The Retirement Detox Program

Great Quotes - On Security

It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new.  But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful.  There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power. 

Alan Cohen

40 tips for a better life

Thanks to Philip Humbert and Paul Vogel for the following list...  (If you're not a religious person, replace the word 'God' with 'The Universe'):

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

3. Go to bed earlier and get more sleep.

4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following:
    'Today, my primary purpose is to __________.'

5. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

6. Play more games and read more books than you did last year.

7. Make time to practice meditation, and prayer.  They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.

9. Dream more while you are awake.

10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured or packaged in factories.

11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new energy flow into your life.

14. Don't waste your energy on gossip, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.  Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the NEGATIVE BLUES away.

18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

21. You won't win every argument. Agree to disagree.

22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

23. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

26. Forgive everyone for everything.

27. What other people think of you is none of your business.

28. Remember, God heals everything.

29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

30. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick.  Your friends will. Stay in touch.

31. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

33. The best is yet to come.

34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

35. Do the right thing!

36. Call your family often. Or email them to death!

37. Each night before you go to bed complete the following:
     I am thankful for __________.
     Today I accomplished _________.

38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

39. Enjoy the ride. You only have one ride through life so make the most of every moment, every single day.

40. Please share this with those you care about.

May your troubles be less,
May your blessings be more,
May nothing but happiness come through your door!

---

Dr Humbert is a Success Strategist, author and popular speaker. Imagine what's possible! To inquire about having him speak to your group or organization, or to schedule an initial consultation, contact him at: Coach@philiphumbert.com

25 ways to help a fellow human being today

Helping a fellow human being has multiple benefits: 

• it makes you feel good about yourself
• it forms a connection with another person
• it improves someone else's life
• it makes the world a better place to live in
• the person you help may just feel inclined to help someone else.

On his Zen Habits blog, Leo Babauta lists 25 ways to Help a Fellow Human Being Today - something there for everyone, no matter how busy we get.

Road trips less travelled

Do you dream of taking a road trip?  Just getting in a car, on a bike, or, better still, in an RV or motorhome and setting off?  If your road trip aspirations extend beyond getting your kicks on Route 66, have a look at this MSN Travel guide to 'Road Trips Less Travelled'.  With a choice that includes Bolivia, Romania and Southwest China, you should be able to find something that gets your juices flowing...

Dating and an age difference - How much does it matter?

Although single baby boomers in their 50's and 60's are free to date people from a wide range of age groups, is it actually such a good idea? 

Does dating someone 20 years younger than you make you feel like a kid again or does it just make you feel old?  And what about dating someone 20 years older?  Will you end up feeling like a nursemaid or caretaker?

MSN Dating and Personals spoke to a group of single boomers and a panel of relationship experts in an attempt to determine just how important age really is.

What people ACTUALLY do in retirement (as opposed to what they say they INTEND to do)

On my travels around the World Wide Web, I came across some research carried out by engage Mutual Assurance in which 2,200 British people were asked about their expectations and experiences of retirement. The results show stark contrasts between people's plans for their retirement and the actual realities of retirement.  You can read the full article here but the thing that particularly caught my eye was the table which compares the retirement aspirations of workers with the actual experiences of retired workers... food for thought?

Great Quotes - On letting things go

Finish each day and be done with it.  You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can.  Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Is aging getting you down?

From this week's Hay House Radio newsletter:

Caroline Sutherland Shares the Secrets of Healthy Aging—Radio Special July 17

Is aging getting you down? Are you worried about what might befall you as the years tick away? Health educator and medical intuitive Caroline Sutherland says there is much you can do to slow or even reverse the aging process! When you look at this lively woman in her mid 60s, you can tell she has a few secrets worth sharing. With the energy of a woman in her 30s, Caroline is on a mission to help people embrace aging. This month alone, she has released her new book, The Body Knows...How to Stay Young, and is set to do a free radio special as well as a fascinating online seminar.

“The body is like a great house with lots of possibilities,” Caroline says in The Body Knows...How to Stay Young. “Since it’s tough and has a firm foundation, all it needs is a fresh coat of paint, a little tinkering here and there, and to have the furniture rearranged—and voila! It will be as good as new.”

Using her own life and healthy living strategies as a model for helping others, Caroline’s new book is filled with groundbreaking tools that really do work. “There is no reason for us to succumb to the slow cell-by-cell demise of our parents and grandparents,” she said. “There are so many tools available to us!”

What are some of Caroline’s favorite secrets? Here’s what she told us: Eat a healthy diet and stay away from junk food, get plenty of sleep, and surround yourself with love and fulfilling activities.

Listen: The Body Knows...How to Stay Young free radio special—July 17.

The Star Thrower

Once a man was walking along a beach. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Off in the distance he could see a person going back and forth between the surf's edge and the beach. Back and forth this person went.

As the man approached he could see that there were hundreds of starfish stranded on the sand as the result of the natural action of the tide. He could also see that the person was picking up the starfish, one by one, carrying them to the water's edge and throwing them back into the ocean.  The man was stuck by the the apparent futility of the task. There were far too many starfish.  Many of them were sure to perish.

As he approached, the person continued the task of picking up starfish one by one and throwing them into the surf.  As he came up to the person he said, "You must be crazy.  There are thousands of miles of beach covered with starfish.  You can't possibly make a difference."  The person looked at the man.  He then stooped down and picked up one more starfish and threw it back into the ocean.  He turned back to the man and said, "It sure made a difference to that one!"

Adapted from The Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley (1907-1977)

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters by Portia Nelson

I

I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
I fall in.
I am lost ... I am helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes me forever to find a way out.

II
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in the same place
but, it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

III

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in ... it's a habit.
my eyes are open
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

IV

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

V

I walk down another street.