Some of my writings can be a little heavy. So, I thought a big smile from young Michael might lighten the tone.
This photo brings up fond memories of my Uncle Irving. Always with a big laugh, he used to call me Michael the Upright. I am smiling as I think of him. He was quite a character and we miss him.
Inspired by Barrett Brooks
I was inspired to write a little more about my goals and ideas when I read about Barrett Brooks and his exciting new podcast. I recently came upon Barrett and his Good Works podcast from a daily email by Seth Godin.
More specifically, Barrett’s About section from his website, really caught me and drew me in. I have read thousands of website About sections, but this one really stood out. It had a story to it. His background wasn’t just listed, it was demonstrated by story and a warm tone, perfectly fitting with the goal of his writing and podcast. Good Work with purpose.
I have written a new About section. It explains a little more about this website, the blog and big ideas I like to write about and promote.
More About Michael the Upright
I am almost 70, quite healthy and am fortunate enough to not have serious financial worries. Both my wife and I are psychologists and have been working, for the past few years, about one to two days per week — just enough so we don’t have to dip into our savings. We are lucky to have flexible careers that we still love doing.
Full retirement, from psychology, will be coming up soon, for both of us. Then what? is the question we and everyone else asks.
I love playing hockey, all year-round, as well as writing, golf and biking. These activities help me to feel engaged and younger, but not totally. And, they don’t fully address a bigger dilemma: What am I going to do with the rest of my life? What interesting things can I immerse myself in?
How to Avoid the Abyss
I don’t want to fall into what Riley Moynes, a former financial company CEO and author of The Four Phases of Retirement, calls “the abyss of insignificance”. This fall can occur when you lose structure, identity, purpose, power and relationships during retirement. Losing any of these is like losing a part of yourself. (Read more about how to avoid the abyss.)
I needed to avoid this fall, but I didn’t have a master plan. So I decided to just get started on my own quest, to learn and figure things out as I go. (This is how I usually like to do things anyway.)
One of my first projects was to write an ebook to help you and me feel younger, no matter what our age. You can get a this ebook, “How to Feel Younger in Your Retirement Years,” totally free, at aWarmHeart.ca.
True Inspiration
I became fired up after discovering a moving story about John Wood, a Microsoft executive who came upon a school library in rural Nepal with almost no books in it and no money to buy books. Wood returned the next year and hand-delivered over 3,000 donated books to village schools in Nepal.
He found the excitement and gratitude of the village people so moving, he quit his job and co-founded the nonprofit organization Room to Read . This was in 2001. Today, Room to Read has assisted over 23 million children in 10 low-income countries, helped set up ways to publish books for children in their own languages and established programs to keep young girls in school.
I feel younger just telling this story.
The initial steps of my quest involved setting up the website A Warm Heart to promote the great work of charities like Room to Read, writing ebooks and blog posts. I create the content, design and format of the site and have loved every minute doing it. I’ve felt energized as I built each webpage and wrote each post.
Who Inspires Me
I like to read and write about people who lift others up. People who give power and light to others. People who help us all soar.
I write about people who get things done. After watching a TED Talk by John Wood a few years ago, I came upon an expression he uses – GSD or Getting Shit Done. I love that expression and the philosophy and confidence behind it. I love too that he leads by example and shows us how he gets shit done in very impressive and inspiring ways.
I hope my writing will help spread some warmth and light to you and the people you care about. If you like what you read, I hope you will share. We can all use more hope and optimism in our lives. In today’s world, we desperately need more kindness, fairness and equality.
Until next time, let our warm hearts soar!
Michael
michael@aWarmHeart.ca
And thank you for caring that little bit extra – it really makes a big difference.
