May is ‘Older Americans Month.’ It must be true because I saw it on facebook. I’m not sure exactly who is considered “older” or what the purpose of the month is, but it does give me pause to stop…since despite my best efforts I’m not getting any younger.
I don’t know how much thought other people give to getting older, but it crosses my mind every day. Usually when I’m putting some moisturizer on my “character” lines. While I don’t obsess about becoming old, I find that thinking about getting older does make me more purposeful now.
My former neighbor used to count the days until he retired from his “State” job. Literally, in almost every conversation I had with him in nine years, he would say something like, “Only 3 years and 2 months until I retire.”
I have to say, it always made me a little sad for him. He was putting in his time, until he could do what he really wanted. I know, however, that he’s like most people. Are you waiting? Waiting for the right time to find a career that is your calling, waiting to go on that big adventure, waiting to shed the attic full of stuff that is weighing you down, waiting to address a relationship that is no longer fulfilling you.
Recognizing that time is a precious gift, I long stopped waiting for the “right time.” I think through what I want and how I can create a life that is purposeful and true to what’s important to me. I think about the legacy I want to leave and I think about what I want to do so I can live life with no regrets. It doesn’t mean that my life is perfect, but I know that I’m on the right path and making progress every day.
When we started our U-Factor program, it was a direct response to the two biggest challenges we heard from folks who were waiting and waiting to have the life that they wanted. The first issue was that folks didn’t know what they wanted. They often know that there is more that they want to have, do or become, but they haven’t clearly figured out what their purposeful life should be.
The second challenge is that they are immobilized; overwhelmed, unclear or fearful of how to make their dream life become their real life. Or perhaps they are waiting for everything to be just perfect like Lysa Terkeurst shares in her book Unglued.
“What kept me from making changes was the feeling that I wouldn’t do it perfectly. I knew that I’d still mess up and the changes wouldn’t come instantly. Sometimes we think if we don’t make instant progress, then real change isn’t coming. But that’s not so. There is a beautiful reality called imperfect progress. The day I realized the glorious hope of this kind of imperfect change is the day I gave myself permission to believe I really could be different. Imperfect changes are slow steps of progress wrapped in grace…imperfect progress.
Just make progress. It’s okay to have setbacks and the need for do-overs. It’s okay to draw a line in the sand and start over again and again. Just make sure you’re moving the line forward. Move forward. Take baby steps, but at least take steps that keep you from being stuck. Then change will come. And it will be good.”
So since none of us is getting any younger and this is ‘Older American Month,’ why not take a step forward in your own progress…even if it is imperfect progress. Is there anything that you’ve been waiting to do? Is there something that you can start doing to live a more fulfilling and purposeful life?
