Three Ways To Turn Back Time
Updated: April 2017
I meet many in midlife who exclaim, "I wish I could turn back time!", lamenting about lost opportunities or the lack of consciousness they had about the possibilities life would hold.
For many self-employed entrepreneurs, our skills were late-blooming ones. We started out in typical nine-to-five jobs on a career track, or with businesses focused on a specific niche. As life evolved we discovered new interests and new passions and had the courage or comfort to pursue them. Some might say we felt (and feel) compelled to pursue them.
The 'turn back time' lament is often related to the 'If I knew then what I know now' refrain, followed by: 'I'd have made different choices'. Hm. Conundrumish. Because, here we are.
So how can we turn back time? I originally wrote this post as a Wayback Wednesday post, and I did some Google searching and found that for most people Wayback Wednesday refers to occurrences of the 70s 80s and 90s. *ahem*
When I think of Wayback Wednesday I think way, waaaay back to Mr. Peabody and Sherman and their WABAC machine. Yes, I am for sure *that* old.
For those of you who remember the cartoon about a dog and his boy, one of the great themes involved the two heroes travelling back in time, finding some kind of historical wonkiness and setting it right.
Step into your personal WABAC machine. How?
Tip number one, from a mindfulness perspective, is to go back and make it right, Peabody-like.
Is there something in your past that niggles at you? Something that you left unfinished or an apology you failed to make? A promise that you didn't fulfill? Go back and make it right. Not only will this square you from a personal integrity perspective, it will also free you to have more energy today.
Tip number two is about reconnecting with the child in you. Somewhere in the statement: "I wish I could turn back time", is a longing. Figure out what it is you desire from the good old days. It could be something really simple like the feeling of bare feet in the grass, a sense of timelessness on the baseball field, or a childhood heart full of possibility.
Rediscovering one or two past passions brings us to tip number three. Bring it forward. Have it now. Take off your shoes. Join a baseball league. Tune into your favourite Saturday morning cartoons. Listen to your heart’s whisper. Feed the longing. It will be delicious.
When you find it, you might try making a new promise to your old self. Bring your old self along for the new ride.
I meet many in midlife who exclaim, "I wish I could turn back time!", lamenting about lost opportunities or the lack of consciousness they had about the possibilities life would hold.
For many self-employed entrepreneurs, our skills were late-blooming ones. We started out in typical nine-to-five jobs on a career track, or with businesses focused on a specific niche. As life evolved we discovered new interests and new passions and had the courage or comfort to pursue them. Some might say we felt (and feel) compelled to pursue them.
The 'turn back time' lament is often related to the 'If I knew then what I know now' refrain, followed by: 'I'd have made different choices'. Hm. Conundrumish. Because, here we are.
So how can we turn back time? I originally wrote this post as a Wayback Wednesday post, and I did some Google searching and found that for most people Wayback Wednesday refers to occurrences of the 70s 80s and 90s. *ahem*
When I think of Wayback Wednesday I think way, waaaay back to Mr. Peabody and Sherman and their WABAC machine. Yes, I am for sure *that* old.
For those of you who remember the cartoon about a dog and his boy, one of the great themes involved the two heroes travelling back in time, finding some kind of historical wonkiness and setting it right.
Step into your personal WABAC machine. How?
Tip number one, from a mindfulness perspective, is to go back and make it right, Peabody-like.
Is there something in your past that niggles at you? Something that you left unfinished or an apology you failed to make? A promise that you didn't fulfill? Go back and make it right. Not only will this square you from a personal integrity perspective, it will also free you to have more energy today.
Tip number two is about reconnecting with the child in you. Somewhere in the statement: "I wish I could turn back time", is a longing. Figure out what it is you desire from the good old days. It could be something really simple like the feeling of bare feet in the grass, a sense of timelessness on the baseball field, or a childhood heart full of possibility.
Rediscovering one or two past passions brings us to tip number three. Bring it forward. Have it now. Take off your shoes. Join a baseball league. Tune into your favourite Saturday morning cartoons. Listen to your heart’s whisper. Feed the longing. It will be delicious.
When you find it, you might try making a new promise to your old self. Bring your old self along for the new ride.
Note to Self. A Poem.
I was late
when I found you
way back on the time traveller's clock
twenty minutes past regret.
Your shoelaces
untied,
hunting in the tall grass
for
missing dreams,
and baseballs.
You found a ball,
deep in the shadows.
The dreams are here,
still in my pocket.
I was late
when I found you
way back on the time traveller's clock
twenty minutes past regret.
Your shoelaces
untied,
hunting in the tall grass
for
missing dreams,
and baseballs.
You found a ball,
deep in the shadows.
The dreams are here,
still in my pocket.
Me, I'm going to tune into an episode of Sherman and Peabody and spend some time hanging out in 1963.
After all, haven't you heard? The past is a gift to the present.
Oh, Mr. Peabody.
How would you turn back time? What promise could you make to your old self?
After all, haven't you heard? The past is a gift to the present.
Oh, Mr. Peabody.
How would you turn back time? What promise could you make to your old self?
