Why are you here? And what are you waiting for?

Posted on June 17, 2008 by kjenwws

Posted by Tom Farley

Millions of my fellow baby boomers have now turned fifty or more. With each day that passes, we each become increasingly aware of the uncomfortable fact that we are not immortal. We do have an appointment with death that we won’t miss, and our time, on this earth anyway, is not limitless. For many boomers this realization has resulted in an energetic, focused course of self examination, a review of life so far, and a deep pondering of the purpose of our remaining time. These simultaneous examinations are even having a notable societal impact. For instance, Oprah recently led an entire global community on a weekly course centered on Eckhart Tolle’s best selling work, A New Earth, Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose, which I highly recommend. I was amazed to observe nothing short of a movement. So many people, literally millions, all were pondering their life’s meaning, all around the world, at the exact same time.

For me this examination and review process was accelerated even more quickly. Why? I had two close friends pass away within just a few weeks of each other. Chris had heroically battled leukemia for the past seven years. Jay never recovered from a car accident on an icy road a few months ago. As I continue to review our time together, what they meant to my life, and the meaning of their lives, I am forced to review my own. The questions now come with a renewed, almost frantic sense of urgency. Here are a few of them. I’m sure you have plenty of your own!

What will my life mean once it’s over? What is my purpose? What difference will I have made? What difference do I still want to make before it’s over? Who will I be once I leave the roles I have played at work and home behind? What will I do then that will be meaningful to me then? How will I know if I am living my purpose or if it’s just my ego wanting something that really doesn’t matter? What are the things I have always wanted to experience but have postponed because I think I have all the time in the world? What preparations do I need to make for the next stage of life? Do I want to meet all my grandchildren? If so, what steps do I need to take to stay healthy and productive? What are my target dates to complete these steps?

Thankfully, the coaches at My Plan After 50(R) are experts at asking powerful questions like these. They are there as a valued partner to help you find “meaningful” answers. Whatever it is you have always wanted to do but have been putting off, I hope you’ll decide now to do it. Find or renew your sense of purpose. Determine what you will need to do to prepare for tomorrow. Get a coach today. Make a plan. In other words, why are you here? And what on earth are you waiting for?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed under: My Plan After 50 Musings, Purpose

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One Response to “Why are you here? And what are you waiting for?”

  1. Kris, on July 9th, 2008 at 2:51 pm Said:

    You make discovering the meaning of life sound so easy! But there’s a plethora of self-help books that Oprah recommends every year and I’ve never worked with a coach before. Sounds expensive and lengthy considering I’ve spent alot of years on this quest already. How has this planning and coaching helped you find your purpose and meaning?

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