Friday, July 6, 2012

Rediscovery is a Process, Not a Quick Fix.




     As my sixty-third birthday looms before me, only four weeks away, I realize that my plan to find the "all new at 62" me is lagging behind schedule. Reviewing my very first blog post I realize that I still have five steps remaining on my list that need attention, and they are by far the broadest steps.

  • Step Six: Evaluate myself, lead with my strengths. This could take a lifetime! None the less, I have learned that some of my oldest skills are still my strongest, and that I am a work in progress. Life is indeed a journey.
  • Step Seven: Find my niche. I started my career as an illustrator, and I am now doing commercial illustration fairly consistently for supplemental income. What's old is new again.
  • Step Eight: Grow and prosper. I have learned to reach out to others, and have grown my circle of friendships. What could make my life more prosperous? I have learned that it takes a lifetime to grow to our full potential. The riches lie in the growing.
  • Step Nine: Laugh and love. Through new friends I find new ways to love, and with long-time friends love endures. Laughter is the best medicine, and sometimes it means laughing at myself. 
  • Step Ten: Rediscover contentment. Each day I am discovering new peace and joy in simple things. What I find is that my search in the past has taken me too far afield. True contentment comes from inside.
     It seems I have made more progress than I initially thought. Sometimes simply checking one's list is enough to ease the pressure. Perhaps I need to add one more step to my list:
  •  Step Eleven: Learn to ease up on the self-inflected pressure.