Tuesday 12 November 2013

As old as you feel.

I was chatting to one of my new work colleagues during the week about general stuff and she started asking questions about my life.  Things I had done, jobs I had worked in, places I have lived and so forth.  It was a brief conversation yet quite revealing.  Not just because I disclosed more of myself to this new person, but because I essentially heard what I was saying, as if someone else was doing the talking.  Not only that, but they were talking about someone else's life.  A life that I wanted to have lived.  It was enlightening to think that this was me I was talking out aloud about.  The colleague echoed my own quickly manifesting private thoughts by stating with a tone of surprise and astonishment that I have been living a great life.  The real knock-me-down moment though was yet to follow.  She continued in her admiration of past my past exploits by adding "and you are still so young!".  Me, who lately has been spending more time than I can justify, thinking how I am beyond the magical prime years.  That somewhere I passed the point of no return, where all the adventure dissipates to be superceded by routine, career, future wealth, old age and then death. So considering this older person’s point of view, I suddenly felt like the world was mine once again.  That doors are all still open to a swarm of opportunities and things yet to accomplish.  I could do anything, be anyone, and go anywhere.  And you know what?  That's exactly what I am going to do.

Sunday 10 November 2013

Great expecations

One of my greatest achievements.....?
Great achievements come in all sizes.  I often find myself reflecting on my own past experiences, feeling a glow of pride and accomplishment in what I have done.  Plus, there is a constant source of optimism with the future being open and undefined, yet to be conquered like a new frontier.  But achievements are not just the big experiences in life that are considered special – a university degree, foreign countries visited or careers forged.  They can be as customary as raising a child, completing a course out of personal interest or just getting though the day without regrets or setbacks.  Life is not the same for all of us and how we gauge our own success and our own level of achievement should not be done by comparing it to that of others. Triumphs are individual and what makes one person feel accomplished and successful will not be true for the next.  If we were all striving to climb a mountain, there would be no mountains left to conquer. If we all wanted to raise a family of children, there would be no room left for those who don’t.  If we all wanted to be in charge, there would be no people left to lead.  So achieving our goals isn’t about being put on a pedestal or being able to boast about astounding experiences, it’s about feeling what you do is worth everything in the world TO YOU.  That is what defines a great achievement and that is what defines the individual.

Mt Karioi

Mt Karioi