I did some old-fashioned things recently. First, I read in the newspaper – yes, an actual paper copy – that Jane Pauley had a new book, Your Life Calling: Reimagining the Rest of Your Life, coming out in 2014. Next, I reserved the book and picked up the physical copy from the public library. Here’s what I learned from reading the book.
There are some common misconceptions about life. Pauley lists these as the belief that you must get it, whatever it is, right the first time; the belief that your true self in still waiting to be revealed; the belief that reinvention of yourself is a total makeover; and that each of us has a passion to follow. Do you see yourself in any of these? Do you beat up on yourself if you make a mistake, if you’re not true to yourself, if you can’t even make over one thing like weight management let alone make over your whole life, or if you like a lot of things but aren’t passionate about any one thing in particular?
Suppose you give yourself credit for learning by trial and error since these can be keys to growth and self knowledge? What if reinvention requires being reintroduced to yourself? I found this to be true when I began taking dulcimer lessons and was reintroduced to my love of music. What if self discovery is the payoff for reinvention? One of my favorite points from Pauley’s book is that as we age and reimagine our lives we are not going back to square one. We are, instead, coming full circle.
Okay, we don’t want to be stuck in the elevator with the ever looping file of nauseating “elevator music” repeating itself over and over. Consider, though, what themes run through your life, or what you desire for your reimagined life. Find your common denominators and get busy living.