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Reflection

Reflection is vital before you can build a positive third age identity. You need to reflect on the life that you currently have and decide what to keep and what to turf.

This is the time you take to quietly re-evaluate everything. It's taking the time to think about what your life has been, and more importantly for now, what you want it to be going forward. Leave no stone unturned.

What am I talking about? Setting new goals and horizons that are realistic, optimistic and achievable.

This will involve some serious self awareness training. But first, time for some quiet reflection.

You've been around a while now. You will have an understanding of the sort of person you are and what you like.

If you are still inclined to rage internally at your parents for ruining your life by not giving you ballet lessons when you were four, this is where you finally let all that crap go.

Is Authentic Happiness even achievable?

It can be enlightening to really focus on the innate strengths that you have by taking some psychological testing. Spend some time testing your parameters on this. Can you raise your baseline happiness level? The good news is, yes you can.

When sorting through the back catalogue of your life, emotions may come up that will surptise you with their power. Some of this will be addressed in the twin articles overcoming anger and overcoming fear.

Do your best on your own. If that isn't enough, get some assistance. This is a key hurdle to forming a confident third age identity.

Value your health. You don't need to be model thin, but you should be careful of carrying too much weight. You don't need to be a paragon of virtue, but you should moderate any bad habits, such as smoking or drinking if you are doing them to excess.

You don't need to be a zealot, but moderate exercise will strengthen your bones, improve your immune system and increase your concentration.

Once you lose your health, it's gone. And you will miss it. Some things can't be prevented, which is all the more reason to prevent the things you can.

Healthy Spirit

What do you believe?

If you don't know, start talking with people, asking questions, read about it. It's time you knew and had a clear vision of what you believe. Leaving this to the last minute is a very bad idea.

Resolving this question, within yourself, once and for all (you don't need to talk about it or share it with anyone else if you don't want to) will bring you remarkable internal peace.

A good starting point might be learning how to meditate. It's health benefits are widely documented and the calm it generates will assist you in understanding your spirituality.

Once you've checked these out, try out the Clean Sweep program in the New Goals section to plot a way forward.

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