aging journey

A collection of 23 posts

strength

138: Gather Strength as You Go

Ryan Holiday shares the following compelling insight in his book, The Obstacle is the Way, "Margaret Thatcher didn’t become known as the Iron Lady until she was sixty years old. There’s a saying in Latin: Vires acquirit eundo (We gather strength as we go). That’s how

music

136: Listen to the Music

I'm into music. Always have been. And my music tastes vary depending on my mood or the moment I'm in. I'm partial to the 70s and consider that music decade to be unrivaled. Even so, I'm keen on current artists—especially if

life span

131: 3 Actions That Keep Time on Your Side

We often think about our life in spans of time. New days, birthdays, next month, a new year, or a new decade. And if you approach or cross the 100 year mark - a new century! Spans of time, while a useful measurement, shouldn't represent the end of an

facing challenges

125: Facing a Mountain?

I returned from a long road trip earlier this week. Our travels included a variety of terrains: rolling hills, flat grasslands, and mountains. Each have their own appeal but the mountains are the scenic front-runners in my opinion. The thing about mountains is their majestic yet immovable presence. A

editing your life

121: Don't Worry About the First Draft - You Can Always Edit

As a writer, my life revolves around the careful and strategic crafting of words. The first draft always starts with a blank page where a blinking cursor awaits my first move on the keyboard. I've grown to love the first draft phase of writing, not because it'

margin

120: The Stress You Feel Could be a Margin Issue

Do you ever think about margin? Not the space between a book's sentences and the edge of the page (though that space is where insights and ideas live if you like to mark up your books like I do). For our purposes here, I'm talking about

aging

114: Viable Aging is Worth the Search

There's both truth and myth associated with a colorful rainbow that stretches across the sky following or during a rainstorm. Atmospheric moisture illuminated by sunlight: truth. A "pot of gold" at the end of it: myth. No one that I know of has actually searched for

aging

110: Aging Isn't Optional, How You Age is Up to You

What's your secret? That question assumes there's something about you that's peaking someone's curiosity. In the aging context, it could be your stamina, your youthful glow, your resilient attitude, or any of a number of observable qualities. As I age, I'

empowerment

108: Imagine What You Could Do...

Do you underestimate yourself? It happens. You might forget how you pushed through a hard season of life. Or, you could be low on resilience having not pushed through enough of your recent challenges or setbacks. I encourage you to tap into the power of your imagination. Not the fantasy-

optimism

107: Choose Radical Optimism as You Age

I choose to be optimistic. Can't say that about some of what we deal with in life. But when it comes to aging, I am...optimistic. It's tempting to be a pessimist about aging. The media (depending on who you listen to), pharmaceutical ads, and the

aging

106: Build Momentum as You Age Using the Flywheel Principle

"Picture a huge, heavy flywheel - a massive metal disk mounted horizontally on an axle, about 30 feet in diameter, 2 feet thick, and weighing about 5,000 pounds. Now, imagine that your task is to get the flywheel rotating on the axle as fast and long as possible."

aging well

101: 3 Good Pieces of Aging Advice

The older you become the more you realize that advice isn't in short supply. But when you reach a certain age (I'll let you pick a number) giving and receiving advice is relative. Although, restraint with regards to giving advice is essential as you age (if

aging journey

100: A Milestone and 100 Inspiring Quotes for Your Aging Journey

It's amazing how the number "100" carries weight. And it should. It's a music industry benchmark: the "Billboard Hot 100." It's the percentage every athlete, business, or individual longs to give: 100%. It's how we measure 10 decades

aging

097: "I'm at the Age Where...(I Can Choose How I Get Older)

As you think about it, your mind is likely drawn to yours or someone else's bias about aging. Because growing older brings to mind some common stereotypes. "Frail, weak, slow, clumsy, clueless, confused, forgetful, helpless, unhealthy, unattractive, uncool, and bad at driving."1 Brian Clark shared

purpose

094: You Could Use Some Wabi-Sabi as You Age

It's amazing to me how reading an unrelated article provides inspiration for useful insight about aging. I was browsing my article feed on Medium and came across an article about the case-less use of an iPhone. Actually, I'm a fan and follower of the writer

sustainable lifestyle

092: The Case for a More Sustainable Lifestyle as You Age

It's amazing how when you're young you give little if any thought to pacing yourself. I mean, why should you? You have energy to burn and not much holding you back. As you age, well, you tend to feel burned out and prefer to hold yourself

aging

090: Why Not Think Differently About Aging?

Did you ever wonder why aging is associated with phrases like "over the hill" or having "one foot in the grave...?" I could add more but think about it - does an aging mindset that focuses on being on a downhill slide or being one misstep away

procrastination

089: The Cost of Living in Tomorrow-land

Tomorrow. It's a word with dual meaning. It can be used in optimistic anticipation as in Annie's famous lyrical encouragement: "The sun will come out...tomorrow. Bet your bottom-dollar that tomorrow will be..." To the contrary, tomorrow can also mean delay for whatever

advocating for yourself

086: The Power of Advocating for Yourself as You Age

Me, myself, and I. That's not a statement of self-centeredness. But it is a statement relative to being in your own "corner" when necessary. Being your own "wing-person" or advocate is increasingly essential in the aging journey. Unfortunately, advocating for yourself is

aging journey

079: My Turn (One Year Later): Half-Marathon Reflections and Finishing Strong in the Aging Journey

A lot can change in a year. Last year (April 2024) I watched my youngest daughter cross the finish line of her first half-marathon (13.1 miles) at the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. As a spectator, I wrote about that experience sharing my practical observations and applying them to

aging well

065: My Word for the Year and How It Could Positively Impact Your Aging Journey

For a few years I've selected a word for the year. It's more of a compass bearing to stay on track and help me avoid randomness in my daily life. This year's word (drumroll...) is... "Agency" No, I'm not doing

goals

052: Have You Aged Out of Setting Goals?

Do you still think about goals or goal-setting? As far as personal growth is concerned, goals might still be on your radar. And if you're longevity-minded, you might need to reboot of some goals you've set aside or recently discovered. Perhaps you don'

aging

046: Baggage Weighs You Down as You Age - Travel Lighter!

Carry-on or checked? Trunk or trunk plus car-top carrier? Your preference or choice (out of necessity) says a lot about how you handle "baggage." Me...I'm a carry-on and make-it-fit-the-trunk kinda guy. I like to travel light as often