A 39ers’ Guide to Shake off 2013 – You can do it!
I
like to reserve my thoughts about the New
Year until at least halfway through January. Okay, truth be told I’m a
procrastinator and it’s nearly the end of the month.
With
my New Year’s hangover long gone, I can’t seem to shake the pall
of 2013. Some years continue to hold you hostage long after you’ve
celebrated their demise. 2013 is that way for me. Well … and 2012, 2011 … absolutely time
for a change … you too?
So
let’s get ON with it, 39ers! We have a New Year in front of us. Let’s attack it
with new ATT-I-TUDE!
As
39ers, we want to be upbeat and happy about our age. Isn’t it a
miracle that inside we can revel at
our youthful attitude – at any age? We know though, with chronological growth,
comes certain aches and pains – physical, emotional and intellectual ...
How
to deal with it all? ATTITUDE.
I
know it isn’t always easy – harrumph. My mother often squelched my whining with
a stern stare and, “No one ever said life was easy.” She could be a bit intimidating
at times. Okay then, so we know life isn’t a piece of cake or that irritatingly
optimistic bowl of
cherries.
If
you’re still struggling to refresh your senses on the heels of a troubling
year, maybe like me, you need an energizing jump-start. Below are three motivators
I use periodically throughout the year, but especially in January, to infuse my
New Year with New Attitude!
Our
Physical age is not a
black-and-white number …We can think like we’re 39, but move more like a crusty old tortoise of a hundred and one. I say that while elevating my leg on the desk as I write, to relieve arthritis … a definite slowdown to writing … sigh.
Ah, but remember, the tortoise won the race!
Very
few people enjoy a perfect life. Most of us toil and tarry with limited
resources and many with debilitating pain. But HOW we bear it is the difference
between misery and happiness. I guarantee, the tortoise was a mind-over-matter
kinda guy.
Quoting
BoomBox
Network Blog, “According to pollster, Frank Luntz, people over seventy feel
thirteen years younger than their chronological age – and they think they look
it, too. They not only think they are young, they are acting young.”
I
believe mind over matter is the hallmark of those who think eternally young –
to a physical point. Our bodies emphatically determine their limitations and at
times refuse to cooperate any further; however, our minds prove to be
limitless.
Your
mind is a wonderful friend. Love it. Revel in it.
The
first “exercise” is not a series of body movements to represent physical
activity – it’s a mental workout to think young while your body stretches
to its comfortable level.
Faced
with new physical limitations, how do you overcome the realities of aging? Be
honest … are you bearing it with bitterness, allowing your mind to age, as
well? Stop! THIS is the mind-over-matter part …
*
In the morning as you wake, before throwing a leg out of bed or beginning your
morning routine, simply lie there and say to yourself, silently or aloud, “I
woke up! That makes it a good day.”
Have your fave notepad at your
bedside – be it pen and paper or digital. Write:
1 nice thing you’ll do
for yourself today
1 nice thing you’ll do
for someone else today
1 thing you won’t do no matter what (great for
kicking habits and such)
The
day may hold challenges of all kinds, but an attitude of gratitude for even
waking, is a great beginning.
You
have awakened again to be with your family and friends for another day, extending
the miracle of life. How will you celebrate it today? …
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When your Emotions are entangled with your goals
…
Are
you wrestling this month with lingering frustrations of goals unaccomplished
from last year? Cut yourself some slack! You’re only human.
Whether
you made resolutions and broke them, or planned strategic objectives and missed
your mark, this IS another year. It’s a fresh start. Is there a law keeping you
from refreshing rollover ambitions?
Now is the time to re-evaluate
your emotional approach to life, and adjust your sails.
* As soon as possible, if you haven’t already,
take one-half hour shortly after waking (with that first cuppa joe works), to
do nothing but think about last year, painful as it may be. (Or last three
months – remember, these strategies work at any time of year.)
- Write down the top three unfinished
or unachievable items that first come
to mind.
^ Taking them one at a
time, was it really that important? At this point, does it matter? If not, let
it go. If it’s still close to your heart, refresh it in a way that might be
more attainable this year.
^ Repeat for each of the
three until you have replenished your enthusiasm for them or sent them packing
and picked up a new path or two.
This
doesn’t mean you won’t add to your list as the year unfolds; or delete and
revise, as goals are achieved or for another necessary adjustment of your sails.
You are simply setting a precedence to follow so you can nourish your soul with
the encouragement it seeks to replenish and flourish in a new beginning.
I’m
right there with you. After a few mental lashes with my emotional wet noodle,
I’m looking forward to a New Year – New Attitude – and renewed determination to
move forward.
The
wonderful thing about the human mind, is we can create a “virtual” physical
world from the images and thoughts of what we want it to be and transfer that vision, with the emotions it
invokes, into how we deal with life. Which brings me to aging vs. stagnation …
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Have you slipped to #3 on your internal Dean’s List of Intellect?
No
bout adoubt it … oops! No doubt about it … our minds start playing tricks with
our inner libraries of knowledge around a “certain age.”
It’s
different for everyone, but unmistakable, as you reach for more sticky-notes to
complete your daily tasks. At 39 or 40 it’s just a minor frustration. By
retirement age you’re wondering how you ever survived without sticky notes!
You know what? That’s
okay. Whatever it takes, do it. And there are many fun, interesting ways to
help maintain your mental acuity while you skip down the path of life.
After
a few invigorating turns at Words with Friends, Candy Crush, or online game
sites for stimulation – or offline brainteasers like crossword and Sudoku
puzzles – it’s time for a mental shakeup.
*
To sharpen your intellectual acuity, set your mind on the earlier thoughts
about shaking last year’s trouble spots off your psyche, and sidle up to
thoughts of your future. Let’s play “What Next?”
- If
you’re between the physical ages of 39 and 60, ask yourself, what are you doing
personally and professionally on a daily basis? And more importantly, does it
bring you joy? Yep – this is the age of the “mid-life crisis.” Rather than
blindly succumb to bizarre urges, think
about it!
Life
is too short to mark time in a joyless existence. If you’re stressed on a daily
basis, is it time for a change? List three steps to evaluate and enhance your
life in this New Year – re-evaluate periodically.
- If you’re between the physical ages of 61 and
retirement age, ask yourself what have you done to date, to prepare for
retirement? If your answer is “nothing” you’d better get on the stick!
Key
questions? Is it your desire or need to continue working – in the same field,
or a new direction? Is it time to prepare your “hobby” for a more satisfying
role? Do you think often of volunteering to make a difference? Think about it now!
What
is your legacy
– for your family and the world? Are you creating a worthy “footprint” that
will endure long after you’ve boogied to Rock & Roll Heaven? (Or your
ethereal image of a profound afterlife.) No? Do it! Give this stage of your
life meaning.
You
don’t need a bankroll to enjoy life at any age.
Laughter,
simple pleasures, and curiosity are free. Find ways within your budget to
infuse them into your daily activities. Key word is activity. Mental (to augment Physical no matter how limited) … Emotional
… Intellectual … activity at all levels is paramount to a happy person – with
ATTITUDE!
Am
I an eternal optimist? Probably. Although I certainly have my share of grumpy
moods and crying jags, they never last long. I consider them therapeutic, find a
ridiculous moment in them to laugh about – and move on.
So
let’s shake, rattle, and roll 2013 right outta here, and concentrate on a shiny
New 2014. We deserve it!
Cheers!
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