In the waning years of my career, I consistently take the time to reflect on the good, the bad and the ugly. When asked if I’m getting ready to retire, I respond immediately, “and do what – golf?”. Now there’s a mind numbing pursuit if there ever was one, chasing a little ball into a cup; no matter how many variations on the theme there may be, it’s always the same “treatment outcome”…there are no iterations in the result…..a lesser score….but what was learned.
Careers shouldn’t end, they should flame out like super novas, whether what remains is a year or a decade. They need to reflect the heart and soul of why you chose to be what you are, how you’ve pursued your goals, whether the words you’ll be remembered by are “what’s in it for me” or “come let’s learn together” and whether each day you have learned just a bit more than the day before. Our skills may deteriorate, that is a physical reality around 85 (nudge,nudge,wink, wink, say no more), but our minds can remain sharp and moreover, they are imbued with the power of critical thinking and comprehensive reasoning provided, like parachutes, we’ve let them work as they were designed, by being open.
I want to share an op-ed piece by Thomas L. Friedman from the New York Times – published on June 14, 2011. It is consistent with the last few posts, the recognition that we are experiencing a renaissance that we cannot see, because we are in its midst. We are residing in an era where the power of human creativity is at its best and yet, we of course don’t see it for the impact it is having or will be noted for having, because we are in the eye of the hurricaine.
The piece is entitled Justice Goes Global. Read it and extrapolate it’s themes and message….ah, the power of words.
