Curious about Aging: It Happens to All of Us. How Do You Feel About It? I Love It!

“Aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” - Betty Friedan, American activist

“Aging is an inevitable process. I surely wouldn't want to grow younger. The older you become, the more you know; your bank account of knowledge is much richer.” - William M. Holden, American actor

Yesterday, as I was driving home from an all day fitness training program, I was thinking about how happy I was that I am a part of it. I am referring to the excellent SilverSneakers Fitness program.

Four years ago I was approached by the fitness director at the YMCA where I was a group fitness instructor, teaching all ages of participants. She told me about the new program for seniors they were starting and asked if I would be interested. Saying, “yes,” was one of the best decisions I have made in my fitness career. I now teach 12 classes a week at two YMCAs and love every minute.

What is so special about SilverSneakers? First of all, being a senior myself, I am staying fit, making wonderful friends, and having fun (the three bolded words are our main goals). Secondly, the instructor training is superb – safe and effective. Best of all, the participants who attend the classes are incredible. They are all upbeat, work as hard as they can, laugh often, help each other, and spread enthusiasm for the classes.

For us, aging is a treat!

There were not a lot of aging quotations. However, the good news is that most were super positive. Let’s share a few:

• “Every industry is going to be affected (by the aging population). This creates tremendous opportunities and tremendous challenges.” - Pat Conroy, American writer
• “No one can avoid aging, but aging productively is something else.” - Katharine Graham, American business woman
• “Older women are like aging strudels - the crust may not be so lovely, but the filling has come at last into its own.” - Robert Farrar Capon, American author
• “Aging seems to be the only available way to live a long life.” - Kitty O'Neill Collins, Irish creator of quotations
• “Ava Gardner was the most beautiful woman in the world, and it's wonderful that she didn't cut up her face. She addressed aging by picking up her chin and receiving the light in a better way. And she looked like a woman. She never tried to look like a girl.” - Sharon Stone, American actress
• “Being here allows me to make the case that not all aging, narcissistic movie actors whose children could be mistaken for their grandchildren necessarily act with the same motivation.” - Warren Beatty, American actor

And, three more for fun:

“The aging process has you firmly in its grasp if you never get the urge to throw a snowball.” - Doug Larson, American cartoonist

“We are not victims of aging, sickness and death. These are part of scenery, not the seer, who is immune to any form of change. This seer is the spirit, the expression of eternal being.” - Deepak Chopra, American philosopher

“You can't stop the aging process. There's only so much oil you can put on your body. I've always just tried to go with my age. If the part requires somebody a little younger or older, I can probably get away with that.” - Angie Dickinson, American actress

I hope you are enjoying or will enjoy aging as much as I am. There are so many advantages that accompany it. I would love to hear how you feel.

Curious about Belief(s): How Do Yours Direct You, Your Life, Your Business and Your Relationships?

Definition of Belief: Assent to a proposition or affirmation, or the acceptance of a fact, opinion, or assertion as real or true, without immediate personal knowledge; reliance upon word or testimony; partial or full assurance without positive knowledge or absolute certainty; persuasion; conviction; confidence; as, belief of a witness; the belief of our senses. A tenet, or the body of tenets, held by the advocates of any class of views; doctrine; creed.

“It has always been my belief that a man should do his best, regardless of how much he receives for his services, or the number of people he may be serving or the class of people served.” - Napoleon Hill, American writer

I chose belief(s) as this week’s theme, because with all of the new information I am receiving through the Internet, CDs, and books, I realize that many of my long time beliefs are being challenged and may not be accurate.

One example is my belief about how to lose weight. For years I have told my fitness students that the answer is a five word phrase, “Eat less and exercise more.” Many of the current fitness gurus challenge this – both the eating part and the exercise part. I would probably dismiss their claims, except that there are plenty of people who have succeeded with the new approaches.

And then there is the rampant business fraud so prevalent in our society today. It seems that almost daily we read or hear about a well known executive and/or politician being questioned in court for shady practices. The products we have purchased and depended upon are being taken to task for known imperfections. What has become of ethics? And, who can we believe?

I certainly don’t want to be negative, but I admit that I am confused about a lot of my former beliefs. I used to scoff at the skeptics, but now find a bit of skepticism sneaking into my beliefs. How about you? Have you lost some of the certainty you once possessed?

On to quotations about beliefs. There were many that touched on faith, belief and religion. I have skipped those, rather than getting into an area of contention, but think you will enjoy those quotations I will include – there were many to choose from:

• “Money motivates neither the best people, nor the best in people. It can move the body and influence the mind, but it cannot touch the heart or move the spirit; that is reserved for belief, principle, and morality.” - Dee Hock, American businessman
• “There is no greater level and form of belief than believing in yourself.” - Darren L. Johnson, American author
• “Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.” - William James, American philosopher
• “If you believe you can, you probably can. If you believe you won't, you most assuredly won't. Belief is the ignition switch that gets you off the launching pad.” - Denis Waitley, American writer
• “It is my belief that we all have the need to feel special. It is this need that can bring out the best in us, yet the worst in us.” - Janet Jackson, American musician
• “Most executives, many scientists, and almost all business school graduates believe that if you analyze data, this will give you new ideas. Unfortunately, this belief is totally wrong. The mind can only see what it is prepared to see.” - Edward de Bono, English psychologist
• “Good advertising does not just circulate information. It penetrates the public mind with desires and belief.” - Leo Burnett, American businessman

And three more to chew on and think about:

• “We are all captives of the picture in our head - our belief that the world we have experienced is the world that really exists.” - Walter Lippmann, American journalist
• “I am confident that, in the end, common sense and justice will prevail. I'm an optimist, brought up on the belief that if you wait to the end of the story, you get to see the good people live happily ever after.” - Cat Stevens, British musician
• “The four characteristics of humanism are curiosity, a free mind, belief in good taste, and belief in the human race.” - E. M. Forster, English novelist

What beliefs of your have be questioned or challenged? I would love to hear from you.

