Autumn Elms

Reflection: Perspective is a wonderful thing. One of the gifts of growing older is that you’ve seen a few things, experienced a few things and, hopefully, learned a few things along the way.

And, so it was with interest, that I watched the answers roll in to a question posted by a friend on Facebook. She was marking her 50^th birthday with a bit of reflection. Looking back she pondered what kind of advice she might have given to her 20 year old self and invited her FB friends to share their suggestions

There was no shortage of responses to this ‘If I’d known then what I know now kind of question’. Here are some of the suggestions:  Stay present. Stay fearless forever. Stop and think before you act. Have fun. Take more risks but don’t be impulsive. Don’t worry about others opinions of you -your opinion of yourself is the most important. Never settle for anything less than you deserve. You’re not gonna believe how great it’s gonna be. Buy nicer underwear!

Although there were a handful of possibilities that came to mind for me, in the end I settled on: ‘All will be well!’

‘All will be well’ reflects these life lessons I’ve learned along the way: Tough situations have a way of resolving. Occasionally, we just need to act on faith that we’re moving in the right direction. Holding a positive expectation about future outcomes makes life in the present that much easier.

Action: What kind of advice would you give to your 20 year old self?

Make this question your coffee or lunch break topic of conversation with your circle of friends and colleagues.

And, of course, at whatever age or stage of life you may be now, pause for a moment to consider whether or not you are taking your own wisdom to heart.

Quotes Of The Week: It is the obvious which is so difficult to see most of the time. People say ‘It’s as plain as the nose on your face.’ But how much of the nose on your face can you see, unless someone holds a mirror up to you? – Isaac Asimov

A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age, as a fine building should be seen by morning light, at noon and by moonlight. – Robertson Davies

Resource Of The Week: This is a lively list created by Mary Schmidt who built on her own ‘quarter century’ reflections with the advice from ‘elders’ in her world to create her own list titled: 25 Things I Want Myself To Know At 25.