Perhaps I am just getting older or perhaps it’s a life message that I need to hear. I heard of four deaths that happened to my immediate friend circles this week and am saddened by their loss. Two are my friends’ parent who died of old age and health issues in their 80s. At least they lived a full life. Two others are however people in their 50s and 60s. Life can be so short and brutal.
I may think of myself young in spirit and also in energy, but I am not far behind in age. I am turning 50 this year – AHHHH! Every time I say it, I think I am talking about someone else. Like many people, I feel like I am 35 and I think I will live until I am at least 85, maybe even 95 since I take care of myself. In reality, I am now in the second half of my life and it’s sobering. It’s time to really prioritize life.
How to Prioritize Life Now
This post is a reminder to myself and to us all to prioritize life now as tomorrow or next year is not always guaranteed. Here is a list of how I am prioritizing life. Would love to hear how you are doing it.
Self care – stay healthy, active and have work life balance- New experiences – plan new experiences as I know they create more joy for me than material things
- Learning and growing – it’s not too late to learn something new and feel that awkwardness of learning. It’s a life gift to be able to learn new things. I am learning escrima and onewheel and need to get back into both.
- Meaningful work – instead of the highest paying job. At the second half of life, many of us have financial security. The goal now is vocational freedom – freedom to do what we love and be okay to make less money. This is easier said than done. I am addicted to accumulation and still crave recognition and promotions even though I don’t need to make more money. I guess it’s a first world problem, but it’s one I am still grappling with. I am just thankful I recognize that I need to shift my thinking and decision making to make this a reality.
- Fulfilling relationships – we are all connected and we feel more alive when we connect with others in a deeper way. This can be with our immediate family but also with our dear friends. I am deeply fortunate to have friends from every stage of my life since high school still. I need to spend more time with them.
- Alone time – amazing how little we have for this and self reflection. I went for a nice swim Sunday afternoon and then took an hour in the shower, hot tub, sauna and steam rooms. It was so peaceful.
- Exciting hobbies – my latest one is pickleball – easy to learn and addictive.
- Finding ways helping others – in my case, raising my kids well, coaching my team at work and coaching those on this blog really brings so much joy to my life.
- Be present to today – 99% of the time we are in our heads planning tomorrow or recounting the previous few hours. Sometimes it’s nice to just be a witness to the current moment. Harder said then done. I might have gotten 1% better at this after taking the mental fitness course last year. I will do more practice.
How to Put this In Action – Align Your Decisions to Your Priorities
Many people will agree with the concepts above and even plan to do it at some point in the future. My advice is to actually prioritize life now, you need to make the next decisions differently to truly put it in action.
What will you do this week to prioritize life now? Just think of one thing you will decide differently and in alignment with the above is the start. Motion creates emotion. Then do another one next week. In order to truly prioritize life now is by aligning all your decisions to be in line with what you truly want in life. Then you may be surprised at how much more you will love your life and your work, no matter your age.
Your comments: What is the one decision you will make this week to prioritize life now? I would love to hear about it.
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Enjoy your life now! big hugs
Lei