Experiences

 

I completed my 40^th year in the post-college workplace this month.  Spare me the “old” jokes.  As a good friend suggested, I prefer “seasoned”.  My first job in June 1982 was at  InterFirst Bank in Conroe, Texas. I thought I would spend my career in banking.  Little did I know… 

Your path of life experiences makes you who you are.  They may be good, bad, or indifferent, but you are the culmination of those life experiences.  Yes, we can influence the direction of our lives.  We can certainly change course, grow, and improve.  However, what we experience and learn along the way plays a huge part in who we become.  I never would have guessed that after 15 years in banking I would end up in the manufactured housing industry.  I also would not have thought I would become an entrepreneur after age 50.  Along the way I went through a divorce, had a bought with cancer, lost my dad, a mother-in-law, and one of our adult children. There are too many lessons and experiences to count.  Many of them have provided the subject matter of the MMM over the years. All summed up these lessons and experiences have made me who I am today.

Embrace who your life has made you.  Make all of your life lessons positive ones even if the experience associated with them was difficult.  Don’t let failures, disappointments, losses and missed opportunities get the best of you.  Make it a point to create positive experiences and do the same for those that you lead!

9/11

Twenty years ago, this past Saturday, our country was changed forever.  Those old enough, will remember exactly where they were that morning.  The attack, now known simply by the date of its occurrence, was nothing like this country had ever seen before, and hopefully will never again.  The images were, and still are, horrifying and unforgettable.  We were unified as a country, and we rallied together in the subsequent days, weeks and months.  Unfortunately, that unity has faded away, but that is a story for a different day. 

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York City.  It is a fascinating collection of stories and memorabilia located at the base of the Twin Towers.  I found it to be incredibly well done, powerful, but somber and reverent.  My granddaughter, who was not even born at the time of the attacks, was riveted.  She came home with an understanding, and true feel for that tragedy that she will never get from a textbook.  I encourage you to visit if you have the chance.

Don’t ever forget!

Why do we wait?

Why do we wait until people grow old, or even die, before acknowledging and praising them?  Why do we let those who have positively impacted our lives walk around without knowing what they mean to us?  What don’t we tell people when they play a role in making us who we are?  We may not all get that chance, and we should not wait.  Obituaries are a great place for tributes, but they come too late.  No time is better than the present to share with others how they have impacted your life. 

Thank people who have given you good advice.  Praise those who teach you life lessons.  Tell people you appreciate their honesty and integrity.   Let friends and family know what makes them special to you.  Share your appreciation with people who listen and mentor you.  Verbalize your love for others.  Don’t wait another day…let people know the impact that they have had on your life. 

A Broader Focus

Do you spend time pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone?  Do you intentionally seek to grow in areas where you are uncomfortable?  Do you force yourself to focus on things you are not really interested in?  To grow as a truly well rounded and balanced person and leader, you need to be doing all three. 

Mark Wahlberg is featured in the current issue of “Entrepreneur”.  Consider this quote from that article…

“When I was younger, I was able to focus on things I was interested in, but I had no time and no desire to focus on or be disciplined about things I wasn’t interested in, he answered, “And I realized that I needed to be disciplined all around, in every capacity – and that would allow me to become successful, or at least have the best chance to succeed.”

The writer went on to state…As we get older, we don’t become different people – we become bigger people, understanding the many multitudes of things we must consider, and care about, and take on.  Our pathway to success isn’t just about going forward, but about going wide.

Take an interest in something new this week. Be intentional about going wide, not necessarily deep.

Don’t Let The Old Man In!

Toby Keith tells a story about a playing golf with Clint Eastwood and their conversation that led to Keith penning the lyrics for a song entitled, “Don’t Let The Old Man In”.  As the story goes, Eastwood mentioned to Keith that he would be turning 88 in a few days.  Keith asked him what he was going to do for his birthday and Eastwood replied that he was starting to film a new movie.  When asked how he keeps up his energy level Eastwood replied “I get up every morning and just keep going, and I don’t let the old man in.”  That phrase moved Keith so much that he became obsessed with writing the song.  The movie is “The Mule” and it features the song by Keith that was inspired by that conversation on the golf course.

I recently celebrated a milestone birthday, no I am not 88, and I found the song to be quite meaningful.  There are lines about loving your wife, staying close to your friends, and toasting the sundown with wine, all things I try to do.  But the most striking lyrics are…

“Ask yourself how old you'd be

If you didn't know the day you were born”

What a fascinating thought.  What if you did not know how old you really are?  How would you act?  How would you feel?  We are too focused on the numbers associated with age, especially the ones with a “0”.  Maybe we just need to wake up each day, ignore the number, keep going and don’t let the old man in.  I plan to try…

(Credit my friend, and local running legend, Jim Braden for sharing the song with me.)

Change

Jerry Jeff Walker sings a song entitled Too Old to Change.  I recall being in my mid to late twenties and thinking that song applied to me.  I had this notion that I was who I was and was not likely to change much.  People around me just needed to accept that.  At that point my song title should have been Too Stupid to Change.  We are never too old to change, often just too hard-headed to change.  In fact, we do not grow as people if we do not change.  Life is all about change and how we accept, embrace and adapt to it. 

Don't be too old to change!