Joy In Your Spirit – Page 26 – Disney Leadership Keynote Speaker

Mid Life Holiday Stress

Mid Life holiday stress can rob us of the joy we could be experiencing, if only we could focus.

But how are we supposed to focus when this time of year is so hectic?

And it occurred to me that this time of year has always been hectic. Ever see “A Miracle on 34th Street“?

It was inspired on Christmas eve, 1944, when Valentine Davies, a screenwriter, went gift shopping for his wife. It was hectic, crazy, and lacked the spirit of Christmas we all know in our hearts, but often fail to make time for.

Valentine set out to create a movie that would help remind everyone that the spirit of Christmas and Santa Claus, is real. Very real.

Considered a “B” movie, it was released during the summer, and never advertised as a Christmas movie.

The American public embraced the movie so much that it ran in theaters straight through the end of the year.

It is one of the all-time great Christmas movies and one that my family and I watch every holiday season, when we can find the time.

Lexington Medical Center Excellence

A few days ago I posted a one-take-You Tube video while passing through the Columbia, South Carolina airport. Lexington Medical Center’s unbelievable track record of excellence caught my eye.

Well, they are even more amazing than we first thought. They’ve actually been rated number one for ten years, not eight.

They even have their own You Tube channel. So I checked it out. And may I suggest you think about doing the same?

Whether your You Tube videos are professionally done, whether you do them in one-take, or even if you’ve never shot a You Tube video, you can learn about excellence at any moment.

Click here, if you have a moment now.

The road to excellence has no finish line.

Many people I know perceive mid life as a time that signals the beginning of the downhill side of life – the decline.

Rubbish. However, Henry Ford once said something to this effect, “If you think you can, or you think you cannot, you are right.”

What is there to be joyful about at midlife? Everything. Even the wellness challenges we all face. Pick one: mid life crisis or mid life celebration.

No brainer, eh?

Mid Life Crisis Strikes Again

Was I having a midlife crisis moment a few days ago while sitting in the pew at Church, listening to our inspiring Priest?

Nope. It was a midlife celebration moment. It filled me with joy and went something like this:

Lately, I’ve been questioning the percentage of time I write about serious and deep stuff on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

That’s when the revelation came.

My ability to think deeply and profoundly is either innate or highly developed. My ability to laugh is similar. But reading my entries, you’d think I was just a serious person only.

And then something else happened. The realization that I can turn on a dime and go completely comical.

And then this thought. How many can turn on a dime and go deep and profound?

Finally, the question of is one better than the other? No. It’s not about better. It’s about balance.

And, it’s about preparation. Mid Life is something that can be planned for and joyful.

Being serious, profound and deep, is a world-class way to be ready for mid life.

Two Mid Life Celebration Items

Two quick things:

1. If you are not aware of the other four blogs associated with Mid Life Celebration, which is totally possible, feel free to visit my Internet headquarters at www.jeffnoel.com

2. If you have heard about the daily five-a-day blogging and have any interest or curiosity as to why, I’m currently wrapping up a three part series on this at www.jeffnoel.com

Hope you have a GREAT Monday and that this week is the best week of your entire life.

If it sounds crazy, that’s okay. May I challenge you to ask yourself, “What’s stopping me from having the best week of my entire life?”

Mid Life Change Eh?

“To be human is to change. To be perfect is to change often.” — Henry Newman

Heard this last Sunday at Church. It resonated. I immediately wrote it down, because it reminds me what I’m trying to say at Mid Life Celebration.

Mid Life Celebration, or as some say, mid life crisis, is a time to:

Rethink
Reprioritize
Recommit

The above three also happen to be the tag line here at Mid Life Celebration, which is two years old now.

That’s all it is. Do those three. And then start the process over again.

PS. The domain name is two years old, but I’ve been using the phrase in a variety of ways for 11 years, since my mid life crisis celebration began.