May 2007
Dear Subscribers,
Welcome to the spring edition of my Own Your Life Newsletter!
My friend Erica, an event-planner, is launching a “celebrate life” series of mailings to her clients and prospects. She plans to include, in each mailing, a list of little-known holidays. For example, did you know that May 3 is Lumpy Rug Day? In doing some of my own research, I found that the month of May, not counting month- or week-long observances, offers 55 holidays to celebrate or observe. A lot to keep track of!
Actually, Erica got my attention with “celebrate life.” In writing blog posts about owning your life, I am frequently reminded that every day can be a celebration. Still, if you need some reasons, other than little known holidays, here are some things you might consider:
Celebrate your individuality. You are uniquely you and bring specific talents and distinctive traits to all you do. You’re probably aware of many of your assets, but you may not be aware of other attributes you own.
If you want to truly celebrate your individuality, take time for some self discovery; reflect on your values, passions, vision, and purpose. You should also make sure to get feedback from others; people who know you well can help you discover distinctive attributes that make up your personal brand.
If you want to learn more, see my posts: Discovering Your Hidden Assets, and Uniquely You.
Celebrate your positive outlook. For all of us, life continually challenges our perspective; we get plenty of opportunities to look at the glass and see how empty or full it is. And at mid-life, the metaphor of the half-full glass can become a more deeply personal one. How it affects us, of course, is up to each of us.
Since the quality of your life is a reflection of your perspective, your choices, and your activities, you have more control of the quality of your experience than you might think. You can’t rely on luck, so you should take some time to plan. You need to work at choosing joy over crisis. You need to work at achieving balance.
If you want to learn more, see: Feeling Lucky?, Having a Mid-life…Life!, Finding Balance in Your Work Life.
Celebrate your quality of life. If you are at mid-life, you have probably thought more than once about retirement. Like a lot of people, you may have even bought into the idea that the real rewards of life come in retirement. Yet, several writers on retirement and researchers on aging make a compelling case for improving the quality of your life today.
In fact, you may be denying yourself a vibrant future if you ignore building a solid foundation of interesting and productive activities, fail to engage in sound health and wellness practices, and miss opportunities to build meaningful relationships with a wide variety of people.
Want to learn more? Check out: Just what, exactly, is “retirement readiness,” and why should you care about it?, Living Your “Retirement” Dreams ... Now, Lifestyle Factors and Thrive with a Little Help from Your Friends.
With good reasons to celebrate, you may feel like dancing. Go ahead! In fact, it’s May Day; so, get out and find a Maypole and have a great time. Or celebrate in a way that fits you better. After all, it’s your life, own it!
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Best,
Walter
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