Reconnecting With Your Past Through Basketball

When you saw the title, Reconnecting With Your Past, you probably thought that we were recommending that you visit Classmates.com to look up old friends, or go to Ancestry.com to check out your family tree. Many people are checking out those great sites especially as they may now have more time or interest to do so, but that is not what we are talking about here. You might have noticed the words….Through Basketball in the title?  This is about a recent experience I had and relates to some of the topics we write about in our book, Don’t Retire, REWIRE!

 I’m a graduate of Michigan State University, and admit to having no real involvement with the university since graduation. With no family, and few friends left in Michigan, I haven’t walked the campus for many years. Yes, I would randomly support my college when they called for a donation but for whatever reason my heart really wasn’t in East Lansing; college was a point in time. Maybe some of you can relate to what I am saying; others may be shocked because you are strong alums. The point is everyone’s experience is unique, then and now.

During the last few years I had accepted a few invitations from MSU to attend events in New York City, but again my attendance didn’t result in any commitment. Maybe this is sounding familiar to some of you? All that changed last week however when I attended a pre-game MARCH MADNESS event prior to the MSU-Virginia match up at Madison Square Garden.

Surrounded by Spartans in green and white attire, I was treated to remarks by MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon, a tremendously effective leader, and Basketball Coach, Tom Izzo, who inspires and entertains, and is one of the great human beings of college sports and a legend at the NCAA.  Was it cool to be there? Absolutely! Did I have a sense of belonging to something bigger than myself? For sure! Was I proud? Yes. And things took a very positive turn when I introduced myself to the man standing next to me who turned out to be very involved in the alumni program. His pride, his stories, and his enthusiasm for the new horizons that MSU plans to reach to inspire current and future generations in and outside of Michigan and the United States was infectious.

What I learned from my research on Don’t Retire, REWIRE! is that two of my personal Drivers or motivators, as identified in the book,  is to have new experiences, and to belong. Sometimes we don’t know what hidden treasures associated with our past can be found, until we start showing up at events, asking questions, listening to stories, making new acquaintances who may turn into friends.  The key here is to show up.  I asked a lot of questions that night and just joined the MSU Alumni group today.  I am looking forward to meeting the 7000 MSU alums in the New York area….well not all of them, and going back to East Lansing to see a campus that has become a beacon to the future in a state that is rising once again and headed back to greatness. 

As I always say, when the student is ready the teacher will appear.  Moral of the story?

When you Rewire make sure you show up at activities and ask questions! And know what your Drivers are!

Reunions: Agony or Ecstasy?

A recent interview Jeri did with her sorority, Tri Delta, Living in 3D,  got us thinking about reunions.  We’ve heard from so many readers who have told us stories about reconnecting with old friends and making new ones via attending reunions of every kind imaginable: family, camp, high school, college, sorority, fraternity, with friends who served together in the military and former work associates.  Rick and I are Avon Products alumni (that’s where we met), and have reconnected with friends at Avon reunions.

When we started discussing reunions we went to Google to see what was being said about them.  Should people go or avoid them at all costs.  We found several prominent articles on all kinds of reunions that were both pro and con.  But what was telling were the themes of the articles, for example: 31 Reasons Why You Should Go to Your High School Reunion.  Another articled trumpeted 6 Reasons Why High School Reunions Shouldn’t Exist.  Some of the reasons in both articles were funny, sad, and even downright crazy.  But 31 trumps 6, so our advice is go to any and all reunions with an open mind and an open heart. 

Attending a reunion is a form of rewiring®.  Yet many people dismiss reunions as not necessary.  Some don’t want to revisit bad memories or avoid them at all costs because, “I look too old” or I’ve gained too much weight.”   Entrepreneurs clearly don’t see it that way.  They jump at the chance to go to reunions.  Why? Because entrepreneurs view it as a new learning experience that will improve their chances for success.  A conversation at a reunion may lead to a new idea, a new client, a new supplier, a new career opportunity or a whole new perspective. 

You don’t have to be an entrepreneur to get something positive from a reunion.  It may lead to new ideas where to travel, what classes to take, hobbies to begin, where to volunteer and give back.  You may even find someone to travel with, play a sport with, or just go have fun with.  Whether you continue to work, want to start a new business, or increase your leisure time enjoyment, you can benefit from what you find out at a reunion.

So go to your reunion. You may find some pleasant surprises and unexpected magic when you walk down memory lane.

 

Cornell University Has Bragging Rights For A First -Ever 80th Class Reunion

It used to be that June was about brides and weddings, but as you get older you realize that June is really about reunions! All kinds of reunions will be going on this summer: camp, grade school, prep school,high school, college, family, military, plus sorority and fraternity reunions. In fact I'm heading out to San Diego in August for a Tri Delta sorority reunion. Reunions have become big business with websites like Classmates.com and e-magazines like reunionsmag.com making the planning of and attending reunions much easier than ever before.

Reunions have been around a long time, so what was the big deal with the Cornell University reunion?

It used to be that the last college reunion most graduates attended was their 50th reunion. Then it got pushed out to their 60th. After that no one was left or physically able to attend. But today longevity has created a new milestone.

Think about this... for the first time in history there has been an 80th Class Reunion. Cornell University hosted it earlier this month. There are 30 members of the Class of 1931 still living and several showed up to celebrate!

Was it to show their loyalty and love for their alma mater? Absolutley! Was it to visit with classmates and relive the fun of a shared experience of a long time ago? Definitely! Was it because they were still vital and engaged in life? YES! These people had not retired from life, they had rewired (probably many times) and were physically showing it!

You should know that even though many were over the age of 100, they weren't all helped into their chairs. One 100+ year old got up and sang the school fight song to the sound of thunderous applause. Many of this class are still active and involved in life, and have gone through a succession of rewirings.The result is that it has kept them vital and engaged in life. They have also taken care of themselves physically and emotionally.

The Gerontology Research Group keeps track of aging and reports that the United States has over 100,000 people over the age of 100. This number is predicted to grow into the millions over the next 40 years. Will it be you or me who reaches 100? On some levels a scary thought,and yet what a tremendous opportunity to do more things and to have more experience than anyone could have ever imagined.

So when I hear people say---oh why try something new I'll never live long enough to become good at it, from now on I will always challenge that attitude. The truth is, you never know which one of us will live to be 100! So with that thought I have decided that I want my own bragging rights...I want to bop 'til I drop! I want to still be singing and dancing with my sorority sisters when we're 100. Why not? If Cornell can brag about their graduates, why can't you and I brag about our lives? So my directive to everyone is as NIKE says--GO FOR IT---you might be around for alot longer than you ever imagined!