The Grand Nudge
One of the things I hear most from people curious about living in community is the phrase, “Oh, I could never do that…” This is usually followed by a laundry list of “reasons” why changing their lives could never work out. Usually these objections don’t reflect flaws in the community living model but rather insecurities from people not sure where to start or afraid to take the first step.
I am here to tell you: it isn’t going to be easy, but it is going to be worth it!
My new guidebook, Your Quest for Home, provides a number of different exercises that you can do to address the burning questions that might be keeping you from making this major change in your life. Here is an excerpt to get you started.
I encourage you to click below to read more from Your Quest for Home.
From Chapter 4: “Does This Sound Familiar?”
I’m not sure anyone can escape those pesky, worrisome thoughts about getting older. Most all of us worry about things like: Will we be healthy as we age? Will our money hold out? Will we have people in our lives to help us when and if we need it?
Society (at least our mainstream American one) has some unhealthy assumptions about aging as well. As a member of this society, we may adopt some of these assumptions such as:
- All people get frail and sick as they age.
- “I’m going to be well until the day I die”.
- At some time, we all get carted off to a nursing home.
- All retirement is the same.
- Our kids will take care of us.
- Someone/Government is going to build places or fix this problem.
But we know these assumptions aren’t necessarily true. There is evidence all over the place that many of us are aging amazingly well, a nursing home is not in our future nor do we want it to be, and our kids . . . if we have them . . . have their own lives.
These overarching messages and fear can collide with what we are truly experiencing or what we can create. The danger is in the old adage of self-fulfilling prophecy. We have to keep these fears and doubts to a minimum and replace them with helpful, exciting ideas of what we want our later life to be.
Here are a few examples:
- 70 is the new 40!
- As I get older, I have more choices than ever about how I live my life.
- The world is getting smaller . . . which means I can go and do so many more things than ever before.
- This world is filled with adventurous people just like me who want to live a juicy life!
- 90% of the things that people fear never come true. So all these fears about aging unhappily will not necessarily happen to me.
- I can be the total boss of the life I create.
- The #1 resource I need to live the life I want is creativity . . . and that is free!
Just thinking happy thoughts is not enough. We have to be very deliberate in our actions, the kinds of people we associate with and the plans we make. It’s been said that “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” And as we plan for our later years, there is definite truth to this statement!
Despite society’s expectations and your own fears and doubts, you must persevere. You are on a Quest!
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To read more from Your Quest for Home order your copy here. The book can help you determine the answers to your biggest questions, work through ways to find the right people, and start on the path toward community living.
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