PART 1: USING YOUR PASSION FOR PROFIT OR PURPOSE

As the authors of Don’t Retire, REWIRE! we continue to travel the globe “preaching” the importance of rewiring yourself after all major life transitions. The retirement boom is on and eager audience members are trying to figure out how to get the most out of their futures! There isn’t one pathway for the future, but many. You just need to choose what you would like to pursue.

Some people told us they only want a future of fun, fun, fun…until they either get bored or they run out of money! Others say that they want to work but in jobs with less stress and less responsibility. Some want to try the entrepreneurial route but don’t have any ideas, and a good number are viewing their hobbies as possible pathways to new businesses or volunteering opportunities(look for blog number 2 on this subject coming soon.). The possibilities are numerous but to capitalize on them you have to use your imagination, and your curiosity needs to be in gear.

To give you an example of what we are talking about…look what happened when some mahjong players looked at the game with a new set of eyes! I took mahjong lessons several years ago with a group of friends, having never been exposed to the game before. We did it for fun; the bonus was seeing our friends with more regularity.  We thought it would be great for the brain! And it has been just that on all counts.

 But something else emerged from our playing mahjong.

Two of the women, who have always been interested in art, became intrigued with the artistry of the “tiles.” They started collecting antique mahjong sets and I am thrilled to report that they have just come out with their first book from Tuttle Publishing, MAH JONGG, The Art Of The Game. The book is a collector's guide to mah jongg tiles and sets, and the photography is sensational. They are speaking on the topic to a range of audiences, both experienced players and beginners (or want to be players as well as art afficianados).  A third player in our group has started teaching the game, with the goal of teaching mahjong on cruise ships!

Remember… we were just playing mahjong and look what happened! Let your imagination go wild!

But lest you think that this is just one group, I discovered that there is a club of avid mahjong players in the Philadelphiaarea (almost 120 at the time of this writing). Several of these women created a training/members site entitled mahjonggmentor.com/. The site includes over 50 videos and is a supplement to teachers as a standalone teaching tool, and as a great info resource for beginners and players alike.  

Remember …what was first and foremost an interest and hobby for these women has now turned into much more. It’s a business.

In both of these scenarios these women rewired and are working, just differently.

Show A Little Vulnerability- Learn to Play Mah Jongg

My life is about challenging others to rewire their life in some way. So in January I decided to take my own advice. I wanted to rewire some of my play time and decided to learn how to play mah jongg. I wanted something fun; that I could do with friends; that had portability and that would give my brain a good workout! All of the neuroscience data today shows that it's important to constantly be learning something new that challenges your grey matter!

So let me begin with a few facts and the plan I followed:
1) I didn't know anyone who played mahjong.
2) I didn't want to learn bridge because it seemed too difficult and serious.
3) I mentioned my desire to learn mah jongg to a friend who also knew nothing about the game but thought it sounded interesting.
4) She and I found a few other women who said they had wanted to learn but for whatever reason hadn't pursued it...yet.
5) We found a great teacher through the National Mah Jongg League and took lessons.
6) The mah jongg teacher orchestrates weekly games, for beginners and experts, and we committed to play every Monday. The key to doing anything new is to do it with frequency;that's the secret to learning.
7) We all have flexible work schedules which made it do-able (but it still seemed decadent to commit four hours each Monday to fun!)

Still for me, one of the biggest and scariest learning experiences was the first time I played mah jongg with strangers. None of my gang was available one Monday so I found myself playing with far more experienced players. Although I was a "wreck" and kept apologizing for mistakes, they were great and I learned a lot from them. What I realized is that it is impossible to become an expert overnight! Regardless of what we are trying to learn ---you have to be a beginner first! There's no way to get around it! Playing mah jongg has allowed me to become a part of a community of women committed to a variety of passions related to mah jongg! Even something fun and simple like where to buy a mah jongg set or mah jongg jewlery on line at places like mahjonggmaven.

So whether it's mah jongg, fly fishing, golf, cooking...whatever you want to learn..take a lesson or two or three. Yes you might look like a fool; yes you'll be like a kid again just starting out, but you know you're smart and if you like what you are pursuing you know you will "get it" eventually and that there will be new rewards and fun at the other end!

So dare to show your vulnerability and decide to try something new---who knows, you just be good at it!