As I was writing this piece, I found that old 60s Supreme’s tune Reflections kept playing in my head…”reflections of the way love used to be”…and I decided that all I had to do was change the word love to life and I had a title for this column!
Bigger, better, best
Have you been striving for years to get a larger home, nicer car, designer clothes and all the things that tempt us on the media? Remember those young, crazed “Yuppie” days…
- when you would not dare take notes at a business meeting without an expensive “writing instrument” (AKA a ballpoint pen);
- when you loved the thrill of possessing the latest cell phone;
- when your thirst was best quenched with French, bottled water;
- when you competed to have the priciest leather briefcase;
- when a prestigious watch was considered the only way to properly tell the time;
- when your car had three initials just like your degree
Now what were we thinkin’?
Taking a look back with some perspective and hopefully some wisdom, it may seem silly now and more than a tad pretentious.
There are many of us who have been forced to take a non-planned break. And there are many too, that have made the conscious choice to reassess their lives. But, whether planned or not, reflection can be a very good thing!
Don’t beat yourself up
Reflection can take several guises. It can cause you to blame yourself for the poor decisions you might have made. And, you might really be beating yourself up about now. What were you thinking? You would be in a much better financial shape if you’d driven a Honda civic, cooked at home more, gone to the library, and cut your wardrobe spending by half. But, this is no time for self recrimination. You don’t have time and it’s no fun anyway! Learn from your past and move on.
It’s better
Reflection can also be a time to re-think your life. What really is important to you now? Do you still want that Bentley sports car or have your friends and family, protecting the environment, helping out those in need, taken a higher priority?
Maybe…
- you’re feeling more creative
- downsizing feels freer
- you like having the time in the morning to savor a cup of coffee while you visit your new vegetable garden
- you are even MORE driven, but not so “things” oriented
- jettisoning the extra car allows you to walk to the post office and visit your neighbors
- you shop locally and are getting to know the shop keepers
- you enjoy inviting a friend at 3:00 to come over at 6:30 for dinner and have the time to pour over new recipes before you go shopping.
Make your stress count
When you find yourself longing for a former lifestyle, don’t forget to remember all the associated stress. We will always feel stress whenever we are striving. But doesn’t it make your life seem richer when you are striving to ensure that the elderly are treated with dignity, that our community is fed, or that women and children have a voice, rather than for a $700 pen or a watch with a price tag of $3,000-$20,000?
