This week I will be in Palm Coast with my son, daughter in law, and grandsons. In addition to spending time with my family, this is also a good time to think about my life, my plans for the future and also spend time to reach out to people in my network.
In this fast paced world, we need to take time to see where we have been, where we are going, where we want to go, and who is important to us. Being raised in the Midwest, I have always been a workaholic. When I was younger I rarely reflected. Now I realize how important reflection is for my health, my outlook, my business and my life.
Here are some things I am evaluating. This is a continuous process so I come back to many of these things again and again:
As a young man starting out in the world:
1. What did I stand for?
2. What did I want to be?
3. What impact did I want to make?
4. What were my passions
5. What did I think I needed to improve then?
6. Who were my friends? my mentors?
7. What did I do right and wrong in my first jobs?
8. What were my hobbies, my avocations?
9. What was I reading then?
10 Was I balanced? If so, why? If not, why not?
11. What were my spiritual feelings?
As I progressed in my life:
1. What things did I discard? Why?
2. What new things did I embrace? Why?
3. What friends and mentors did I discard? Why?
4. What friends and mentors did I embrace? What new friends and mentors did I make?
5. What were my biggest accomplishments? What did I learn?
6. What were my biggest failures? What did I learn?
7. Was I balanced? If so, Why? If not, why not?
8. What were my spiritual feelings?
These are not one answer questions, but drill down questions-perhaps lifelong questions.
Why do this?
1. I want to make sure that I have not strayed away from my core values and moral compass
2. I want to revisit old passions, avocations, and goals, to see if I should "try them on" again
3. What actions and directions should I take on?
4. If I retire tomorrow, or if I only have 5 years to live, what things are important? And what things would I do.
I think of Frost Poem, The Road Not Traveled:
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence
Two roads diverged in a wood
And I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference
We are faced daily with taking one of many roads. We discard some things, and embrace others. Those decisions change our lives. We can, however, look back and reflect and perhaps find new paths that take us to some of the roads we could have taken. In ways it is a second chance.
In this fast paced world, we need to take time to see where we have been, where we are going, where we want to go, and who is important to us. Being raised in the Midwest, I have always been a workaholic. When I was younger I rarely reflected. Now I realize how important reflection is for my health, my outlook, my business and my life.
Here are some things I am evaluating. This is a continuous process so I come back to many of these things again and again:
As a young man starting out in the world:
1. What did I stand for?
2. What did I want to be?
3. What impact did I want to make?
4. What were my passions
5. What did I think I needed to improve then?
6. Who were my friends? my mentors?
7. What did I do right and wrong in my first jobs?
8. What were my hobbies, my avocations?
9. What was I reading then?
10 Was I balanced? If so, why? If not, why not?
11. What were my spiritual feelings?
As I progressed in my life:
1. What things did I discard? Why?
2. What new things did I embrace? Why?
3. What friends and mentors did I discard? Why?
4. What friends and mentors did I embrace? What new friends and mentors did I make?
5. What were my biggest accomplishments? What did I learn?
6. What were my biggest failures? What did I learn?
7. Was I balanced? If so, Why? If not, why not?
8. What were my spiritual feelings?
These are not one answer questions, but drill down questions-perhaps lifelong questions.
Why do this?
1. I want to make sure that I have not strayed away from my core values and moral compass
2. I want to revisit old passions, avocations, and goals, to see if I should "try them on" again
3. What actions and directions should I take on?
4. If I retire tomorrow, or if I only have 5 years to live, what things are important? And what things would I do.
I think of Frost Poem, The Road Not Traveled:
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence
Two roads diverged in a wood
And I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference
We are faced daily with taking one of many roads. We discard some things, and embrace others. Those decisions change our lives. We can, however, look back and reflect and perhaps find new paths that take us to some of the roads we could have taken. In ways it is a second chance.
Uncle Butch. You are an amazing man. I love this. By the way....I was wondering if you've every read "Tribes" by Seth Godin. I would love to hear what you think of it.
ReplyDeleteLove you,
stephen
Butch, I would like to leave you with my memory of you from...oh, let's say about 20 years ago. While I was too young and self invloved to understand all of the many "irons you had in the fire" in those days, all I can remember is your kindness and the warm and safe home that you and Jan created for anyone who entered it. The time I spent with your family has greatly impacted the way I define myself. The years between 1989 - 1994 will always be "the Frick" years in the book of my life.
ReplyDeleteYou and Jan were so very different from my parents, but in the best ways possible. You taught me that I could relax and know that the person I was was good and that I was cared for. I'm not suer you can know what that meant to me then and what it has come to mean to me as I look back at those times now. I can remember moments of pure contentment as I spent time with your family. I could feel the love you had for your children and for me. I craved that love and it kept me strong for some of the most important years of my young adult life. I want to thank you for that.
I know that paths cross for reasons and they lead away from eachother for different reasons. They lead us down the next path we are supposed to find on our own. However, it never erases what we have learned in our past and the enduring impact that dear ones have in our lives even when they aren't involved in your day to day.
I know that the same spirit you had in your home back in the 80's is the same spirit that you give to your family today. They are blessed to be loved in the way you love them.
I hope you always know that regardless of how far apart we may be, warm thoughts of who you are will always be a part of me.
Christine