15 Oct IT’S NOT EASY BEING…..
Do you remember telling your children that “life isn’t easy”? It dawned on me that in those moments when I reminded my kids that the world didn’t owe them anything, that somewhere inside, I thought that it would get easier for me as I got older, as responsibilities lessoned and the pressures to survive ebbed. Not so. In many ways, Halftime, is like being a teenager again. We optimistically enter this period of life filled with enthusiasm and ideas for a better world, and then somewhere along the road we discover that it’s not easy at all. It’s hard.
Some of us think that being free of the responsbility of raising children will give us more time to pursue some of the leisure time activities we put off in the past. What really happens is that we go from 100 miles an hour to 20 miles an hour, and it’s not as fulfilling as we hoped. Some get stuck, frozen in the reality that their expectations of a life of leiusre isn’t fullfilling. Now what?
Halftime and our second half isn’t about leisure, not that we can’t enjoy vacations, dinners out, movies and things like golf. But the thought of a life of never ending vacations reminds me of the movie “Groundhog Day” where every day was exactly the same. I’m pretty sure I would get tired of that in short order.
Free time, a life of leisure won’t make you happy nor will it bring true contentment, Real happiness comes to those who have a goal and are enegaged in meeting that goal. Without goals and purpose, life is quite frankly boring and redundant. Yes, you can get very good at some things like golf with all the extra practice day in and day out – but are you happy? And for most of us making the cut in the PGA is unlikely. And while I aspire to do better in the game of golf, even on those days when I score my best game, I leave the course not much different than when I arrived.
On the other hand, if our goals are too big, too lofty, we might give up – it’s a delicate balance. We are wired by our creator to be engaged in meaningful activities our entire life. In fact we are all gifted in a number of ways to really make a difference. Halftime is a very deliberate time where we make a strategic effort to stay highly engaged but in the right way.
If you think this is easy, think again. I’ve come to the realization that it’s harder than building a business in the first half of life. The process might even be quite discouraging because you may have to move from what has become natural onto a new field of play. But you can take your skills and knowledge, adapt them, and successfully take them with you into an entirely new enterprise that contributes to others. Now that’s exciting!
Life isn’t easy. It wasn’t designed to be easy. So the next time you tell your kids that “life isn’t easy”, remember your second half is going to be equally as difficult. Diffult but more fulfilling and filled with immeasurable joy and satisfaction. Now that’s a goal worth shooting for.
Go make a difference!
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