Archive for August, 2010

What Do You Want To Do Now?

What have you always wanted to do that you haven’t done yet?  I tend to think in terms of creating a project, but for you it might be travel or accomplishing something you’ve wanted to do or overcoming a fear of something.

So what is holding you back?  Are you afraid you won’t accomplish it and you don’t like the prospect of failing?

The question that comes to my mind is when will we do these things if not now?  When can we have the success we truly want to experience if not now?  What are we waiting for?

There’s no time like the present.  That’s the old adage and it’s a pretty mundane expression.  But when we think of the word present and then we think of all the years we’ve had here, all those previous  present moments that we let go by, why not use right now, this present time, to get started with what we have wanted to do but never took that first step.

This project I am creating now, Sixty Something Now, is what I’ve been thinking of doing for over two years now.  I’ve finally taken the initial steps to get it moving forward.  There is a lot more to do with this and I am anxious to continue with it so that we can facilitate others to either create something new or continue with their project, whatever it is.

Thinking about this on a conscious level, reminds me of the word purpose.  As we think back over the years, most of us have just done what we needed to for our families and ourselves to earn a living.  We probably didn’t think too much in terms of a purpose.  Now, however, I think more of us are looking forward to creating that next thing because it gives us a purpose to look forward to tomorrow,  next week, next month, next year and beyond.

What is that for you?

This is re-posted from earlier this year, but thought some who missed it would find it interesting.  What do you want to do now?

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The Best Is Now… Revisited

Following is a post I wrote in the beginning of Sixty Something Now and thought it would be interesting if you have not seen it… And if you have, perhaps it will be interesting to read it again.  Thanks for your interest in Sixty Something Now.  Soon we will be enhancing the concept to include more…  Stay tuned.

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Life is fun and exciting and I am grateful to be here to say that.  We are so very fortunate to be alive at this time in our country and in our world in general.  Now, I refuse to go down the path of any political commentary, since that is not what this blog and site are about in any way.  But, think about it.  We are in the best country in the world.  With the technology we have access to, and the electronics from cell phones to computers, what a wonderful time to be alive!

My Blog has a number of categories and this post is in the category, Sixty Something Now and Beyond.  Actually, I just recently changed the title of this category to this, from another title with the words ‘joy’ and ‘aging’ in it.  I was not happy with that phrase, but the concept was what I’m focusing on here.  You may be reading this and if you are over sixty, may be mumbling some not so great comments to dispute the ‘joy’ aspect of all of this.  Here is my take on this and on life in general:  If we are not aging–at any age–then what has happened?  On an unconscious–deep down in our minds and hearts–level, we had better have a great attitude about celebrating birthdays and getting older.  Thus that is why I have just retitled this category ‘Sixty Something Now and Beyond’.

How fortunate we are to have all of the years of experience that have created our life so far.  And to think there is so much more to do and accomplish as we continue.  Jim Rohn stated it this way, thinking about how many more years we might have, at whatever age we are… Think in terms of the number of family birthdays, family vacations, Christmases, and other events we celebrate once a year.

There is no time to sit around.  Attend everything.  Get involved in something.  What do you want to accomplish now?  What do you want to accomplish next?   The best is now… always now!

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Were You a Lucy Fan?

Recently I saw this I Love Lucy episode on a friend’s Facebook page and decided it’s about time I put it up here.  So here it is:

This is such a classic and I still laughed like it was the first time I’d seen it…  No, probably the first time I saw it I laughed even harder.  They were so funny together!

What wonderful comic memories we all have of the fifties’ comedy shows.  Is there anything like that now?  Lucy was considered a situation comedy but probably before they used that term.  Is there a sitcom today that would compare to that?  I don’t watch any of them, but seeing bits and pieces of previews, I doubt it.

What episode of Lucy was your favorite (I guess I’m assuming everybody watched I Love Lucy…)?

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It’s Catalog Time Again

This was from a post I did early last Spring and since we’re getting inundated with the Fall catalogs, I thought I’d re-post this.

