Still Miles to Go
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You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go . . .
Oh, the Places You’ll Go, Dr. Seuss
It’s been a minute or two since I graduated from high school and college.
But the message of this book is also valuable for a different kind of senior.
I get to choose the course of my future.
Sure, there are things I have no control over.
I cannot control the weather, the economy, or the feelings of others.
The list of things I can control is much more important.
Even in situations where I am tempted to feel that I am a victim, I always have significant choices.
Even when the road behind is longer than the road ahead.
I can’t change the past, but I have more influence over the future than I realize.
What if I could change the past?
If I could travel back 10 years and give advice to past-me, what would I say?
How would my life be different if past-me followed that advice?
How would I convince past-me to make those changes?
What if the future-me also had the ability to travel back to present-me?
What advice would future-me give?
What could future-me say to persuade present-me to follow that advice?
We can learn from the past, but we can also learn from the future.
The difference is that we are able to shape the future.
I am a strong believer in the importance of self-care.
I will not be able to help others if I don’t take the time and energy to care for my own well-being.
What about caring for the well-being of my future-self?
How would I feel about explaining to future-me why I irresponsibly acted as if my choices had no impact on him?
When I make important decisions, I discuss the options with family and with friends. Sometimes I also get the advice of experts.
I need to make sure that I also get the perspective of my future-self.
Sometimes, the little decisions I make every day have more influence over the future than my big decisions.
I need to be as intentional about those decisions as I am about the big ones.
Big or small, I want to make sure that those choices make my future-self happy.
Now available at Amazon: The Courageous Heart: Wisdom for Difficult Times in paperback and eBook.