I have a few more creaks this year than last. I guess at 46 some small aches are to be expected. But I didn’t expect them. Nor am I willing to accept them.

There are things I can do to help myself “not creak.” And I am doing them. Walk, eat less, drink no soda, take an aspirin a day, take a few more vitamins, and other actions personal to me and my age and health that will help me both improve and prevent. I keep myself well oiled, so I can speed up rather than slow down.

Here’s what I have found to be true: The more I age, the less I am willing to “just accept,” and I am certainly not willing to “settle.”

Everyone is on their own journey.

How’s yours going?

Not the wealth journey, or the hunt for buried treasure. I’m talking about a WAY BIGGER journey. Your “learning journey.” How’s that going?

I have been an adult student for more than 25 years. Like you, when I was young, I knew everything. Then I traveled and met so many people from so many different cultures, and I suddenly realized I knew next to nothing. From there I resolved to learn something new every day. That was more than 25 years ago, and I’m still on that journey. I hope you are, too.

The older I get, the more I want to learn and the more I want to accomplish.

Some people want to relax, or watch TV every night, or want to retire, or are looking forward to retiring. Not me.

I get mail from senior citizen organizations. I throw it away. I don’t want to accept that just because I have reached a certain age I can save money on things.

I am on a mission. I have a few more lofty goals that are backed up with intentions:
• Write a book or two.
• Launch another product

And there are a few other major personal goals to achieve and places I plan to see before I pack it in.

What are you doing right now to identify, intend to, and achieve your lofty goals? Or are you “waiting to retire” to get or do what you really want? I have found that most people who want to “retire” don’t love what they do at present. Not me.

When you love what you do, you can’t get enough of it. I love my sleep but admit it is the biggest waste of my time. As such, I wake up early and try to go to sleep late. People say they need balance. And I do work on balance everyday – being a great father, family member, friend, significant other. But, I also love what I do! So, I therefore strive to be the best at everything I can be.

Back to my age of non-acceptance…

BIG QUESTION: What are you “accepting” right now that you might be able to change if you took a few more risks, or were willing to put in a bit more (or a lot more) effort?

BIGGER QUESTION: What are the three of four things in your life that you “wish” were different than they are now? And what the hell are you waiting for? Don’t you hate waiting? Traffic. Late flights. Long lines. On hold. Slow service. You do everything you can to avoid a 10-minute or 60-minute wait, yet you’re willing to wait YEARS to achieve your life’s desire. Not me. I’m not waiting for anything or anyone. I don’t accept waiting, either in a doctor’s office or in life.

BIG ANSWER: Here’s the cool part. By taking daily action toward what you really want, at some (indefinable) point, you create your own momentum, your own path to achievement, maybe even your own path to fulfillment.

BIGGEST QUESTIONS: What are you “just accepting”? What are you willing to do to make things happen in your life?

BIGGEST ANSWERS: If you’re constantly talking about what was, you’re robbing yourself of what will be. Complaining about life? “In my day things were different…” Take note: candy bars are no longer a nickel. If you’re sick of waiting, if your sick of just accepting your present lot in life, maybe it’s time to take action.

Gotta go. Time to start doing… or should I say, KEEP doing.