Open Your Eyes: Possibilities Abound

We are an odd nation of individuals; there are those who make things happen; those who watch things happen and those who after everything has happened say: “WOW! What happened?”  At this point, you should be asking yourself…Which one am I?

We hope you are in the first category, or at least can get yourself there. Why? Because your life will be more fulfilling…and fun…if you can make things happen for yourself.  There are thousands of self help books out there…and maybe you have read some but stop reading and let’s get into action. 

First, identify a real goal or something you are ready to pursue or at least investigate.

A recent retiree who we have been working with to rewire decided it was time to get some fitness into her life. She now had the time, freedom, flexibility and desire to “get in shape."   She had a gym in her apartment building, but didn’t like going there so our question to her was…why not?  What do you want to get out of a workout? What do you want to do and where do you want to do it? This may sound really simple and obvious but it isn’t always and it is a part of a person’s rewiring.

At our suggestion she “talked to herself” and through her own assessment discovered:

·        She didn’t want to work out alone.

·        She didn’t want the pressure or to pay for a personal trainer.

·        She wanted to try a variety of classes like Spinning and Zumba.

·        She thought she also might like to learn to swim.

·        She wanted a convenient friendly gym that wasn’t too glitzy but still “cool.”

…and then she started throwing up roadblocks. And that’s when we said STOP!

Get on Google; put in your desired neighborhood; identify your desire for a pool or fitness

classes and see what happens!

She is now a member of Asphalt Green on the Upper East Side in New York City.  A non profit community center that is 20 blocks from her home, where she had gone by hundreds of times in the last 20 years but never visited, and in the end she even joined during a special promotion!  The point is….she never opened her eyes and looked around to see what was right in front of her!

Lesson: At this stage of life particularly open your eyes and your mind to new possibilities! 

Reconnecting With Your Past Through Basketball

When you saw the title, Reconnecting With Your Past, you probably thought that we were recommending that you visit Classmates.com to look up old friends, or go to Ancestry.com to check out your family tree. Many people are checking out those great sites especially as they may now have more time or interest to do so, but that is not what we are talking about here. You might have noticed the words….Through Basketball in the title?  This is about a recent experience I had and relates to some of the topics we write about in our book, Don’t Retire, REWIRE!

 I’m a graduate of Michigan State University, and admit to having no real involvement with the university since graduation. With no family, and few friends left in Michigan, I haven’t walked the campus for many years. Yes, I would randomly support my college when they called for a donation but for whatever reason my heart really wasn’t in East Lansing; college was a point in time. Maybe some of you can relate to what I am saying; others may be shocked because you are strong alums. The point is everyone’s experience is unique, then and now.

During the last few years I had accepted a few invitations from MSU to attend events in New York City, but again my attendance didn’t result in any commitment. Maybe this is sounding familiar to some of you? All that changed last week however when I attended a pre-game MARCH MADNESS event prior to the MSU-Virginia match up at Madison Square Garden.

Surrounded by Spartans in green and white attire, I was treated to remarks by MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon, a tremendously effective leader, and Basketball Coach, Tom Izzo, who inspires and entertains, and is one of the great human beings of college sports and a legend at the NCAA.  Was it cool to be there? Absolutely! Did I have a sense of belonging to something bigger than myself? For sure! Was I proud? Yes. And things took a very positive turn when I introduced myself to the man standing next to me who turned out to be very involved in the alumni program. His pride, his stories, and his enthusiasm for the new horizons that MSU plans to reach to inspire current and future generations in and outside of Michigan and the United States was infectious.

What I learned from my research on Don’t Retire, REWIRE! is that two of my personal Drivers or motivators, as identified in the book,  is to have new experiences, and to belong. Sometimes we don’t know what hidden treasures associated with our past can be found, until we start showing up at events, asking questions, listening to stories, making new acquaintances who may turn into friends.  The key here is to show up.  I asked a lot of questions that night and just joined the MSU Alumni group today.  I am looking forward to meeting the 7000 MSU alums in the New York area….well not all of them, and going back to East Lansing to see a campus that has become a beacon to the future in a state that is rising once again and headed back to greatness. 

As I always say, when the student is ready the teacher will appear.  Moral of the story?

When you Rewire make sure you show up at activities and ask questions! And know what your Drivers are!

