IF YOU DON’T HAVE SOMETHING NICE TO SAY…

My mother used to say, “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

I’ve adapted it.

When you express negative opinions, the Universe will give you more negativity.

Instead, express gratitude and it will you give you more to be grateful for.

Thanks Mom

from the dedication page of one of my new books, GOLDEN INSIGHTS: Unlocking Extra Income – A Retiree’s Guide to Surveys & Reviews

Book 6 of the EXTRA RETIREMENT INCOME IS SEXY series now available on AMAZON and others.

mother and son connecting at beach

BABY BOOMERS REINVENTED

According to a local radio station, people who listen to 70’s and 80’s music tend to set their car volume higher than other drivers (and tend to open the roof more often too!). And that brings me to the subject of Baby Boomers. An important new book has come on the scene and I have just finished reading it – you should too.

The Reinvention Equation: A boomer’s Guide to a Reinvented Life by Howard Parsons was released a week ago and I just finished reading it. It’s very easy to give this book a 5 star rating and I have done so on Amazon. As baby boomers, we have witnessed unprecedented and seismic shifts in virtually every aspect of life. The word “technology” didn’t exist when we were kids and look at how it rules every aspect of our lives today. When I was pre-teen, the closest we came to being a techno wiz occurred when we removed the glass tubes from those old wooden radios and went to a store to test them and see if they needed replacing. Communications (other than the sound of our mother’s voice when it was time to come in for dinner) consisted of stretching a piece of copper wire from the back of that same radio, across our bedrooms to a window in the hopes of picking up the rock and roll stations in New York or Chicago to listen to the Big Bopper or Buddy Holly late at night – yep, I’m older than dirt apparently.

We seem to enjoy all those little quizzes on Facebook that demonstrate our advanced years by remembering things like party lines, fountain pens, spankings and various and sundry other nonsense to show our advancing years. But there are some things that have happened to many of us that remain inside and are rarely bragged about. Most of us were sold a bill of goods about how wonderful our lives would be if we just purchased some magic elixir that promised good health, worked for the same company until retirement, remained in a relationship, raised kids, took 2 weeks vacation, bought the right insurance policy, and on and on and on. Sure, some people have created a retirement of travel, good health, great friends, enough money, peace of mind, and everything that we were promised but what about the huge majority for whom this didn’t happen?

What about those people who worked for a company or organization for 35 years only to see it close down due to the aforementioned technology changes? What about those people who sacrificed to put their children through university, care for their own aging parents and now find themselves, at age 65, without the financial means to ride off into the retirement sunset? What about those people who take a look at their current life and say, “is that all there is?”

In the Reinvention EquationMr. Parsons uses the examples in his own life, and the lives of his clients, to illustrate the need to make changes from the inside out. If, like the majority of us, you have not reached nirvana, have not accomplished everything you expected, have not achieved the dream that was promised and expected, there is still a way to find the life that you so richly deserve. In the book, the author shows us, step by step, the process, the thinking, the road map to bringing the dreams we hold sacred and in our essential selves into reality. We find practical advice for looking inside to discover who we really are and how to move from that deeply felt truth to live a life of fulfillment and meaning.

Many of us have had to adapt to the changing conditions of the outside world but doing so has caused us to deny the deeply held essence of our true natures. So much so, that in many cases we have completely lost touch with who we really are. Glimmers of these truths reach the surface from time to time to frustrate and confuse us but Mr. Parsons presents a road map to help us find the meaning and truth in our lives. Combining newly discovered brain science and mixing this knowledge with fundamental principles of change, Mr. Parsons presents a compelling methodology for reinvention and deep, permanent, soulful acceptance of who we truly were meant to be.

This is a must read for any baby boomer who wants to awaken to their true nature and achieve a level of personal success that rises above the mundane and reaches for a connection to their hidden spirit thus allowing their true nature the freedom of expression to fulfill a destiny that, until now, they could only long for.

You can access information on the various formats of the The Reinvention Equation here.

NEW YEAR’S TASK

So a New Year dawns and it seems that there are many things from 2016 that have not been completed yet. January 2, 2017 and I finally feel like cleaning up my office and setting some new intentions for the year and in so doing, I have run across a few things that I have found interesting.

SOME QUOTES TO THINK ABOUT:

Everyone has an answer but what’s the question?

When we let go of doing and embrace being, we open a direct channel to inspiration.

A “writer” is a technical expert and an “author” is a creative force.

Put your mouth where your money is.

Why take one step in the direction of our dreams when we can become what we dream of right now?

Inspiration is that deep part of ourselves that emerges when we give ourselves permission to live our dreams.

Good intentions are not a substitute for good actions.

Change your mind – change your reality.

SOME QUESTIONS TO PONDER:

Is losing weight a negative intention?

What the hell is a “GIF” and a “meme?”

Do process and organization stifle creativity?

Is it possible to make someone else happy if you are not happy yourself?

How do I define “retirement?”

Why are some people so incredibly and constantly generous while others have no concept of generosity?

I have partial answers to some of these questions while others remain a mystery.

ONE OF MY DUMBER MOMENTS:

I could not, for the life of me, figure out the GPS system in our new vehicle – the least intuitive process I have ever encountered. I had hands-on advice from 3 of my favourite people who, me included, had lots of experience with GPS – all to no avail.

ONE OF MY SMARTER MOMENTS:

I threw 3 of my favourite people out of the vehicle in a small BC town on the Trans Canada Highway while I read the instruction manual (again) and figured out how to program the GPS. Sheesh – instruction manuals – who knew?

Well, I’ve cleaned up, thrown out and actually used some of the sticky notes that have been hanging around my desk and yes, there are still more. I’ve begun my New Year’s intentions by starting a Word document with them. I’m prepared for work tomorrow and complained about the additional snow and cold temperatures (OK, Christmas has come and gone – bring on the beach).

AN INTENTION OR TWO:

Write and think more about what it means to be a Baby Boomer

Put into print my Legacy Bio series – title to be confirmed.

Spend more time contemplating my navel – OK, so I need to lose (there’s that negative word) a few pounds in order to see it.

And yes, that’s navel not novel.

Laugh more

Write more

Listen more

Connect more

To each and everyone of you, I wish good health, joy and many new adventures for the year 2017.