RSS
 

Posts Tagged ‘American Dream’

Entering The Autumn Of My Life

I knew it was coming a few years ago. I gave up fighting the waist line and playing basketball and sports in general. It wasn’t so much the physical stress that affected me as much as the mental stress. I was not ready for the mental slow down.

I turned 65 without much fan fare but a nice birthday party and good fellowship with friends and my wife of 40 years. My, how the time has flown by. Seems like only yesterday I was at the top of my game. I showed others how to succeed and taught others how to live life to the fullest. Now, I am being shown, very graciously by others, how to sit back and let someone else take control of the situation and life’s challenges.

I sit in amazement at the computers and applications that I see interact effortlessly with the younger generation while I struggle with email and face-book and all of the smart phones. I recall, much to the younger generation’s chagrin, how I made it through life without any of these fancy gadgets, but deep inside, wish I could handle the information age with as much ease as they do.

I am forced, by my physical limitations and also my mental limitations, to stand down while my mind still tries to handle situations like I did 40 years ago.  Am I ready to give up? No way!

I am ready to enter a new phase in my life. It requires walking away from all of the electronic gadgets and life style that I have grown dependent on. It requires walking toward my children, grandchildren, and wife to re-discover the fun filled weekends, the evening games, the holding of hands, and the enjoyment I get when I just stay close to her. After all, she is the one who gave me meaning and direction when I met her. We have raised her 3 children, adopted 4 more, and fostered several more. What a fulfillment I have received from marrying her.

All of my life was planned to work toward retirement. Now, slowing down has to be planned as well. I have a fear of becoming not needed. Not a big fear but somewhat a fear of being left out. I watched as my parents aged and then passed on. I watched as Robert and Mary, who were so vibrant and independent, slowly wind their life down in a nursing home. How many times I prayed they would pass on without the indignity of nursing home care that is inevitable.

So, the problem is learning to stay busy and focused with purpose. I must adapt and change over to a different mindset and mental strategy. I must find purpose when it is not obvious, keep applying myself to things I can do and be good at.

I am good at building relationships because I have spent the last 40 years building relationships with friends and families. I am good at being a grandparent because I love kids and enjoy being around them. I am good at being a parent because no matter how old I get, they are still my children. I am good at loving life and enjoying the day. I am good at flying, since I haven’t crashed, fishing, picnics, and just having a good time. I am good at living.

When I think my retirement through, I am happy I have made it this far. I am looking forward to entering the autumn of my life. Winter is still some time away and I plan on enjoying this autumn to the fullest. I may be older and slower but I am more matured and have had more experience in having fun and enjoying life than my younger friends.

I think I will go and find the love of my life and see what mischief I can get into. Yes sir, I think this is one autumn I am looking forward to.

 
No Comments

Posted in Personal Development

 

Is The American Dream Dead ?

There was a time in America when one could start with a small investment, work hard, and wind up with a successful business or a completed dream. America, after all, was the land of opportunity.

Now with rising taxes, permits, fees, government agencies, zoning, and a host of other problems, the American Dream is more difficult to obtain. Or is it? There have always been obstacles, government agencies, taxes, fees, and permits one need to obtain before taking on any adventure or dream. So does bureaucratic red tape kill the American dream?

The American Dream is not some project or business that is open for outside forces to dictate the outcome. The American Dream is not governed by circumstances, conditions, red tape, or even government intervention. The American Dream lives and breathes within the individual person who has liberty and freedom at his disposal to energize and control his destination. The American Dream is inherent to America because it is a land of freedom and liberty. To say it exactly would be to say, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This has only been true in the Untied States because our foundation is one of individual freedom. Another large factor is the right to own property. Try building the American Dream in China or Iran. It won’t work. The governing agency does not permit individuals to chart their own course.

Is the American Dream Dead? No, it lives as long as we have libraries, movies, and independent expression. Not as long as we can travel from state to state at our choosing. Not as long as we can openly purchase products or decline a product to choose another. Not as long as we can ask a total stranger for help or give to someone who is in need. Not as long as we can choose a place to worship or have quiet meditation. Not as long as the veteran fights for our right to live in peace and safety.

The American Dream is not determined by government, the right to bear arms, the right to work, the right to keep the money I earn, and spend it the way I want.

What then determines the American Dream? The American Dream is determined by the mindset, attitude, and determination of the individual. A mindset that says, “I will succeed no matter what.” A mindset of intestinal fortitude and bravery to go forth and conquer the obstacles that stand in the way of the American Dream. If you think the dream is dead, then you are correct, and you are defeated. The end of the American Dream is not dead. Only if you are thinking about quitting, then the American Dream is Dead inside you. However, watch out! Someone will come along and prove you wrong.

Is the American Dream Dead? Ask a movie successful movie star, Colonel Sanders, Ray Croc of McDonalds, professional baseball players, race car drivers, airplane pilots, grandparents, and families. Ask any true blooded American if he is free and if the American Dream Stills Lives.

Is the American Dream Dead? No, a thousand times NO!

Terry F. Warner

 
No Comments

Posted in Business Tips, Marketing Strategies, Personal Development