No Reason to Stop Dreaming

When Richard Nixon was president he said his role was to stem the tide of rising expectations. He was referring to the growth of big, paternalistic government and the belief among many that it could solve all of our nation's problems.

I have noticed recently in a number of conversations with retired Boomer friends that many have "stemmed the tide of rising expectations" for their own lives arguing that it is unrealistic to have goals and dreams at this stage of the game.

I said in an earlier post that the eminent psychologist Viktor Frankl survived Auschwitz because he refused to give up hope choosing instead to find meaning and purpose amidst the horrors of life in a death camp. Surely we can and should do the same thing.

Because, if we don't why bother to get out of bed?

There are numerous examples of men and women who got out of bed and lived their dreams after they retired and entered their Second Half. There is Sir Francis Chichester, who at age sixty-five sailed alone around the world in record time in his yacht the Gypsy Moth. Then there is Albert Schweitzer, who established a mission school and hospital in Africa, winning a Nobel Peace Prize when he was seventy-seven for his monumental contributions to humanity. There is Martha Graham, who for over fifty years was the preeminent choreographer in modern dance. She danced until she was seventy-five and choreographed Maple Leaf Rag, her final work, when she was ninety-six. There are many, many other less-known individuals, some of whom live in your community, who have seized the day and are creating exciting, challenging, and worthwhile lives well into their Second Half. How did they do it? They dared to dream. So can you.

Here is how to get started. Take out a sheet of paper and put down at the top of the page "My Dream Inventory." Then list all the things you'd like to do in the years ahead. It could include strengthening your faith, building a stronger relationship with your spouse, developing a new circle of friends. You might also include, learning new skills, starting a business, travelling to different places. Get going on this now and you'll be surprised how large your dream inventory will grow. After you're done, rank order your dreams in level of importance and as soon as you're finished go to work on the most important ones believing that you can and should live your dreams no matter your age or stage of life.