As we embark on a new year which is a time for reflection among other things, I find it interesting to revisit my journal entry from right after I turned 50 and my thoughts, questions, hopes, desires and focuses at that time.
August of 2022, just turned 50-
50 hmmmm…. On one hand the days don’t feel so very different than the days of any other year. On the other hand at times a brief thought passes, “Wow, I may have less years left than I have already lived, I am over halfway through this life!” Those are the moments of turning 50 that seem to be challenging.
Ha, I was going to be so prepared for this “milestone” birthday:
-Be fit
-Be at my perceived ideal weight, having shed some pounds pre-b-day
-Being a good place overall in my life
(What vague goals!)
Reality…… I didn’t quite get around to all of that as planned. Life has been fun and the summer approaching my ‘big’ birthday has been even better. It has been full of new friends and fun adventures. Time for regiment just was not found.
So now what? Do I continue on a path of mediocracy or do I make a change? This has been the question before me for quite sometime.
Well, my choice, after much deliberation is to make some positive changes. Don’t get me wrong. My life is in a good place – boating, traveling, great friends, growth at work, financial stability, amazing (now adult) children and wonderful, loving, devoted husband, things are good. But now I am deciding to go for great!
After much pondering and mental planning, the questions that keep arising are, What is Great? And what will propel me from here to there? What areas of my life should I improve or focus on? These are tough questions!
I have decided to start in a few areas that seem to be the most important to me at the moment and take the first small steps to get there, with the hopes that the small steps will become bigger steps.
If there is one thing I have learned over the these 50 years, at least about me, is that if I make too big a list or stack too many things together I will accomplish nothing. So, the plan is to build gradual momentum in the hope that once it’s set in motion the momentum picks up and becomes a force that cannot be stopped, but rather only builds on itself.
I have decided to focus on; health, personal growth and gratitude.
Fast forward to the end of 2023 and as I reflect on my newly turned 50 year old self of over a year ago I see a person that has big intentions, lofty ideas sprinkled with just enough procrastination. I imagine I am not alone in this. There are others like myself with the best of intentions and a lack of full execution.
I shared this ‘flashback’ with the hope that it helps others with all the best intentions and ideas to not feel alone if they don’t check everything off the list. After all we are only human and need to give ourselves grace and celebrate our accomplishments rather that dwell on what did not get checked off the list. Heck we can pick up and start where we left off at anytime, and that is the beauty of it. And that is what I plan on doing! Putting one foot in front of the other and move forward into 2024!