Ahh!  Catalogs!  There must be a catalog for every type of product produced.  What type of catalogs do you get?  How many do you get at your house?  Have you personally requested all the ones you get?  Ever wonder how and why you get so many?  Well, it’s not something any of us probably spend much time thinking about but it is interesting, isn’t it.

I’m sure everyone in this demographic remembers the Sears Catalog.  I believe it arrived at the house about twice a year and it was a huge thick catalog like the thickness of the Yellow Pages in a major city. And then the special Sears Christmas Catalog would arrive once a year.  My sibs and I would scramble to check out the Christmas Catalog page by page to make sure we identified exactly what we wanted for Christmas.  Oh, does that take me back!

Today catalogs are numerous but they’re just a few pages compared to the old Sears counterpart.  Think about the number of catalogs that come to our door.  It’s kind of like spam that comes through our email.

We can eliminate spam by creating spam filters on our computer.  But what can we do about the catalogs?  Probably call the companies and tell them you don’t want any more, I guess.  I’ve not taken the time to do that, probably because they don’t bother me so much.  I just think it’s a lot of wasted paper and they’re heavy when you let them accumulate too long and take them out to the curb in the recycle bin only infrequently.

That being said, I think catalogs serve their purpose.  Personally, we get mostly clothing catalogs.  Must be because we’ve often ordered clothes from some of them.  When I’m thinking of purchasing something or at the change of season, it’s interesting to see what the clothing industry is suggesting I buy or wear.

Here might be a shift in thinking about catalogs…  They can serve as dream identifiers.  More to follow about that in future posts.

What’s your thought about catalogs?

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How Do You Develop Yourself?

Originally written last February, I thought it was worth re-posting, since personal development is such a big part of my life.  Enjoy…

Personal Development has been of interest to me for many years.  That’s what we call it today, but a number of years ago, there were terms like motivational help, self-help, and a few others.  I always felt that the concept got a bad rap, mostly because of the people who didn’t really understand what it was and what it wasn’t.  To me it’s just down to earth stuff about how to deal with life.  At least what I chose to read was and is.

I’m not sure exactly when I started reading personal development books, but I believe it would probably be when I was out of college and teaching, which I did for six years.  I remember being intrigued to find books about things that would help me with challenges I might have been facing at the time.

Any time I had something going on that required answers, I would find myself in the bookstore and somehow, would always find just the right book to provide the help I needed.  When I was young, I never considered myself a reader.  But since college, I’d say that I’ve read a few hundred books.  And, yes most of these would probably be in the category of personal development.

That being said, in the last six to twelve months, I have realized that the books I’ve read have been geared toward marketing.  I don’t consider myself any kind of a marketing person, but then I think about why I am reading marketing books.  I am developing myself with new material to create this endeavor.  Personal development, right?

So what is the real definition of personal development?  According to Wikipedia it is actually more broad than self-help, since it involves developing others and may take place through roles of teacher or mentor.

It includes:
Improving self-awareness and self-knowledge
Renewing identity
Developing strengths or talents
Identifying or improving potential
Enhancing lifestyle
Realizing dreams
Fulfilling aspirations

These things resonate with me for creating this new project, Sixty Something Now, and now I realize why I have been devouring the marketing books so much.  They’re personal development for me.  Perhaps I should tell Seth Godin that his books should be listed in an additional category besides marketing.

(By the way, speaking of Seth Godin, I have a new button on the right side of my site:  Resources. It’s got links to people and sites that have been a great help to me in getting this launched.  Check them out.)

So what books have you read or tapes listened to that have helped you in ways listed above?

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Mindset–Fixed or Growth

The title of the book is Mindset–The New Psychology of Success, by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.  The subtitle on the cover is:  How We Can Learn to Fulfill Our Potential–Parenting, Business, School, Relationships. Not sure why she doesn’t include on the cover:  Sports, since there is a huge chapter on that category.

The concept is a simple one.  Some people have a fixed mindset and some have a growth mindset.

