A Need for Inspiration
So after 48 years of working and 18 months of retirement, I will shortly be returning to work, although this will now not be well, er…work! Why? Motivational Speaker, Harvey Mackay said,
“I don’t believe in age,” he said. “Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life. You find people like that at any age level. Age doesn’t limit people one-tenth of 1 percent.”
I don’t know if he’s right or wrong, I just know it inspires me! I have wanted to influence and motivate people all of my life. As an athlete in my younger years, motivation came easy. It was never difficult to “get up for the big game” because that was just what we did back then. “Pep” rallies are a thing of the past but way back when there was no internet, there were no cell phones, and communication was face to face so naturally if you wanted to join the excitement one had to “show up!”
Sorry, I digressed. Kinda! So after retirement, I promised myself, knowing I would have to return to the workforce, that I would absolutely, positively do something I loved doing. Often, when sitting with friends over coffee discussing personal issues and philosophy I would be asked, “what do you want to do?” And, I would say, “ just what I’m doing now, talking with people, encouraging them, inspiring them to do what they love doing too!”
Well, now it’s time to combine inspiration, speaking and writing and take it to another level for me. I find the anticipation and fear exhilarating.
I have had the opportunity to do this a bit some years ago but stopped when earning a living got in the way of getting the training necessary to achieve this at a level that I would deem fun! I couldn’t do both at the same time so I had to make a choice, as I am today.
Actually, this is kinda crazy because I am an introvert. The majority of what I am attempting to do will be online and in small group settings, but there is an element of Public speaking that is attractive to me and will help me with the other elements.
One of the other excuses I used years ago for not forging ahead with what I am now feeling called to do is the fear of failing. Yes, I was busy, but that was compounded by always living on the cusp of financial ruin and I wasn’t willing to risk further failure at that time. I chose the safe route. Which ultimately means I didn’t want it bad enough or my why wasn’t big enough to see me through the tough times.
So what’s changed? Not the circumstances, but there are some very important changes that have taken place that just may be the difference makers.
- My why is reason enough. I made sacrifices all my life to get to this point. The point of having a subsidy. A small stipend that will allow me to earn income while I am working on something I love to do. I am dedicating my meager retirement to living expenses while I am pursuing my dream.
- I have waited long enough. Ageism is real. But that will not stop me. In fact, it is a motivation as I am energetic and I have a mission. How people perceive me is not my issue. I am willing to contend with any obstacle because I believe in what I am doing and why I am doing it. I spent enough time on the bench. It’s time to get into the game.
The message I want to deliver has an audience. There are millions of people on this planet who feel like they are stuck. Like me, they feel or have felt they must stay put where they are and taking the risk to change isn’t in the cards for them now. Maybe that is true for them. That is not my point. The point is that they do have a choice. They can choose to change. They can choose to remain stuck and get what they have always gotten or they can choose a new and different path. They can tear down the habits that brought them to their stuckness and redesign a new life one little, new habit at a time.
There’s another audience for this message. Time can work for you or against you. If you develop habits that serve you early, as in investing the time to determine what it is you really want to do sooner rather than later, you have more time to develop and refine that habit. Then when you begin to work toward that end, as in the saying above, “you’ll never work a day in your life.” An analogous situation would be using the rule of 72’s in your favor by starting to save and invest while you are young (which most do not do. It’s the rule that determines how to long it takes to double your money) instead of waiting ’til old age to save for retirement for example. I can tell you how many college grads I have interviewed over the years that had no idea what they wanted to do when they graduated.
I say develop good habits early. I contend we all have choices. Some are harder than others, but the choices we make are better than the chances we take! Take on a mentor or coach or sage advice from someone you know cares about your welfare and run with it early in life. All of us make mistakes and all of us can recover AND…we don’t need to do it alone. If we are open to it, I believe help is available. I have experienced the good, the bad, and the ugly and the time is right for me to deliver this message to those who are willing to consider they just might be able to change.
Need a little inspiration? Check out the mustard seed. From these tiny seeds, under the right conditions, come bushes that grow 6 to 20 feet tall and often with 20-foot spreads.
Imagine what one tiny idea, the size of a mustard seed, planted in the heart of a human being, nurtured in the soil of desire, watered with the spirit of persistence and loved unconditionally by you can grow into. Frankly, history is replete with just such ideas. When will I see yours? Mine is on its way!
Blessings to each of you. Let me know how it turns out!
Namaste!
