Operation Back Half: "Scripting" My Next 50 Years
I turn 50 this week. How has it been a half century already!?
There's something about entering a new decade that naturally fosters a high-level reflection on life. Lately, as I've puttered in my garage gym, I've been drawn to pondering the specifics of what I'm calling "Operation Back Half."
By that I mean, what do I want the second half of life to be about?
I don't know if God will grant me another 50 years, but my belief is that it honors him to do the best I can to steward my resources and talents. Plus, my desire to see my grandchildren get married, suggests that what I do in my 50s is going to be relevant to my 60s, and so on.
GROWING IN NEW WAYS AS I AGE
Being in the holistic health field, I'm under no illusion about the challenges of staying well these days. The assaults on our health are everywhere. Yet despite that, I don't think it's fantasy to live well into my 80s and 90s.
Part of my "secret" is that I'm not one dimensional in my approach to health. I know that physical health is intimately tied into my mental, emotional, and spiritual health, and I work to grow in all four areas.
My approach has to do with...
MY PERSONAL DEFINITION OF SUCCESS
If you heard my podcast episode about the roughest season of my life, you know my definition of success is different than most people's.
My first question is no longer, "What does success look like?" Instead, I ask, "What does success feel like?"
Whatever the answer is, feeling successful (for me) only comes with at least a modest level of success in four key areas of life:
Worldview: I believe "the unexamined life is not worth living." A solid/logical view of the world means that success feels like 1) not ignoring hard questions and 2) living congruently with what I say I believe.
Relationships: This means regularly making time for, and honing, my ability to relate to God, family, and friends with grace, presence and skill.
Finances: For me, this means knowing I can't serve God and money. Practically, I trust God for "just enough" and yet I work for and believe in abundance, knowing that "too much" can make me complacent.
Health: This means doing my best to maintain a capable body with rhythms of care so that it will always up for adventure, and not held back by disease.
I've accepted that my "Olympian window" is closed (probably 😉), but I don't accept that disease (or medication) is inevitable. As my physical abilities naturally diminish, I also know that my mental, emotional, and spiritual prowess can grow richly.
I've known several who have lived that life, and they inspire me.
Some I've not met, like Jack LeLane and G. Edward Griffin, but they are two who've helped me see a plausible category of what "leaving it all on the field" of life looks like—psst, I'm about to meet one of them. 😃
MY 50s GROWTH PLAN: THREE QUESTIONS I'M PONDERING
What habits (like my three desks) will I need to build now to sustain me in parenting my kids for up to two more decades?
Who do I want to meet, and how can I lend value to their life and ambitions too?
What kind of difference do I want to make personally and professionally, that would fit best in this decade?
Bring on the 50s! I can't wait to see who I meet, how my family grows, and what adventures and missions this crazy world throws at me.
Operation Back Half is about to begin!
What's on tap for your back half?
Christian
PS. Our next detox program starts April 6th and friends don't let friends detox alone. Book a call to apply for the program, and we'll throw in a buddy pass and some bonus time for the month of March.
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