In less than 6 months, I will hit the age of 50. The big Five-0. Half a century I’ve been using up oxygen and the resources our world provides. What a ride it has been. From growing up as a minority in my neighborhood (I’m a caucasian), to moving to a community where there were very few minorities, I learned at an early age that the world is better with multiple cultures, beliefs, experiences.
My first quarter century I didn’t live more than 5 miles away from my birthplace, while the last 25 years I’ve been personally bankrolling U-Haul’s leadership retirement plans.
During the last 25 years of moves, job switches, children, start (and end) of a marriage, cardiac event, and the subsequent losses of job, car, and home, one would wonder why the next 50 years look so awesome to me.
I came to a realization that I have control over what my life looks and feels like, so at this “crossroads” of 50, I am thankful for the life lessons I’ve had, as they provide a roadmap (or GPS for us youngsters), of what roads to take and which ones to choose an alternate route.
I’m getting healthier this year, and am at the lowest weight I’ve been in over a decade. I anticipate with the dietary and exercise changes I’m doing, I’ll be at the same weight at age 50, that I was at 18, and I’ll be healthier than I was back in the 80s.
As a healthcare leader, I see people every day struggling with chronic diseases, ailments, weight issues, financial pressures, stress, and burnout. The top Internet search under health is how to deal with stress.
In a world with instant everything, smartphones that will do basically everything, and the ability to have basically anything delivered to our front porch, life is supposed to be easier. However, it isn’t for most of us.
Simplicity is a foreign land for many, as we have overcommitted our days with activities, Instagram posts, Facebook likes, and text messages. This constant connection is disconnecting us from our true purpose. As we get older, life should be getting simpler, so our bodies can live in a healthy state. Chronic diseases are not fun to deal with, because they will drain your energy, preventing you to have the energy to do the things you enjoy or desire.
What’s surprised me about getting older? I’m surprised about how the only thing I want in life is bountiful experiences, love and peace, and the warmth of knowing I’m making a difference.
What do you want in your next 50 years?