Tag: Baby Boomers

Take Your Time, But Hurry Up

“You no longer spend your life hurrying around the corner for something which is never there”. — Rex Harrison

If we’ve heard it once, we’ve heard it a thousand times.  There is no guarantee in life, except that we will die.

There seems to be a delicate balance between hurrying and not hurrying. We shouldn’t rush blindly through life, bypassing life’s simple pleasures.

But then again, we can’t spend too much time doing what pleases us, because in the end, there really is much work to be done.  Our: mind, body, spirit, money, community, job, sleep, errands, chores, etc.

If we take our cue from nature, animals are constantly trying to survive. There is always the threat of danger lurking somewhere.  In nature the saying goes, “Survival of the fittest”. I’m not talking physically, I’m talking comprehensively.

Ya with me, comprehensively.  This means your day will be really busy. Or not.

Despair Is The Price

“Despair is the price one pays for setting oneself an impossible aim”. — Graham Greene

Wow. Then what does it mean, “If your goal isn’t impossible, you’re not reaching high enough”?

Simply this:  You can set the bar low and reach a goal, and then wonder if you could have done better, eventually living with a certain degree of regret for not trying harder.

Or, you can set the bar impossibly high, give it your absolute best, fail, yet live with the satisfaction and peace that you left nothing on the table.

There are no guarantees in life.  But you already knew that, right?

Mid Life Workaholics Unite

“Opera is when a guy gets stabbed in the back and, instead of bleeding, he sings”. — Ed Gardner

Workaholics rarely have courage for self-confrontation.  We’re too busy trying to control things and control life.  If we pause long enough to notice the bleeding, we might have to change who we are.

Panic attack, right?  When will we take time to:

  • Rethink
  • Reprioritize
  • Recommit

Probably never.  Am I wrong?

Or maybe when the phone rings, “Honey, it’s for you, it’s your wake up call”.

Naked Man

“Beware of the naked man who offers you his shirt”. — Harvey Mackay

By now, we know that there are many people who make tons of promises. Same with businesses, with marketing, with the Internet, and so on. False promises.

The real question is, to me, “What promises am I making to myself that are false promises?  Promises to be wary of”?

This is one of the main reasons we find ourselves in a mid-life crisis.

We start with good, well-intended promises, but in reality, they were really only false promises:

  • Get healthier
  • Spend more time with Family
  • Learn more
  • Forgive more
  • Save more
  • Be a better example

No one should feel alone reading this.  We all suffer from this.  We’re human. That’s what we do, we fail. Over and over again.

So now, consciously reminded of this, “What are you gonna do about it?  And I mean specifically, what are you gonna do today”?

Mid Life Purple Cow?

Mid Life Purple Cow?  It’s ok if you don’t know what this is.

It’s ok. But it’s a shame. Not a big shame, but a shame nevertheless.

Better late than never, right? So I began reading Seth Godin’s Purple Cow last week. Finished it yesterday.

If you seek encouragement because you dream bigger than most, and you often feel “stupid” when people comment on your big dreams, this is a must read.

It will make you feel better. I guarantee it (unless you’re an alien).

If you are a Purple Cow (remarkable), most of the herd dislikes you because you’re different. Because you’re annoying; threatening, in a way.

Being remarkable is risky. Playing it safe is risky. In life, we get to pick one. Don’t be a chicken.

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