Basically, a fixed mindset says ‘I’m perfect at __________.’  ‘I’m brilliant in _____________.’  ‘I’ve always been talented in _______________.’  I think you get the picture.  The fixed mindset person feels they are at the top of their game and therefore don’t have to further their skills because of it; they have nothing more to learn.  They feel they have natural ability.

The growth mindset person says, ‘Wow, I didn’t know that.’  ‘Tell me more.’  ‘Teach me more.’  ‘I want to improve myself at _____________.’  They want to advance through effort.

It’s amazing that for such a simple concept, she goes into each of the categories listed and explains how each type of person displays their mindset.

One of the questions I’ve always had about parenting and how we raise our children, was actually answered in this book.  How many times have you watched a child display some kind of talent at an early age and yet down the road their work or performance in this field seems to go awry and they are not the prodigy turned super-star everyone thought they would be.  The author goes into quite a bit of depth about John McEnroe, the tennis star back in the 80′s who was so belligerent to officials during his matches.  Nothing was his fault.  Dr. Dweck attributes this to having been praised early on for natural ability, therefore eliminating the supposed need for effort to get any better.

She also goes into depth about some super-stars of the business world, whose names would be familiar.  Who knew how these people were behind the doors of their companies.  The fixed mindset in business displays itself by someone who wants to surround himself or herself with ‘yes’ people who won’t disagree with them.  Can you see how this has been the demise of so many companies.

I’m not finished the book totally, but thought it worth sharing.  What are some books you’ve read that have given you an ‘Aha!’ moment?

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Heard Of Revolver Map?

This is incredible!  I don’t know how I stumble across some of these things…  Well, yes I do!  I research and poke around to see what’s going on out there in cyberspace.  Well, look what I found!

Actually, I realize I saw this on Dr. Tom Hill’s website.   Check this out.  Not sure what to do with it, but it reminds me of the Google Earth World Globe.

I’m educating myself on Revolver Map and getting a grasp on what it does.  This is a way to track where your readers are coming from.  Enjoy!  If you check the lower right of this website, you will access the button to register your location where you are now, checking out this site.

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Dr. Tom Hill, Successful After Sixty

The following is a re-post of a blog I wrote at the end of February.  If you didn’t see it then, you can enjoy it now.  Dr. Tom Hill definitely embodies someone who is successful after sixty.

At a recent event someone mentioned the name of a man whose book I had read last fall.   Dr. Tom Hill, along with personal friends of mine– John and Elizabeth Gardner, wrote Living at the Summit.  It’s an intriguing book and worth the read.  It’s written like a suspense novel with personal development concepts thrown in.

When I bought the book in the fall, I didn’t know anything about Dr. Tom Hill.  Since then I have learned that he is quite accomplished as a business coach and is a real linchpin today to many entrepreneurs.  The piece I find intriguing about him is that he’s had numerous careers and is in his mid 70′s.

To me this is exciting and gives me more reason to move forward with Sixty Something Now.  There are lots of people who are extremely productive after the age of sixty and that is the purpose and mission of this website and blog.  If we know there are others out there doing great work and making a difference, perhaps that will motivate us to continue with our idea.

You can visit his website by clicking:  Dr. Tom Hill

Who do you know over the age of sixty who is a linchpin?

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Good Time To Start Something New

Recently I read a blog post from Bonnie McFarland at Savoring Your Sixties, which I thought was worth mentioning here.  Monday is the day we celebrate having lived and experienced all that we have.

I thought this was an interesting finding from the Kauffman Foundation and a concept I hadn’t heard of before.  Social Entrepreneurship.  What a great concept!  Perhaps by bringing it to your attention, we may spark an idea or two.

Click here to read the entire article from Bonnie and the article on Social Entrepreneurship.

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I have.  Thanks again to Bonnie for the insight.

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Who Was Your Favorite Fifties’ Singer?

It is only appropriate after the Woodward Dream Cruise Saturday, to follow up with this.  Just a little entertainment…

The hair, the clothes, the lyrics, the tunes… How simple times were then!  Who were your favorites?

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