Your True Colors

Show Your True Colors

What are your true colors? Most people are only vibrating at a pastel hue when they could be a vibrant orange, red or blue.

Come alive. It takes not only knowing but acting on what makes you come alive that makes your true colors shine. Unfortunately what holds people up is the belief that what they want to do or be won’t be liked, accepted, respected or acknowledged. That is a shame because then it’s fear that is holding you back from being who you are and thereby letting your true colors come shining through.

The song True Colors sums it up quite nicely.

“You with the sad eyes
Don't be discouraged
Oh I realize
It’s hard to take courage
In a world full of people
You can lose sight of it all
And the darkness inside you
Can make you feel so small

But I see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful,
Like a rainbow

Show me a smile then,
Don't be unhappy, can't remember
When I last saw you laughing
If this world makes you crazy
And you've taken all you can bear
You call me up
Because you know I'll be there

And I'll see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful,
Like a rainbow”

So what colors will your rainbow be?

Retire! Bah Hum Bug

Retire! Bah Hum Bug

You’re as young as you feel , saving the best for last or it isn’t over till I say it’s over might describe the individuals who continue to learn, achieve and grow well into retirement years.  It’s as if they’re just hitting their stride.  Age is but a number.

They have such drive and sense of purpose that it propels them to continue to learn and grow.  Now with the wisdom they’ve earned through the years they’re able to continue to make their mark. What’s interesting is that their achievements are from different venues; fashion, political, athletic, education, science, music and the arts. It’s a true testament that it’s not over until you say it is.

The achievements of the following individuals didn’t happen overnight but were an accumulation and extension of what they’ve already experienced.

“Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another” ~John Dewey

Take a look at just some of the well known individuals who made or continued to achieve and grow in their 70’s.

70 – Dr. William Mayo founds a medical clinic which will bear his name.

71 – Fashion icon Coco Chanel debuts the Chanel suit.

72 – Karl Wallenda, of the famous Flying Wallendas, walks a high wire between the Eden Rock and Fontianebleau hotels in Paris.

73 – Ronald Reagan is elected President of the United States.

74 – Ethel Andrus founds the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).

75 – Piano virtuoso Claudio Arrau stays busy ion his seventy-fifth year, performing a total of 110 concerts.

76 – Thomas Jefferson begins designing buildings and developing curricula for the University of Virginia.

77 – Astronaut (and Senator) John Glenn returns to space on the Space Shuttle Discovery mission.

78 – Grandma Moses begins her career as a serious painter.

79 – Giuseppe Verdi composed the opera Falstaff.

There are people all around that are still learning and growing well into their retirement years.  Take my grandpa for example.  He finally gave up dairy farming at the ripe old age of 75.  That’s hard work at any age.  However he didn’t retire, that wasn’t his nature.  He rented out his land to another farmer and took up raising heifers and peacocks.  He also had taken up woodworking in his later years and now that he had more time he began making even more and difficult pieces. No he wasn’t famous but he did set an example for his children and grandchildren to follow.  He finally passed on when he was 91 years old.

What does this tell me? That when you stay engaged in life, have a sense of meaning and purpose you are more likely to live longer and enjoy it more too.

What does it say to you?

What is Your Truth?

Engaging in behavior that you feel guilty or ashamed about erodes your self-esteem and self-confidence. Conversely, you can feel good about yourself by only doing that which you feel is right. Of course this is base on your own moral compass and no one else’s.

What is right and real of you?  You see, following your truth always makes you feel good about yourself.  Whenever you get the slightest emotional tug that something just isn’t right with what you’re saying or doing that’s you living outside of your truth. It’s your inner conscious gives you a wake-up call saying”This isn’t you.”  This emotional snap can happen in a nana second.  You may not even notice it or shrug it off as nothing, worse yet; you talk yourself into justifying your behavior.

Your inner “feel good emotion” is your barometer for you living your truth.  Simply put, when you feel good about yourself you’re living your truth.  When you don’t feel good about yourself they you aren’t.

Living your truth encompass every aspect of your life from the relationships you have to how you take care of yourself.  When you find yourself disappointed in yourself because you were silent on an issue you are very passionate about, then you aren’t living your truth.  Your words and actions have to match what you feel inside to live your truth.  It means being honest with yourself and honoring your integrity.

When it comes to speaking your truth no one can tell you what it is.  You have to discover it for yourself.  Your truth is not the same as anyone else’s.  Only you know what will make you feel good about yourself and what will not.  Your emotions are your barometer for maintaining your truth.

Now I ask you, “What is your truth”?

Remember to Enjoy the Ride

Remember to Enjoy the Ride

I remember watching the movie, Father of the Bride, in which, Steve Martin, who played the father was in a tizzy because his child’s play was falling apart in front of the audience’s eyes. The children forgot or said the wrong line, they were in the wrong spot and the set was falling down. He couldn’t handle the chaos.

On the other hand his wife sitting next to him was smiling and laughing along with all the other parents. They were enjoying the children being who they were - kids, kids who make mistakes and do silly things.

What a difference in perception! One person is visibly upset while the other is having the time of her life. A lot of things are like that. How we react to them is a matter of our own perception.

As a parent I can get very frustrated, stressed out and exhausted from raising a child but at the same time I wouldn’t change a thing.  There are just too many positives from watching her grow up, the funny questions and remarks make me laugh. Actually just watching her be herself makes me smile inside. Her ups and downs have brought excited jumping to crying on my shoulder.  It’s been a rollercoaster ride of emotions. And let’s not forget the heart-felt hugs that have melted my heart. It’s been quite a ride so far. I hope I can hold on although I do have a fondness for roller coasters. I think this has been the best and longest ride yet.

I’m enjoying the ride.

How about you? Do you have ups and downs in your life too? Sure you do.  The thing to remember is that you always get through them, don’t you? Each one has given you a new experience to put under your belt. A slap on the back is in order because you made it. It’s taught you something and hopefully made you wiser.

What I find interesting is that most people who’ve been through a lot of what I’d call down times say they wouldn’t change a thing about their past because it’s made them who they are today. They wouldn’t have met the people they did or learned a lesson from the experiences they had if it had been different.

What message does that send? To me it tells us to enjoy the ride.

Weeeee……..