So What Are You Waiting For?

I bet that some of you reading this blog right now have been thinking about making some changes in your life....could be at work, at play, in your home---it doesn't matter what you are planning to do. Imagine that I am a little voice speaking to you and asking, "so what is stopping you from moving ahead?" Or as I like to say---"what is stopping you from rewiring?" I am NOT necessarily talking about big changes; I'm talking about any change that you say, or have been saying, that you would like to make.

While giving a speech last week I discovered that I was facing an audience of procrastinators. I found myself saying from the stage---"Recognize, you're not getting any younger; there is never a perfect time to enact change, and lastly, and sadly there is no guarantee that you will be here tomorrow...so why not make the change now?" Many people told me they wanted to try new things; take up a sport, learn French, or that they liked their life but just wanted more fun, and good times in it. Most of the things they mentioned were quite do-able.

Then on Friday afternoon we learned that Tim Russert had died. He was a boomer; one of us, and his death was a shock. But as I watched TV and read about him, I smiled because here was a man who truly lived a life he loved.
Sometimes we can be shocked into change. I know I've been.

"Drivers" Can Enhance Your Vacation

We just came back from a two week vacation in Paris; truthfully it was to not only have fun but to also celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary in a city we both love! We had an incredible time, even with a weak dollar. A few friends and associates had wondered, "wouldn't it be better to wait until the dollar got stronger? and our responses was, "and when does your crystal ball say that will be?"

First tip---You can always find a reason for not doing something! You don't even have to look that hard! So my advice is, accept that reality, prepare for it, and then get on with it.

Second tip ---For us, it wasn't just about going to Paris, it was about what did we want to do, to see, to experience there? We had subscribed to France Today magazine and used their great site(http://www.francetoday.com/) to see what was going on in Paris. As some of you know, in doing our research for our book DON'T RETIRE, REWIRE! we identified 85 reasons why people work beyond money, but we also discovered that these "drivers" as we call them, are a part of our DNA and apply to our total life.

Third tip---You can also use those drivers to plan your pleasures! Rewiring isn't just about work! One of my drivers is "to have new experiences" and another is "to be current!" I hate to miss out on anything, so we ordered tickets for the Camille Claudel exhibit at the Rodin Museum (http://www.musee-rodin.fr/) and booked an outstanding guide to tour Giverny(www.giverny.org/monet) Claude Monet's home, where he painted the famous waterlily series. and we're glad we did because there were waiting lines for both!

Fourth tip--- One of my co-author/husband's drivers is "to have freedom," so our goal was to create a vacation experience that would fulfill both of us! We didn't fill every minute but rather left time for just sitting in the Tuileries Garden and pondering life, devouring a chocolate dessert at Angelina's or munching on a baguette and letting the world go by!

Fifth tip---Discover what makes you tick (it's a key part of rewiring) then go out and create the life that makes you tick!

A bientot!