How do you squeeze the most out of life?

How do you squeeze the most out of life?

My sons have left the nest and the first wife and I area reclaiming the floorspace. I've been busy moving my exercise equipment back into the former testosterone zone (where the boys and their friends hung out). In the process of cleaning up and moving things around, I came across a few newspaper articles the local paper had done on me in the late 80s and 90s.

The theme of the articles was my transformation from bad-boy to good-boy. The articles told snippets of my life from my teen years into my early 20s. I won't bore you with the details, but suffice to say, the radical change in me was enough to attract local media. My life is radically different today from those days. And, that brings me to my topic. How do you squeeze the most out of life?

How do you squeeze the most out of life: Take responsibility for your life.

I didn't have the ideal childhood. There were a lot of missing parts that could have led me to much better choices early on and less heartache and pain, but that's not what happened. My life was set on a collision course with challenges by the time I was five when my dad left the family, but that's not what I want you to think about here. 

As an adult, I can look back and see all of the things that went wrong in my childhood. I can pin a lot of my failures on my parents and their failure at parenting, or I can take responsibility for the person I am today and make my own choices.

No matter what your life was, what your life is - is on you. Sure, childhood, or even adult pain can impact the path you travel, but you can also choose to travel a new path. I look back at much of my childhood, and based on today's standards, it sucked. OK, that was then, this is now. What am I going to do with the life I'm in control of? 

One responsibility I chose to focus on was to make different choices in child-rearing. My sons never left my house, ended a phone call, email or a text without hearing, I love you. They do the same thing in response and most of the time, first. I never heard my father say that, and my mother didn't say it until I was in my 40s. That was their norm, this is mine. I'm taking responsibility for my life. 

I'm steering my own ship and if I crash on the rocks or if I set sail for grand adventures, it will be because I am taking over the direction of my life. I refuse to look back and blame others for my early life failures. Why? Because the impact of other people on my early life was based on their decisions, not mine. Today, I am taking responsibility for my own life and making my own decisions. Success or failure will be a result of the decisions I make, with the information I gather, in the time that I live, and not based on events in the past. How do you squeeze the most out of life: Take responsibility for your life.

How do you squeeze the most out of life: Continue to learn.

I can't imagine not continuing to learn. Learning, whether that involves reading a book, learning a new skill, going to a seminar or going to school is one of the best ways to stretch your brain and keep your senses and synapses firing. 

I've mentioned before that I have a broad academic background. At present, I have 7 college degrees, including four Master's degrees, a PhD and undergraduate work. I am in the process of working on my 8th, and last degree. For decades, I've wanted to go back to my Alma Mater for a final Doctorate. I call it my alpha and omega of education. I started there, and I will ultimately finish there with my final college degree. 

Do I need another degree? Absolutely not. Another college degree will not advance my career in the slightest. For me, it not about advancing my career, it's about advancing my brain. One of the best ways to fight off Alzheimer's and other age related memory and brain difficulties is to keep your brain constantly engaged in something that challenges it. 

For some people, that may mean crossword puzzles. Others might be able to accomplish the same goal by reading books. How about doing the same thing by writing books? That takes brain power. It may be learning a new skill. Maybe you've always wanted to be a gourmet cook. That's a great place to learn. How about learning to be a carpenter? That takes some level of learning to be able to see things before you build them. It doesn't matter what you want to learn. It's the learning process that brings joy to your life.

I'm currently working with an 83 year old woman who is as sharp as anyone I know. She keeps her brain engaged constantly, and you can see it in the way she interacts with others. When we met, she told me about all of the classes she has taken that helped keep her sharp. I applaud that insight. One great thing for senior citizens is that many local community colleges offer classes free to seniors. Take advantage of it. How do you squeeze the most out of life: Continue to learn.

How do you squeeze the most out of life: Find ways to serve.  

Prior to my real estate career, my profession was a service profession. At this stage of my life, I've been out there a lot of years. So, finding ways to serve isn't new to me, but finding new ways to serve is. 

I've chosen to take on several needs and projects that are not a part of my previous profession. I've been looking at local community needs over the past few years, and I'm developing ways to address them. Most of those ideas will need other people to make them work, and that is where the real fun comes in.

Incorporating other people into service creates other service minded people. That has the potential to spawn even more community minded projects that can benefit our community way beyond my ideas. In the evolution of a service idea, new service needs are discovered and those who have the wherewith-all to meet those needs are born. 

It really doesn't matter what area you choose to serve in, but the willingness to serve will give your life greater meaning. You may already have an idea for an area to serve in. It might not be a community project, but it might be a church project, a social club or a friends group. It doesn't matter what it is. What matters is that you give of the abundance of the heart, and in the process, you will find more enjoyment in your life. How do you squeeze the most out of life: Find ways to serve.