Never Lose Sight of Your Dreams…

As boomers crest our sixties and seventies, we are reflecting back on our lives, what we’ve accomplished, what we haven’t, and what we hope to do in the years ahead. A half-century ago, we were the anti-establishment generation committed to never growing old and never trusting anyone over 30.

Don’t know about you, but I haven’t been under 30 in quite a while.

A lot of us have had good lives surrounded by family and friends who love us. We’re proud of our success on personal and professional levels. There is also a good percentage of us who’ve been divorced at least once and have hopefully found happiness the second or third time around. Others have had our share of unpleasant memories. Maybe you’re very much alone and wondering what happened—feeling like life has passed you by.

You don’t have to be alone and life doesn’t have to pass you by.

When you’re feeling lost and alone it is important to have goals and some kind of plan for yourself. Without goals and dreams, we wither away and expire. Although we each have an expiration date, it’s a good idea to go at life like you’re going to live forever. What about your dreams, those things you’ve wanted to do all of your life but never found the time or had the money to do them? This is where you have to think outside of the box and reach beyond the limitations you’ve lived by for most of your life.

Dare to try something you’ve never considered doing before.

If you’ve never attended college, maybe you should now. It’s never too late to learn something new and just imagine the thrill of fresh knowledge. Perhaps you attended college and never finished. Now is the time to pursue your degree majoring in a subject in which you’re passionate about. Forget a practical degree like Business Administration or English. Pick a subject in which you have great passion.

Have you ever considered teaching or mentoring young people? Have you ever played a musical instrument? Maybe you never have. Remember the great American novel you were going to write 50 years ago? Well, what about that?

Volunteer work is in abundance out there because so many organizations need help and support. Hitch your wagon to a trustworthy cause such as Habitat for Humanity, the American Red Cross, ASPCA, or Homes For Veterans just to name four organizations that always need help. There are thousands of others, both local and international, that can use your talents and your heart. When you volunteer, it’s an opportunity to meet people and cultivate new relationships. There’s a lot to be said for working together for a common good. As you do for others and give back, you feel better about yourself.

Organizations that serve Veterans do so much good for those who’ve gone out there, defended freedom, and made the world a safer place. So many of our Veterans are sad, shaken, and brokenhearted from what they’ve been through. They could use a friend in you. Veterans of Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf wars, and even World War II could use your face and your heart—someone to listen who cares what happens to them.

I personally have a passion for the elderly who could use good company and the gift of chatter. I also have a love of children. There are so many of them out there from broken homes with messed up parents and devastating memories who need to know they are loved and accepted. They need a place where they can feel safe and recover from what they’ve been through. There’s such a shortage of people who can befriend the very old and the very young. Time to step up and make a difference in their lives.

If you’re surrounded by family and friends who love and admire you, count your blessings and thank God for the good that has come your way over a lifetime. If you’re brokenhearted, sad and very much alone, look for a fresh purpose and go after your passions and dreams no matter how weak you feel in your heart. There’s a lot of good out there waiting for you.
— Jim Smart