Boomers and Beyond: Self-examination can lead to life redirection
What’s wrong with us? Why do some of us feel so frustrated and unfulfilled? We always thought once we got the house, the money, the new boat and finally started getting that regular retirement check, we’d be good to go – for the rest of our lives.Are we never satisfied?
Even for the “matures” among us who have made a big pot of money and are enjoying retirement, the landscape can suddenly seem dull and drab. And we start getting restless, feeling that life is passing us by.
There’s nothing wrong with us, but something is definitely tapping us on the shoulder. What is it?
And what is that peculiar noise we’re hearing? It’s probably the sound of the buttons popping off our shirts … we’re trying to grow. (It’s not just our bellies, either.) Life is dynamic; it’s evolving; things naturally continue to change and grow, including us.
Growth can be exciting; it can be tumultuous. Gradual growth is a lot easier to handle, but sometimes growth happens fast, out of necessity or even desperation.
“When I stood at the edge of my known world, contemplating a jump into the dark abyss of the unknown, I knew there would either be a step there, or I’d have to learn how to fly.” – Author unknown.
It’s tempting to jump right off into the unknown. If there’s the luxury of time for personal introspection, self-analysis, research and planning, it’s the better route.
This writer has gone through several seasons of life changes in which introspection, self-analysis and personal discovery was accomplished through journaling. Answers to my dilemma jumped off the pages.
During restless times, our conscious minds are like broken records – going around in the same groove, over and over. But when we journal, we jog our brains out of that groove. There is a mindflow of “pregnant” stuff that manages to sneak by our conscious mind, and which ends up on the page before us. We discover some mighty potent inner secrets.
If you’ve never written a journal, here’s how to do it: Every morning, find a quiet and solitary place, open a blank notebook and start writing. Don’t know what to write? Start with something like, “It’s 6 a.m., and I’m sitting here in the living room writing this journal. I am wondering why I feel so restless. Is it because …” and you’re off and running.
Needless to say, this journal is for your eyes only.
Self-examination yields ideas for us to research. Researching our interests or problems opens our eyes to existing options and solutions we’d never thought about or we didn’t even know about. This can provide ideas for our roadmap of our life’s redirection.