And so, let the work of re-creation begin!!
But how, exactly, do I begin? I think about remodeling a home, and I know that it would be incorrect to simply begin swinging a sledgehammer at the walls, or buying a new paint color on sale (never mind that fuchsia might not be the most relaxing hue for a bathroom), or dragging all the furniture out to the curb on heavy trash day. Obviously, there must be a plan,
So with redesigning oneself.
And here are two suggestions, preliminary work before beginning the process of creating a new person in retirement.
The first is to begin with the Serenity Prayer: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
The last line of that prayer is probably the most important – I can spend unrecoverable time and energy trying to change things that will not yield to my efforts; similarly, I could easily misunderstand that some changes are really possible and beneficial. So, again, “the wisdom to know the difference.”
In posts to follow, we explore both the things we can change and the things we cannot, but here is one example: I cannot change my age (although I can deny it or even lie about it), but I can change my attitude about aging.
Second, we can use a tool that simplifies analysis of our lives, a tool I learned in an educators’ workshop. To set up this process, use a single sheet of paper with three columns: Start, Keep, Stop. Then, think of the elements of your own life. What new things (habits, projects, learning) would you like to begin? What things that you are already doing would you like to keep? And what things that you have been doing would you like to stop doing?
Again, we will explore many of these ideas in future posts, and I am looking forward to hearing about your discoveries, but here are some examples from my own redesigning project:
Start: Keeping a daily record of calorie counts
Keep: Walking 1 hr. a day
Stop: procrastinating about sorting through and donating unused clothing
For each of the categories, it is important to be specific. For example, in the first category I wrote at first: “Following a healthy eating plan.” Then I asked myself: What does that mean, exactly? And I narrowed that idea down to a concrete step – being aware of the amount of food I consume daily.
I’m praying the Serenity Prayer and I am making my three column list. Each column is growing, and I am excited about seeing the results of this remodeling project, and about sharing the journey with you.
8/15/2014