Making Life Better...

I recently read a book entitled, "20 Ways to Make Every Day Better," by Joyce Meyer.

It was an easy read: The chapters weren't long and the book wasn't predictable. (When I see a title like that, I often wonder what my "20 ways" would be - and if the book covers any of them...!)

Reading, in retirement, suggestions like "Dream big..." made me stop and think... What goals do I have now in retirement? How can I still "dream big"?

Even in my working years, I reached back into my "bag of big dreams" - the dreams I had held on to for many years, but had never really pursued. For better or for worse, I eventually conceded that it was "too late" to go back to school or to switch careers. Perhaps I was saying that the reward wasn't worth the effort, and I knew that starting out in any field requires a bigger effort than continuing along a well-worn path.

"Don't settle for mediocrity" made me stop and think. Had I settled for mediocrity? Sometimes, perhaps... I'm not a perfectionist and often "good enough is good enough" in my books.

Maybe I should try a little harder to be a perfectionist... Will my satisfaction increase?

Be patient with yourself... and with others. I'm not always a patient person. Being patient with others is sometimes easier than being patient with myself!

"Learn something new." I've been trying to do that, now that I have more free time - but the things I'm learning these days are different than the ones I tried to learn in my working years. Then, I was trying to improve my skills at work. Now, I'm trying to have fun and enrich my life!