Shifting Gears

Shifting Gears by Cynthia M. Brown

So another year has come. There is so much being said about the year 20/20. The year of seeing clearly….. 20/20. Ok, I get it. Enough already. This is also the beginning of the third decade of the 21st century; the 21st year of the 21st century actually.

While I am sure there is a lot to ponder around the numbers, I have been thinking about my own life. I am not much for resolutions. I try to be more reflective rather than making sweeping statements of change each new year.

I am going to be 58 years old next month. I can hardly believe I am so dangerously close to 60! I have a friend who started over at 59 and by the age of 71 he had built an empire of spice shops and was a much beloved culinary icon. Unfortunately, he was taken from us too soon but his example of what is possible is truly inspiring.

So I am looking forward towards 60 and trying to decide what I want that next decade to look like. Now, mind, I love my job. I enjoy making people happy and i enjoy working with teens. Selling ice cream is a great way to go to work every day. The down side is the number of hours I work. I still have energy to work 50 to 60 hours a week but now the question is do I want to?

I want to spend time in my garden and walking my dog. I want to swim more; cook more; read more; make pottery more; play music more; write poetry more; I want to snuggle more…. I have so much to do that I feel like work is almost in the way and yet I still need to work… I am not financially able to retire yet. I am soul searching about what my needs truly are and whether or not I could live within less means and what that looks like for me and my family. How do I make that happen? Do I reinvent myself as my friend did?

I don’t have any answers right now. Frankly, since I am only 58, I have given myself this entire year

18 to try and figure out what gears to shift and how to shift them. I do know I want more working for a living and less living to work. I do know I am turning off the mobile device when I get home and trusting that emergencies are truly rare at work and that other managers are capable or they wouldn’t be managers. I am logging on only once a day on work days and not at all on off days. Just those small actions have given me more time for myself and my life. I feel like I have gained hours when I get home. I am not sure what other shifts I will make this year yet...I have all year to figure it out. I won’t be 59 for more than 375 days and since I can only live one day at a time… well. I’ve got time.

Enjoy your year! I am taking the slow route and considering buying a tricycle for my commute!

Feel Better Fast!

Brian Eastman, LIIFT Practitioner 513 541 1257 - brian.eastman@LIIFT.info Offices in Cincinnati, West Chester, Dayton.