Curious about Color: Have You Ever Considered How Important Color Is In Our Lives?

Definition of Color: A property depending on the relations of light to the eye, by which individual and specific differences in the hues and tints of objects are apprehended in vision; as, gay colors; sad colors, etc.; The hue or color characteristic of good health and spirits. That which is used to give color; a paint; a pigment; as, oil colors or water colors. That which covers or hides the real character of anything; semblance; excuse; disguise; appearance. To change or alter the hue or tint of, by dyeing, staining, painting, etc.; to dye; to tinge; to paint; to stain.

“In nature, light creates the color. In the picture, color creates the light.” - Hans Hofmann, German artist

“Your attitude is like a box of crayons that color your world. Constantly color your picture gray, and your picture will always be bleak. Try adding some bright colors to the picture by including humor, and your picture begins to lighten up.” - Allen Klein, American businessman

I have had such a mesmerizing and exciting time with this week’s theme. It all started when I received an e-mail from one of my storytelling friends. He had taken a career test that focuses on color and – as he pointed out – is amazingly accurate. You will find it HERE. Of course, once I took it, I couldn’t get my mind off color.

And, once I started looking up the color quotations, I could barely make myself stop. Yes, there were many that dealt with skin color, such as Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous, “I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Then, there were many quotations by artists, writers, and all sorts of creatives. It was like reading a beautiful book of poetry.

Let me start sharing some:

• “How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days.” –
  George Burns, American comedian
• “We are like chameleons, we take our hue and the color of our moral character, from those who are around us.” - John Locke, English philosopher
• “I wanted to know the name of every stone and flower and insect and bird and beast. I wanted to know where it got its color, where it got its life - but there was no one to tell me.” - George Washington Carver, American scientist
• “Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.” - Rabindranath Tagore, Indian poet
• “The soul is dyed with the color of its leisure thoughts.” - Dean Inge, English author
• “Color is for me the purest form of expression, the purest abstract reality.” - Jim Hodges, American politician
• “Truth knows no color; it appeals to intelligence.” - James Hal Cone, American theologian
• “It is generally admitted that the most beautiful qualities of a color are in its transparent state, applied over a white ground with the light shining through the color.” - Maxfield Parrish, American artist

And, just three more:

• “First of all, I always see the sun! The way I want to identify myself and others is with halos here and there halos, movements of color. And that, I believe, is rhythm.” - Robert Delaunay, French artist
• “In March of 1933 we witnessed a revolution in manner, in mores, in the definition of government. What before had been black or white sprang alive with color.” - Emanuel Celler, American politician
• “What interested me was not news, but appraisal. What I sought was to grasp the flavor of a man, his texture, his impact, what he stood for, what he believed in, what made him what he was and what color he gave to the fabric of his time.” - John Gunther, American journalist

How important a part of your life revolves around color? Take the test – it’s short – and let me know what you think.

Curious about Questions: Do You Ask Good Ones? And Are They Expanding Your Horizons?

“'How do you know so much about everything?' was asked of a very wise and intelligent man; and the answer was 'By never being afraid or ashamed to ask questions as to anything of which I was ignorant.'” - John Abbott, British statesman

“Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.” - Tony Robbins, American author

This weekend, I have been preparing for a workshop called, “Breaking the Conversation Barrier – What to Say after Saying ‘Hello.’” An important portion of the class is a section on questions. I even have cards that we use with conversation producing questions. I find that even with strangers, good questions can establish rapport almost immediately.

I have also found that when we ask thought provoking questions – rather than just a “How are you?” or “What do you think of this weather?” – we will find out so much more about a family member, a friend, a co-worker, or someone we have just met. People love to talk about themselves, so when we ask an open ended question that focuses on them or their opinion, they will usually open right up.

Good questions are also helpful when marketing, selling, networking, or socializing. We also need to ask ourselves good questions which help us to clarify, set worthwhile goals and intentions, and focus. The answers are not always what we want to know or hear.

In checking out the quotations containing “questions,” I found 14 filled pages of great quotations, so let me share a few:

• “In order for answers to become clear, the questions have to be clear.” - Abdolkarim Soroush, Iranian philosopher
• “I love the early process of asking questions about a story and deciding which questions matter most.” - Diane Sawyer, American journalist
• “I found I wasn't asking good enough questions because I assumed I knew something. I would box them into a corner with a badly formed question, and they didn't know how to get out of it. Now, I let them take me through it step by step, and I listen.” - Alan Alda, American actor
• “Take the attitude of a student, never be too big to ask questions, never know too much to learn something new.” - Og Mandino, American author
• “The simplest questions are the most profound. Where were you born? Where is your home? Where are you going? What are you doing? Think about these once in a while and watch your answers change.” - Richard Bach, American novelist
• “You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.” - Naguib Mahfouz, Egyptian novelist
• “Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.” – Voltaire, French writer

And three more to think about and chew upon:

• “If you are going to ask yourself life-changing questions, be sure to do something with the answers.” - Bo Bennett, American businessman
• “Dreams are today's answers to tomorrow's questions.” Edgar Cayce, American celebrity
• “There is frequently more to be learned from the unexpected questions of a child than the discourses of men.” - John Locke, English philosopher

So, how useful are your questions? My suggestion to be prepared every day with a good question to ask everyone you come in contact with. Just make sure that it is a question that you are comfortable with asking yourself first.