Vignettes in Aging – Life

Is there a morning that you woke up and said to yourself, “Wow, my life is significantly more than half over!”? This realization can be scary if you see the world that you’ve created for yourself as negative, not fun or creative or spiritual; a life that is hum drum at best.

This is it! We’re here.

Some of us don’t have a lot of time left to examine our lives and work on making them better. But, don’t give up … ever. It doesn’t take gobs of money or complicated ‘programs’ to step back and evaluate where you are in terms of being the happy, generous, upbeat person you want to be. Nor does it take resources beyond our reach to make significant improvements in our lives.

Sometimes the best feedback on how our lives measure up is through friends and family.  Not only by their words, but by their actions. What if people pull back slightly from the good hugs you pride yourself on giving? What if, when you are quiet and give others room to speak, your actions are perceived as withdrawn or cold? What if your ‘world famous’ cheesecake really tastes chalky to some?

Listen…listen to what others are saying about who you are, both in their words and in their actions. They’re saying a lot about how they see the way that you are in this world. Does what they say match how you see yourself? (And, yes, sometimes their reactions are more a product of their insecurity or less-than-enthusiastic stance in general.)

Making changes in our lives never comes from a negative stance. So saying “I can’t,”  “I shouldn’t,” “I’m not able to,” or “I’m not good enough,” keeps you stuck in unhappiness for sure. Try “I’m good now, and I want to be better,” “my life is rich and fulfilling, and I want to share the wealth,” and “I’m more than enough.”

Be kind to yourself. Be upbeat and optimistic; that’s the first step.

If your life could be better, make it so. And if your life is the most wonderful right now today, the way it is, congrats!