I live in what they call an "active retirement" community, so many of us are just starting to deal with this entirely new phase in our lives. I look around and I see that there are some who are embracing their new lives and others who are embracing binge-watching cable and playing games to the exclusion of everything else. ( Don’t get me wrong, I love a good binge-watch but when I overdo, I find myself becoming tired and I lose the energy to pursue other things I love.) Around here, you can tell who is in which group just by watching them walk in and out of the buildings. Mr Lee is really on to something here. The ones who have found new goals and are working to educate, assist and inspire others (whether family or community) have a spring in their step and life in their eyes. The others are gradually losing energy and vitality steadily. It is scary to watch.
The idea of actually creating a goal you want to achieve with a plan of action is the bottom line of being healthier, happier and more creative. I see it in my own life very clearly. Since I was first exposed to these principles I have lost 85 pounds, gotten off 9 prescriptions, feel less pain in my body, and my mind is clear and confident about the life I want to live. I feel 15 years younger at 66 than I did at 60!
Recently a neighbor and I lost our husbands of 40+ years after long illnesses. We are both feeling our losses deeply but she describes herself “lost” and “having nothing to live for and needing to find something fast”. I read this book a few months before my husband died and I know that it helped me avoid some of the really painful pitfalls of widowhood. (She is reading the book now.)
The plan is simple, the steps are clear and easy and you can pick and choose the parts that work for you. Just reading the book is the first step to opening up an entirely new stage of your life instead of just helplessly watch the world roll by. I know these words sound very "pie in the sky" and I wish I could make you feel the immense impact this has had on me, but I know I cannot. Just take a chance, read the book, maybe discuss it with friends and see if you see the possibilities it creates for you. Life isn't over just because you're over 60, it can be the start of a great new adventure!