How to Remain Effective In Your Life No Matter Your Age

How to Avoid Feeling Miserable About the Unknown

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Older Is Just Fine, But I Say No To Feeling Stuck. Here is My Plan To Fix It.

Lately, I've realized I don't feel as ignited by projects as I once did. Several factors might be at play, but one that seems likely is that I'm aging. There is a phenomenon I've noticed among people in my age bucket: we do like our routines. They require less brainpower and provide comfort and stability as our world seems to shift more rapidly. 

So, here I am at 64, feeling uninspired about much of anything on the horizon. I've expressed the feeling to family and friends, and they hear it as complaining. They’ll say things like, "Look at all you have, how can you not be happy?!"

But this isn't about gratitude, which I can absolutely say I feel. It's the missing feeling of euphoria for something new over the horizon, a chosen change, a new goal, something to dig into where newness is relished. I lamented the lack of inspiration and newness with my daughter, and she suggested that seeking excitement was the wrong target. That elation of thrill, she explained, is unlikely to appear in the vapors of my thoughts on their own.

THE DIFFICULTY OF DOING

Her suggestion: do first. Work incrementally to improve each day. Once you have momentum, the satisfaction of doing will generate results, which will generate excitement toward a goal that suddenly seems doable. Sounds easy…right?

If I'm being honest, it is the doing, the starting, and sticking with something that has always been difficult for me. Doing first, with the focus on improvement over time, is tough for my attention span. I'm not a perfectionist, but I've always had the misconception that people who succeed do so almost from the beginning—because, surely, they have talent or skills that I don’t. How else would they have kept at something for so long?

I recognize that failure is part of learning, too, but I figured some people don’t really experience it, or they love what they are doing so much that failure doesn't hold them back. I, on the other hand, see early failure as a finite sign to quit before I’ve given trying a chance.  

Case in point: writing this blog post, which has been on my mind for nearly 3 months. I've sluggishly moved along with writing because I doubt my voice, suspect I need to find keywords, and now AI is taking over everything, so what's the point of writing at all? These thoughts are all permissions not to do. So here I've been, stuck, not writing, not finishing a post, because I doubt there is anyone who might find my perspective relatable or useful.

Do not give up. It’s never too late to start someting new.

Do without thinking

For me, then, instead of latching onto negative thoughts when they creep in, I'll change the thoughts. What is the worst thing that can happen? This post might not find my people, but with practice, I'll eventually find you, and we will learn together.

I can't and don't want to prevent aging, but being stuck isn't inevitable. Even as I get older and there seems to be less excitement on the horizon, here I go, leaping because doing is the path to engagement.

Dream Big, Start Small. Act Now.

A NOTE ABOUT LIFE STORY CARE

I've helped people create heirloom books sharing family and personal stories for more than 15 years. A part of my work has always involved what I call Life Story Care©. That is, listening to people share their stories, and in the process witnessing the benefits for the teller.

The key benefits are care, companionship, and conversation. In sharing stories, a person often reconsiders the past and discovers new insights into who they are in the present. And, for the clients I typically work with, conversation is something they don’t get enough of.

Who is Life Story Care for? Those who enjoy telling their life stories and exploring their personal thoughts and experiences, and the feelings that come with them. It’s about quality conversation. You know it when it’s real, engaged, and validating of the individual.

Life Story Care is conducted with a professional conversationist to provide the meaningful gift of comfort through authentic interactions and engaging companionship recognizing the uniqueness of the individual.

To learn more about the benefits of Life Story Care, and how to utilize the service read here.

If you want to explore your past, we have a free interactive timeline tool to help you get started. Check out the download here.

Sherry and Alexandra Borzo together in Lima, Peru

Sherry is the founder of Storied Gifts a personal publishing service of family and company histories. She and her team help clients curate and craft their stories into books. When not writing or interviewing, Sherry spends loads of time with her grandchildren and lives in Des Moines, Iowa.

STORIED GIFTS SHOP

Need a beautiful infusion of inspiration for your storied life? Please check out the Storied Gifts Shop where the theme is Words of Encouragement.

The shop is a mother and daughter venture for Sherry and Alexandra Borzo of Content In Motion. They both work to help their client's stories sing. The shop is their effort to inspire a focus on healthy minds for everyone through positive thought.