any of the five-a-day blogs I write, please think about it over the holidays.
Most of you saw this coming, and 2010 promises to be the best year ever. How could it not be?
So, seriously, think about it.
I’ll never embarrass you or make you feel uncomfortable. Not intentionally anyway. I may embarrass myself occasionally, but that’s part of taking risks.
Beyond The Gray posted an interveiw with me last week. What joy! How cool is that? Pretty cool.
Click here to go directly to the Mid Life Celebration Guest Blogger interview.
Few things are more joyful than doing something positive for others. This is simply a starting point. Expect more of these as time marches on and don’t be surprised if I ask you to be a Guest Blogger.
Seriously. It could happen. Will you be ready? Do you have something important or funny (or both) to say?
I guarantee you do. No, seriously. You have talents and gifts that no one else has. And if you’ve never realized this before, may I humbly ask you to give some consideration to this thought? Carpe diem.
