Tag: life long learning

Featured

Embracing intentions

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

And now let us welcome the new year – full of things that have never been

Rainer Maria Rilke

Given the current chaos in our lives with the recent uptick in Omicron, it seems less than inspiring to even contemplate making some sort of resolution for this new year. And truth be told, resolutions never seem to have the right fit in my life anyways. Making a resolution usually makes me feel obligated to do something arbitrary that I have chosen for the wrong reasons. So it seems to only set the stage for failure when I try to push myself to adopt a frame of mind where I think I must accomplish some random task.

And even pushing myself towards that goal doesn’t help as it often fizzles and fades away in a few weeks or months.

Since I am spending more time in quiet solitude these days, I have been thinking about the spirit of setting intentions versus resolutions.

By definition an intention relates to having some purpose. And purpose in our lives often has a deeper seated meaning and value than a haphazard goal.

As I embark on this path forward to being a writer, part of my transition comes with the realization that what I am passionate about requires me to move into the role of student. A beginning learner if you will. Learning more about the craft, about myself and what expectations I bring to the process of writing. As my words populate a page, it is humbling to be aware that there is much about being a writer that I have yet to learn. Maybe I never will.

So I am seeking out teachers, mentors and classes that resonate with what I need to learn now. I am fortunate in that I have time to devote to this…and perhaps feeling safer at home rather than out and about has prompted me to be realistic about what I can do these days. So my intentions this year are to learn more about the craft of writing. To be okay with and embrace the beginner mindset and to absorb as much as I can.

And to reframe the way 2022 has started and to be grateful that the external circumstances around me are assisting with this motivation to learn, grow, and to write.

Stay healthy and safe – Happy New year!!

4 Powerful Life Habits that are never too late to fully embrace

As I move along in my journey of reinvention, I have been in a process of continual evaluation of what works in my life and what doesn’t. There are many strategies and tools we can all use to live healthier lives. But often we feel too busy, too overwhelmed, or too stressed to focus on our own needs.

Through this process of self-reflection, I have landed on four life habits that I intend to focus on as I move forward on this journey.

  1. Embrace relationships and adopt an anti-age segregation approach – Over the past thirty years I have often found myself intending to call friends or family members only to place that thought on hold because I told myself that life just gets in the way. Friendships require time, attention, and nurturing and family members may be far away both geographically and emotionally. As you age, the scope of your relationships can become very narrow and your risks of loneliness and all of the subsequent health impacts increase unless you are proactive. Developing relationships with people of all ages exposes us to more interests, opportunities, and a deeper understanding about our lives as well as those of others.
  2. Engage in work or activities that sustain passion and provide your life with meaning – Full time work is not the only activity that we can do as we age that provides opportunity to fulfill our passions and life purpose. Finding any activity that both energizes us, aligns with our values, and stretches our ability to learn and grow is important. What seems to be key is that we have to both embrace and enjoy whatever it is that we choose to do.
  3. Adopt a life long learning habit – Although this may sound like a cliched concept, research from the field of neuroscience suggests that to enhance the brains ability to create new neural pathways, it is critical that we not stop learning new things. The current craze of crossword puzzles, sudoku puzzles, etc., while not harmful, may not stem the tide of dementias as promised. This knowledge is now surpassed by understanding that our brains actually benefit from learning new things and being challenged by the process. Learning new things may be uncomfortable at first, but if we persevere, the gains can be significant.
  4. Adopt healthy habits as soon as possible – (Or it is never too late). Most of us are aware (sometimes painfully so) that our health habits related to proper nutrition, exercise and movement throughout the day can help us achieve our longevity goals. By reducing and eventually avoiding harmful practices such as smoking or vaping cigarettes, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol or abusing other substances, or eating junk or unhealthy amounts of food, we have the ability to turn our health status around no matter what our age. Perhaps most critically is the manner in which we internally talk to ourselves about some of our less desirable habits. Having the ability to counter some of our own negative self-talk and be compassionate towards ourselves can take us forward in a positive way.

These are the healthy habits I am trying to commit to building more mindfully into my life. What are your strategies for living a healthier life? I would love to hear what you and others around you are doing. We only have one life to live and it is a work in progress for all of us.