REWIRE! with Music and Reduce Stress

Our readers often report that when they sit down to plan the future, either individually or with a partner or spouse, they find their anxiety level climb.  The future can be intimidating and appear uncertain even with calm, careful planning.  But nevertheless planning is a key ingredient that leads to self-actualizing a future that is fulfilling and sustaining. There is a secret to making planning less anxiety producing.  It is called MUSIC. 

That's right, listening to music while planning can reduce stress, improve focus, and make it a more enjoyable experience.  A recent article by reporter, Elizabeth Landau, CNN, highlights a study showed that patients who were to undergo surgery and listened to music reported being calmer than patients who were prescribed anti-anxiety drugs.  If other studies continue to confirm these findings, it will have a profound effect on how we medicate in the future.   A doctor's prescription for anxiety may eventually read: Beethoven 2X a day, or Jimmy Buffett, as needed. It may also mean a huge savings in prescription drug costs.

Whether it's chanting, Willy Nelson, Josh Groban, or Yo Yo Ma, you choose what's best for you.  Many of the people we have spoken with about music and anxiety report that Mozart is the best antidote.  Now listening is made even easier with Pandora.  You can set up your own favorites list and every time you sit down to plan, you can become calmer.  Now that's a symphony we can all REWIRE to!

Write Your Own Memoir and REWIRE!

Our book agent, Martha Jewett, has rewired. After a long and successful career in book publishing, she is now working in an area that comes naturally to her: memoir writing. Martha is an exceptionally talented person.  She was a great agent.  Now she is a great author, teacher and memoirist.  Martha’s interest in memoir was handed down in her family. “My grandmother and great-grandmother both wrote their memoirs,” she says. “I know that my great-great-grandmother sang around the house, something I do too.”

Martha now combines her natural interest in memoir writing with her expertise at showing first-time authors how to write books. On her website, www.writeyourmemoir.com, Martha shows non-writers how to write their memoirs. “Everyone has a story to tell. But few people know how to write their memoirs.” Writeyourmemoir.com explains and illustrates memoir-writing techniques and gives examples of family memoirs Martha writes.

 Martha has just published a new e-book, the only guide on the market on how to use storytelling techniques of fiction in memoir writing. How To Bring Your Memoir To Life: 53 Fiction-Writing Techniques from the Marshall Plan®, co-authored with Evan Marshall, includes examples from bestselling memoirs. “These are the same techniques professional writers use to write memoirs that are alive, clear, riveting, dramatic, full of feeling, fast-paced, and immersive,” says Martha.

Looking to pen a compelling memoir? Now you know where to start.     

The Boomer Organ Recital

Recently we were with a group of Boomer friends many of whom were complaining about aches and pains due to sports and other physical activities. It became a game of can you top my pain.  Fortunately one of the group yelled "Stop. I have had enough of this organ recital."  Rather than get angry the most vocal looked around, got very quiet and smiled sheepishly.  As researchers on Boomers, we asked ourselves what pains are in store for this huge cohort?  Not everyone is going to suffer extreme aches and pains and those that do will suffer in their own way.  However, there is one specific pain causing disease that is targeted to grow to epidemic proportions.  We all know it. It's called Arthritis.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that today there are 50 million cases of arthritis in the U.S. By 2030 they project 67 million cases. But only old people get arthritis, right?  Wrong.  Chances are that as our bodies age we run the risk of becoming an arthritis statistic.  But all is not lost.

We recently saw an article in Arthritis Today magazine about Pearl White, a 96 year old woman, who is a role model for all of us.  A life long dancer, she was forced to give it up at age 80 when her arthritis became too painful for her to continue.  But she rewired and became a fitness instructor.  She didn't give up.  She found another way to channel her energy, continue to exercise, and remain socially engaged as a teacher.  Pearl asked herself, what else can I do?

Life is all about ages and stages.  If something you do becomes problematic, like exercise, playing golf, tennis, dancing, or anything else, you need to find new alternatives that keep you in the game.   Staying physically active and socially engaged is one sure way to have a better future.  It will benefit your body and your mind. So it happens to you, do what Pearl did and find something new!  You can REWIRE as many times as you can imagine or need to.  When one thing goes, try something new.