Daily Inspiration 5-24-11

"For the most part, people seem to think that

life is linear, that our capacities decline as we

grow older, and that opportunities we have missed

are gone forever. Many people have not found

their Element because they don't understand

their constant potential for renewal."

-- Ken Robinson, Ph.D., from the book, The Element

This quote is so clear when you start listening to people get older. I hear about the things that they can't do anymore, they're not as young as they used to be (well, duh!), there's not enough time to do that, that's for younger folks to worry about and so on. Well, boo-hoo!

I've studied all kinds of extremely successful people that started all over about the time that most think about retiring. I'm always thinking, "retiring to what? Sit on the porch and watch life go by?" The list is long of people who started late and lived a whole new life.

At 58, I decided to resurrect my dream of my own business and changed my life completely. As so many people say, you only life once, so if that were true, then you might as well go for it--at least that's my opinion.

Within a year of starting this business, we needed the help of a graphic designer to take us to another level. We found a woman who was a stay at home mom most of her life, then floundered in entry level jobs not finding any stability or success, who then decided to go back to school, get a degree and a new skill.

Shortly after graduating with a degree in graphic design, we were so lucky to be in the right place at the right time. So after all of those entry level frustrations, now she owns her own businesses. In fact, she owns two businesses and has taken our business to a whole new level and continues to grow in that, and us in our attachment to her expertise and partnership. She's in her 50's (I won't say any more. . .).

So there you have two stories that show these lives are not even considering sitting on the porch and have found continually growing potential seasoned by a little bit of time. Opportunities are seized that did not pass us by and, in fact, are grander than we might have previously recognized. We are renewed!

Don't let people tell you that you can't do something. If you can dream it, life has the capacity to have that dream come true. Forget about the people who made up such rules as retirement age and decline after 40 and all that crap. It is just nonsense. You have so much more capacity than you may realize--at any age--mental or physical. Grab it!

Forget About All Those Rules. Make Your Own.

Spread Some Joy Today--Joy is doing what you love doing--especially something you've wanted to do a long time and have listened to all those rules. Relight the fire now! That's joy!