Explosive growth! If anyone had asked me what I was looking forward to in retirement a couple of years ago, I’m pretty sure that explosive growth would not have been on my radar. Truthfully, I think the exact opposite is the norm for most of us. I developed a more “no more pencils, no more books, no more bosses dirty looks,” attitude. It was the same feeling I had when I knew I didn’t have to go to school anymore. In hindsight, I know now that was a mistake.

The difference between aging and personal growth is that one becomes a choice, and the other is mandatory. If I continue to allow myself to evolve, I will certainly increase my chances of slowing down the aging process - at least, that’s what my child-like mind keeps telling me! Who am I to argue, right?

“The whole point of being alive is to evolve into the complete person you were intended to be.”

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah nails it: Becoming a complete person doesn’t come with an end date. We should all strive for the Lifetime Achievement Award. Lifetime is the operative word here. If I don’t allow my mind to continue to grow, evolve, and learn more about myself, I will physically age even quicker by carrying the same old baggage from the past.

“Look around you. Everything changes. Everything on this earth is in a continuous state of evolving, refining, improving, adapting, enhancing…changing. You were not put on this earth to remain stagnant.”

Steve Maraboli

Retirement is not the time to check out. Now is the time to check in and lay the groundwork for you to continue to grow and evolve. There will never be a waiting line to discover the resources you already have onboard. Access to the best you have to give, the best you can become, has no price tag. Invest in yourself; the return is life-changing.

“Nothing exists without a purpose. Every experience you have in this lifetime was written for you to grow into the light you were meant to be.”

Suzy Kassem

Talk soon…

G