Disney Leadership Keynote Speaker
Five daily blogs about life's 5 big choices on five interconnected sites.
Retired Disney Institute Keynote Speaker and Prolific Blogger. Five daily, differently-themed personal blogs (about life's 5 big choices) on five interconnected sites.
Casual events, planned events, they come and they go. Like the ocean tide. Never resting. Always predictable. And mostly, unnoticed.
A casual event on Twitter the other day – a fellow entrepreneur wrote a quick, deliberate note, and it’s still with me this morning. In fact I had to write it down but was unsure why.
Now I know, it’s because I’d like to share it with you. It’s very simple, but in this particular case, it’s very purposeful:
“Have a wonder-filled day”!
The unexamined life is not worth living.
Now why would anyone say such a thing?
Who said it?
Socrates.
What does it matter who said it, really?
Really? What matters is between you and your peace of mind.
Mid Life – a great opportunity to rethink, reprioritize and recommit.
But this will require some serious examination.
Ahhh, so now I get it, the unexamined life is not worth living.
Good Thursday morning everyone. Sitting here in the office with a neighbor friend who’s interested in social media. We’ve been talking for an hour now, and it’s very different for me to begin the daily writing process with “an audience”.
You may be asking, “So?”
So, all this means is that it feels really good to find a unique way to illustrate the whole concept of waking up and writing five blogs each morning. I mean, there’s a Pastor here validating this. It’s simply an unexpected opportunity to illustrate the way this blog is different from the other 80-million blogs.
Nothing phony here. Real life in real time.
As you think about your challenges at whatever life-stage you’re in, do you like your level of motivation, or do you feel like giving up? It’s your choice. Always has been, always will be.
I’m honored to be included in Jeff’s blog, and I’d like to get your help with something.
Most of us arrived at adulthood with the idea that we were in charge of our own lives, and that as adults, we could do things our own way. We operate with this thought in mind until reality comes along and reminds us that we can’t defy the laws on nature. It’s during these “midlife moments” that we wake up and realize that we’re not as invincible as we once thought we were, and that we can’t afford to put off the things that are really important.
Here an example of what I’m talking about. I’ve always been very proud of my youthful appearance. I inherited it from my two very youthful parents. Although both of my parents are in their seventies, they are both still very active and look much younger than their years.
For a long time, I thought of this as my genetic curse. When I was in college, people thought I still looked like a kid, and they treated me accordingly. In the early stages of my career, I felt like I wasn’t taken seriously because I didn’t look experienced enough. Later, however, I came to see this youthful appearance as a blessing. I went to a 20-year class reunion and was struck by how much everyone in my class had aged. It sounds conceited, but I left that reunion saying to myself, “Damn, I look good!”
But the good times can’t last forever. One thing I had become accustomed to was being carded. I don’t buy alcohol very often, but when I do, I was used to having the clerk say, “Can I see some ID?” So I’ll never forget that moment when I was buying a bottle of wine to take to a party…and the clerk forgot to ask to see my driver’s license. I thought to myself, “This girl is really off her game, of course I need to be carded.” So I opened my wallet and said, “Don’t you want to see my ID?”
She smiled at me weakly, and said, “Uh…sure.” And at that moment, it hit me: I guess I don’t look 21 anymore. She might as well have said, “Oh yeah, of course I want to see your ID…old man!” Because in that moment, that’s how it felt to me.
Even though the moment was a blow to my ego, I still think I look damn good for my age. I just don’t expect to get carded anymore. And that’s okay by me.
What are some of your most memorable examples of “mid-life moments?” I’d like to hear from you! Please send your favorite midlife moments to Jeff as a comment or email and we’ll share the most intriguing ones here on Mid Life Celebration. Want some thought-starters? Here are a few:
*The day you went from being addressed as “Miss” to “Ma’am”
*The day someone commented on how “distinguished” you look
*The day you realized you couldn’t read the fine print anymore
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Could the iPad change the way people blog?
Betting a dollar it will.
Betting you’ll start seeing it here.