Time Is On My Side
The Rolling Stones sang that “time is on my side” and I agree… yes it is. Time is an amazing helper. How much wiser I am now than I was! If I stop and reflect on who I was at the age my daughter is now, it’s hard for me relate to the me that I was back then. I mean, what did I even think when I was 20 years old? And how did I ever operate without all this wisdom I have now?
I’ll be coming up on the end of my fifth decade in a few years. The other day I decided that if I’m blessed with a long life, I’d like to be productive until at least 80 years old. I sat down and did the math. That comes out to 33 more years. I thought, “Wow, what could I do with 33 years?” And so I scribbled down some ideas. Year by year I mapped out what I want to do – what books I want to write, what causes I want to support, what projects I want to lead, etc.
At first I thought, “Why didn’t I ever do this before? What could I have accomplished by now if I had only thought this way when I was younger?”
And as soon as those thoughts came up I squashed them. That’s because I don’t wallow around in the dirt with my self-critic like I did in the old days. Thank you time and wisdom!
Besides, when I look at what I’ve done so far, I’d say it’s not too shabby as pasts go. After all, I did grow up and go through a bunch of crap that could have set me in a different direction had I not chosen to use the compass of self-improvement to guide my life. I’ve also managed to stay married for 25 years, and that is no small feat. Then there’s the crowning achievement of the past 20 years – helping to raise my daughter into an emotionally-healthy adult. No, I can’t slam myself for what I’ve accomplished so far at all.
Thirty-three years ago I didn’t know a fraction of what I know now. What I know now will not be a fraction of what I will know when I’m 80. Yep, time is on my side.
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Angela Loëb helps people rediscover and use their gifts so they bring who they are to what they do in life. http://angelaloeb.com
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