I was constantly on the road consulting until I was 72 years old. Hard travel bangs you up. So I didn’t realize how healing life began to be until I stopped traveling. That was almost three years ago.
I made more money sitting in my leather chair opining on life, than I did my last year flying all over the place being paid handsome fees. What did that tell me? Without realizing it, I had become inefficient.
Do I miss the type of consulting I did? At first, very much. It fit my personality. Maybe too much so. I got to a point where I was so comfortable solving problems that I pretty much knew the answers to the questions before they were asked.
When you become good at what you do, a confidence grows inside of you. Clients began to accept what I said just because of the way I said it. Bad sign – I had become overly confident.
I guess I liked being the center of attention. The type of consulting I did put me in front of groups and business executives eight hours at a time. You have to love center stage to do that. I wasn’t entirely aware of this until I stopped traveling and started reflecting. That’s where the hard part of being over 70 comes in. You reflect.
For example I just realized I’m too abrupt at times. Like Northern Europeans are. I come from a very strong danish background. I’m like those Europeans without realizing it. Can I change? I’m working on it.
Would I like to start life all over with the new knowledge I’ve gleaned about myself? No.
Why is that? If I’m lucky with all the work modern medicine is doing on me, I’m likely to cruise into 90.
So with a more humbled perspective about myself, I’m planning my new future.
In The 22nd Century, They Will Chide Us For Not Having Taken Action Sooner, Much Sooner