Sailing

Living the life of your dreams is a lot like sailing. You pick your destination, hoist up your sail, make minor adjustments while the journey is underway, and let the wind do all the hard work.

In other words, imagine the end result, do what little you can, make minor adjustments while the journey is underway, and then blow your mind.

W-e-e-e-e-e-e!

How do you measure success?

I was thinking about my grandson and the twins and the joy they experience when they first succeed at something, anything.  We were in the park and one of the twins who are three, was trying to climb up the slide, it was steep for him and he slipped back at least a dozen times, but he kept trying. Each time he almost made it to the top, slipped back, laughed and looked around. No one was watching except me, and he continued, after about the 20th attempt, he made it to the top. Turned around, looked at me, laughed and gave me a thumbs up and then slid down and then climbed back up again. This time with no failure. He had mastered the climb. It was much more exciting and faster than walking around to the stairs.

Young children don't measure success the same as some adults. Watch young children, your own or your grandkids or their friends as they try something new. They work very hard at trying to get it right, and when they do, big smiles appear, and/or high fives are given and/or applause and praise by peers given.

Watching little ones is a reminder that sometimes success is better measured in smiles received, giggles heard, and hands held than in dollars earned, deadlines met, and kilos shed.

And I must say, I've done well for myself and you can do, if you embrace the idealism of youth. 

Life of your dreams

I understand that you must wonder, sometimes to the point of bewilderment, at what you're truly capable of doing. Yet, therein lies the "problem," because living the life of your dreams is far more about what your capable of doing.

Wake up!

Wake up! Remember what excites you! Think of these things, those friends, and the adventures that can be yours! Think of the old friends who travel life’s road with you, think of the new friends you will encounter when you start the next adventure. Retirement is not meant to be a time of doing nothing. It is 30 to 40 years of new adventures, new opportunities, that only you can imagine.

Focus. As you moved through the two previous boxes of life, school, and work the boundaries of the boxes were created for you by others (unless you were a very innovative entrepreneur). The third box of life retirement allows you to create the boundaries of your own making, if only you focus on the big picture.

Care. Passion is something that all of us had at one point in our lives, we had a passion for our friends, our loves, our hobbies, or our jobs. We cared deeply about life and issues. When we retire, we need to dig deep to find that same caring and passion that we had when we were young. Age and experience can make a person jaded, so as you approach retirement, it is time to cast your mind back to when you really cared and capture that feeling again, so you can embrace life.

Fantasize. Imagine. It's all so near. Speak as if you're ready. Paste new pictures in your scrapbook, on your vision board, and around your home and office.

Physically prepare for the changes that you wish to experience in your life. Enjoy the last box of life and continue to break away from the pack. You've done this before. You know it works. You're due for an encore. It's time to amaze. That's why you're here