Let’s talk about some of the lies we tell ourselves. What type of excuses do you use to get out of doing things you know will bring you a sense of pride, meaning and accomplishment? We all tend to push these things off because they are hard. It’s so much nicer sitting in that comfort zone and not challenging ourselves. But is that a life worth living? Are you excited when you get up in the morning, anxious to get the day underway? No, hmmm….I wonder why. Because you aren’t living a life with meaning. You want to but you’re telling yourself all kinds of things to get yourself off the hook.
I’m going to start with a big one. I’m too old, it’s too late. Nope, never, not true. I touched on it yesterday when I talked about going back to school. It will take time and I realize it’s hard to take on a 4+ year challenge in your 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. But…what if you live another 30 years after achieving that goal? 30 years of doing what you really always wanted to do. Doesn’t that sound worth it? Stop thinking about your goals in the short term. It’s great to have short term goals but I want you to think about how you want your entire life to unfold. How will you get there? What needs to be done? Start now. You could live another 30+ years or there could be a horrific accident. Would you rather go out having accomplished nothing or working your way toward your lifelong dream? You may not get the chance to finish what you start. But you just might.
I’ve had a huge wake-up call in the last year. My life looks completely different than it did a year ago. This time last year I was still dragging my butt out of bed at 3:30 and dragging myself to the studio with the promise of a nap later in the day my highlight. And I loved my job! I didn’t love every aspect of it but I think I enjoyed my job more than most. But I’ve been putting a lot of thought into the amount of time we sleep and how much we want to sleep. Should we be spending our lives looking forward to when we can sleep? Doesn’t that sound a little silly when you really think about it. We all love and need sleep and I realize most people don’t get enough but the highlight of your day shouldn’t be getting into bed.
I want you to wake up everyday looking forward to something. To be excited about something that is going to take place that day. A work project, a gathering with a friend, an amazing dinner you have planned for after work. These don’t have to be big things. Just little things that are a bit more exciting than sleep. I used to meet a group of friends every Tuesday and Thursday to play pool. It was so much fun and really made me look forward to every week. I miss that now. I could start something like that up again but twice a week is a lot to commit. But it was something I could count on. It was something I looked forward to. I would wake up and be like, yay….it’s pool day.
It could be something as simple as that or as complicated as going back to school to get your doctorate. Or medical school. Or whatever you have thought you were truly meant to do. There is a new sitcom on now called “Carol’s Second Chance”. It’s about a woman who was a teacher and after going through a divorce and her daughter moved out, she decided she was going to medical school. The story follows her as a middle age intern trying to get along with her younger counterparts. If you feel you are too old to start something at this point in your life, check out this show. Could you imagine being in your 40’s and 50’s and deciding to go to medical school? Now, that is a lofty goal. And once your done, you could be practicing medicine for another 20 years. Doesn’t that make the time investment worth it?
Don’t listen to people who try to talk you out of things. As in doctors, I can already hear people saying there is no money in it now. And so many issues with malpractice. Don’t let that deter you. Do what you feel you truly want in your heart. When I first started working in radio I can’t tell you how many people in the business told me not to get into it. It’s a tough business. I’ve been bruised and battered and out of a job a lot. But I love it. I still do. And I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now if I had listened and never got into radio. It’s been the biggest thing in my life aside from my husband and family. And trust me, it was never about the money. There is a fallacy that people in radio make big bucks. That is the case some of the time but the vast majority of people these days are barely making ends meet. Which is why you have to love it to stay in it.
It’s never too late to start over. You aren’t too old to do anything that truly speaks to you. Something that would give your life meaning and fill you with a sense of purpose. So please stop making excuses and get on to living your best life. I believe in you. Now go be your badass self and make today, your best day yet!
A discussion of today’s blog post is on my daily podcast posted every weekday by 7 am. Find it at Hopefulist.com or through Apple, Spotify, TuneIn or YouTube. Just search for “The Hopefulist”!
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