I began a temporary job in the middle of May of this year. It was the first full-time employment that I have had in three years and was greatly appreciated.  Because I knew at the beginning that the job would be temporary I did not have any expectations other than pay for a few weeks work. I am still working and we have finally reached the end of the assignment.
What I did not expect was the relationships with co-workers that have developed. I have truly enjoyed working with the group that have become my new friends. What is most interesting to me is that they are from 18 years old and up. I am at 58 old enough to be the mother of many of them yet we have managed to transcend the barriers of age and the difference in experience and formed friendships. I have learned a tremendous amount from all of them and realize that this is part of the formula for keeping a young attitude. I hope that they have learned that older is not necessary dead!

There is a lesson to be learned every day!

Professor Hawking is a theoretical physicist, who has written several books and has attended both Oxford and Cambridge. I have seen him several times on television and am astounded by his intellectual ability. By the way if you don’t know, he suffers from ALS (amyotropic lateral sclerosis) a fatal neurological disease that usually kills it victims in a few years. Professor Hawking does not like to discuss his abilities in the context of his disease. Let’s face it though, the man is confined to a wheelchair and at this point can only communicate by a specially made computer. He is what most of us would consider completely paralyzed. ALS however does not affect the brain and he remains one of the most brilliant people alive. His disease does not define him.

My point in mentioning him is that perhaps in our road to reinvention, we need to make better use of what we have.  Some of us may have less physical ability than others but have our right minds. Are we using what we have to the  best of our abilities?  Or do we let a panoply of excuses keep us from moving in the direction that we know that we should take?  What do we allow to define us?

We are constantly being bombarded with books and articles that profess to tell us how to take control of our lives and once that is done we will be able to move in the right direction. On the face of it this sounds logical and we are tempted to take the proverbial bull by the horns and run. Why can’ t I become successful at any given venture based on these foolproof formulas?  Failing to plan is planning to fail, successful people use their calendars, schedule their appointments and closely watch everything that they do. This is what moves them to the top isn’t it? I am not so sure.

Yesterday a co-worker lost a loved one in an accident. No warning, he was alive in the morning and dead by evening. It was a shocking and stunning event for her and everyone who loved him. I imagine that he had plans for yesterday, the rest of the week, the weekend. So much for planning. We never really know what is going to happen.

Now I am not suggesting that we say the heck with plans. We need order in our lives and when we discuss the topic of reinvention, we will surely need to make plans in order to move forward. I think however that we can become too tied to a schedule, a list, a calendar, a to do list. We are often not able to forgive ourselves when we stray from our chosen path for the day. Let’s remember to forgive and forget. Tomorrow is (hopefully) another day to get it right. If we don’t have another day I bet the plan will not be the last thing that anyone remembers about us. Use your skills, celebrate your gifts and remember the saying “Man plans and God laughs”