Blog – Page 1159 – Disney Leadership Keynote Speaker

Afraid?

Are you afraid to die?

Why?

Or maybe, why not?

It’s a funny thing that people who are afraid of death could think the people who think about it are fatalistic.

Intriguing thought. One that never crossed my radar screen.

Unil two days ago.

Here’s the deal. We should be talking about death and planning for it the same way we talk about:

getting an education
interviewing for a job
paying off a mortgage
finding a life mate
planning vacations

You see, the reality is, those things are just like death, they are things humans (with mortgages) go through.

Death is simply another thing on the list, except for one tiny little challenge.

It scares people more than anything (except public speaking).

And I can’t figure out why.

Could be that I’m completely off base on this.

Could be that I’m hitting the bulls eye.

So, let’s review:

We’re born
We die

Why not face the obvious with the same thoughtfulness any professional person approaches life’s other routine events.

Oh, and you did get the memo right? The only thing you can really plan on is the one about death. All the others could go either way (successfully or unsuccessfully).

Death is the only one we will all successfully accomplish.

Fatalistic

Do you have any earthly idea when your funeral will be held?

Are you comfortable with your own mortality?

Does death and dying scare you?

These are questions most people in midlife try to avoid. One of the benefits from a midlife crisis is that it’s a friendly reminder that the clock is ticking and there is still time to transform.

Yesterday, on one of the Delta legs to get home from Massachusetts where I gave a few speeches, I had a conversation with a younger man, maybe 30.

He said I had a fatalistic life view. Not knowing exactly what fatalistic meant, and being caught off guard a bit by his evaluation, I waited until I could check the definition.

He was incorrect.

Why? I’ll tell you tomorrow.

Midlife Eating

Eating to boost our brainpower, even at midlife? Maybe.

Not suggesting any of us – Baby Boomers, Gen-X, Gen-Y or anyone else -should reinvent our eating habits. But maybe we could be a little more focused.

Ever heard the saying, “A little goes a long way?”

Simply saying that here are some ideas that may help you, once again, from Everyday Health.

Midlife ABC News

Last August, I spent a week in Finland and never turned the TV on until 2:00AM, an hour before I left. It’s like every time I travel. I just never watch TV.

But I sure do put some milage on the Internet. And that’s how I found this surprisingly insightful midlife broadcast.

ABC News did a feature with Nancy Anderson, author of Work With Passion In Midlife and Beyond.

How do you know if you have passion? If you clicked the link, you probably have passion, and a desire to learn something.

Midlife Crisis Fork In The Road

Alright, it’s Monday and I’m traveling again. And in my line of work, I seem to see a lot more than most. Here’s some midlife wisdom from bits and pieces along the way.

When you come to your midlife-crisis fork in the road, take it.

But don’t stop for dinner at the Midlife Crisis Cafe, nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded.

MBA’s and Blogging are both overrated, and their similarities are different.

People call my friend a midlife old man, because back in his day, they called amphibians showoffs.

And when they said someone was a little green around the gills, they actually meant it.

Anyway, happy Monday. It’s amazing the stuff you can think of when you think of stuff.

That last one is the only original. All the others are on consignment.