Dec

14

So what have you done today?

Posted by maureen

December 14, 2006 |

As you age it’s easy to settle: to settle into a life style that is comfortable, to avoid challenges, to put off starting new ventures and just to procrastinate in general. After all you have spend a large part of your life getting to this place and it is comfortable. The truth is though if you do stop being inquisitive about life you are sure to miss out the endless opportunities and possibilities that await you. Think about it you have more free time than you’ve had in years, even if you still work fulltime there aren’t as many demands on your time as before. You are probably in a more secure place financial and probably most important you are not afraid to try new things even though there’s a possibility of failure (after all you’ve done that a few times already and life goes on) So what’s stopping you trying something new?. There are plenty of role models out there who not only started new ventures in their later years but also were extremely successful. Take a look at some of these well know people and their achievements:

  • Grandma Moses was over seventy years old when she started to paint. She took it up because arthritis in her hands stopped her from doing embroidery.
  • Ray Kroc had an unspectacular career and suffered from several medical ailments until he realized the potential of the Mac and Dick MacDonald’s business, which they had already begun to franchise, Kroc went into business with them and acquired franchising rights to open a McDonald’s restaurant of his own, in 1955.And as they say “the rest is history”
  • Colonel Sanders the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) started his chicken franchising business in 1952. He was 68 at the time and went on to become one of the largest fast food chains in existence
  • Laura Ingalls Wilder started writing her classic “Little House” book series in 1932 at the age of 65. She wanted to record her memories of her childhood days. The books are now printed in over 40 languages.
  • Dr Anne Spoerry was a remarkable woman who flew herself in a small plane to the far reaches of Kenya and Nairobi to heal the poor and disadvantaged who came to her clinic. The octogenarian Dr Spoerry worked tirelessly till her death in early 1999, having left a mark on the lives of thousands
  • Philip Rabinowitz. On July 10, 2004 he became the fastest centenarian by setting set a new official record in a 100-meter sprint at Green Point Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa.” I don’t want to sit around here and do nothing,” he said.
  • Paul Newman has played many roles in his time as an actor but one of his most rewarding has been as the founder of Newman’ s Own. He started this venture at the age of 63 and has donated all of the company’s profits and royalties, which exceed $200 million, to thousands of charities. Newman is also a fan of auto racing and had his first professional event when he was 53. You can’t keep a good guy down!

 

  • Jimmy Carter. In 2002 at the age of 82 he won the Nobel Peace Prize. He has also continued his decades-long active involvement with the charity Habitat for Humanity, which builds houses for the needy. Not bad for an old fella!
  • George Bush Sr. Regardless of your politics you have to admire anyone who makes a parachute jump at the age of 73. He said then he had promised himself after his wartime jump that someday he would parachute for fun.
  • Rodney Dangerfield returned to stand-up after a divorce in 1962 at the age of 41. A few years later he created the “no respect” line that followed him for the rest of his life.

So what have you done today?


Comments

3 Comments so far

  1. » happiness carnival - January 13, 2007 - Think Happy Thoughts Happiness Blog on January 16, 2007 10:00 am

    [...] Maureen presents So what have you done today? · Empty Nest posted at Empty Nest, saying, “How a positive attitude affects your life and your achievements” [...]

  2. Karen Lynch on January 20, 2007 12:38 am

    We are here to learn, grow and create and it doesn’t stop because we start getting older.

  3. maureen on January 20, 2007 5:13 pm

    That’s what makes life so exciting!

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