Team Work Makes the Dream Work

What a week, month, even several months it’s been working with an amazing team for a Senior Living Expo yesterday. And the team wasn’t a marketing company we hired to orchestrate, plan, prepare, organize, create, assemble and pull off a successful show, booth, complete with visual effects, movie, banner, photos and placed intricately on press board, order equipment – a display board, drawing box, lights, table and decor', electrical components, flyers, certificates, prizes, create a seminar and slide show presentation, complete with scripts, jump drives, etc. Whew! This team was a 55+ group of diehard people who did it. Seniors doing all this for seniors. I was amused at us. We were not in a "senior mentality mode", in the sense of retirement, taking it easy, and in slow motion, etc. We were in power mode and we pulled it off. We entertained as much as we "sold" who we were. I loved it when Marcia Stowell was "signing" to a hearing impaired lady. People gravitated to our booth because of the vivaciousness of our crew. Our bright yellow shirts added to the buzz. I can’t begin to say how proud I was of this team. I'm so pleased to say "SUCCESS" by this seasoned and mature team! We've still got it! LOL!

There were hundreds, even thousands of baby boomers who attended a day of seminars and visited over 80 booths complete with health screenings and every business you can imagine that would be of interest to seniors. Folks in wheelchairs, walkers, and using canes, but also folks who are strong, healthy and full-of-life – there to take in the latest and greatest in those things that interest seniors.

While preparing for this event, I found myself compartmentalizing everything else in my life. I was laser focused on getting this event ready to go and organized with ultimate success results. We expect to see lots of folks coming out to check out our community, buy a home here and join us here as a result of our efforts. I've found one of the best ways to achieve success is to strive to be in the moment, giving that moment all we’ve got to be the best we can be at it. Give it our 100% best effort.

Compartmentalizing helps us isolate that particular area of our life from all the other issues and/or challenges we are dealing with. The point is, there will be an end to a project and we can close the chapter on it and proclaim SUCCESS. We did that yesterday. We even kicked up our heels when the band starting playing at the end of the day. We loaded up all our equipment, put it in the car……and went our separate ways. Then I opened up another one of my compartments…..my grandson’s wedding compartment. That’s one I’m so excited about – so much so that I MUST find a just right pair of shoes to go with my formal. I spent a couple of hours enjoying myself in this compartment….er….shoe departments.

There are always seasons in all of this. Times when family needs more attention, work, ministry, play need more attention. And, yes, even when we need to get away and be alone for a period of time. But getting things done, over with, is best done with attention to compartments. Right now, I’m in my Facebook and blogging compartment – one of my main compartments in each day. I’ve learned to close one compartment and open another. I’ve learned to say “no” to things that don’t deserve a compartment. I’m getting good at that.

Compartmentalizing also has to do with stress and worries. That’s one that tries to open up to me in the middle of the night. I don’t welcome that compartment and I do my best to keep it locked up and closed. But when it does open up, I’ve learned the best way to shut it down is to open up my “Think on these good things" compartment from Philippians 4:8 "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."

It’s amazing the volume and quality of work we’re able to finish by staying focused on one compartment at a time. We think the notion of multi-tasking is a good thing, but honestly, only “little attention” to the tasks produces little results. Compartmentalizing and get that compartment all finished and done with…..opens the way for the next success story in the next compartment.

This week, a new compartment will open to me. HINT: packing up my home. What? More to follow.....

Not Finished Yet

I was getting suggestions from one of my subdivision's builders about some artwork that I’m working on for advertising. We were discussing this awesome 55+ Active Adult Community and taglines that would help describe us. Sarcastically, he said, “Whatever you do, Donna, don’t use words like old folks, retired person, baby-boomer, old-timer, senior!” He meant those would be the practical words to use, but they don’t equate to this lively, energetic, young-at-heart community where we may not be working as hard as we once did, but most of us are still living life large. We’re REFIRED – not the typical sitting-in-a-rocking-chair, just watching TV kind of folks.

Here's how we're making the most of this season of our lives: some still work full-time, others part time. We volunteer for charities and churches. We travel (a lot), some play pickleball, tennis and golf, others are taking piano and voice lessons, others are master gardeners, and others attend seminars and classes to upgrade their skills in various areas. AND others are sharing their wisdom to young people and children as teachers and role models. I love that. Just think how we can save the younger generation a lot of time and effort by the wisdom we can share from the lessons we’ve learned.

So, we’re thinking we should have buttons, t-shirts, bumper stickers, and hats made that read “Not Finished Yet” on them.

Regardless of the number of birthdays we've celebrated, we are still here. And as long as we are here, we are not there, and as long as we are not there, it means God still has a purpose for us here.

When Jesus was on the cross, the last thing He said was “It is finished." After He made that statement, He died. So when is God's purpose for us on this earth finished? It is finished when we die. Until then, we are not finished yet!

Don't let the thought of getting older discourage you or even make you fearful of what tomorrow might hold. Consider these words that God spoke to Isaiah in Psalm 92 "But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green. They will declare, “The LORD is just! He is my rock!”

Here For A Purpose and Assignment

I am a very busy woman. That's on purpose. I am passionate about life and squeezing out every drop of it that I can. Not only do I work as a marketing representative showing visitors the wonderful community where I live, but I'm a member of another company where I get to share an amazing opportunity that changes people's lives. I serve in various capacities at two different churches. I have a Life Group that meets in my home every Thursday. I'm a Board Member of a non-profit organization, an Advisor on another, as well as serve on two committees in my community. I speak and/or teach at events and organizations. I mentor and counsel some precious people. I post each day about something that might help someone. And, best of all, I'm on beckoned call when my kids call for my help. In fact, I'm in Texas, right now, helping my precious daughter and family move into their beautiful new home.

Last week, one of my friends asked, "Aren't you so tired? You just do too much -- after all you're supposed to be retired?" My response, "Where did you hear that from? I have no intention of EVER retiring. In fact, every day I refire with passion to do even more!! If I'm not dead; I'm not done. I fully intend to go out in a blaze of glory!"

I heard Joyce Meyer say, "Don't be always talking about 'If I can just make it through this old world to my mansion in the sky'. If that's what life is all about, the minute you got saved, God would have beamed you out of here! You are here for a purpose. You are not here just to take up space!"

I love that -- God's master plan is for us to live our life with excitement, enjoyment, determination, and zeal......and to fill that space with loving, caring and spreading God's love everywhere and to everyone! When my time here has ended, I'll know that I will have no regrets, because I gave it everything I had. Yes, I believe I'm here for a purpose and assignment.....and when my assignment here is completed, God WILL beam me out of here!

Retirement -- Not a Word in my Vocabulary!

We all have treasures inside of us -- there's skills, talents and potential that God put there, and it's up to us to grow and develop them. If we don't, we'll find that "rocking chair" or "couch" -- "just switching channels on the remote control" -- becomes "that's all there is" to us. We will have stopped growing and when we do, we'll start dying to ambition, risk-taking, living life large, and refusing adventure and excitement. Did you know the wealthiest places on this earth are in cemeteries -- where there are businesses that were never founded, songs that were never sung, books that were never written, potential never realiized?

As for me (and, Judi Dench).... I'm going to keep learning new skills, reading books, taking internet courses, going to seminars, gleaning from mentors. I refuse to coast through life. I don't use the word "retirement" in my vocabulary. Retirement isn't a word found in the Bible (my source of inspiration and how to live life). However, we can read about re-firement many times over. And, that's me. I'm purposing to make the moments count -- I'm going to keep on KEEPING ON....I am going to LIVE and GROW ON PURPOSE....and help a lot of other folks GROW ON PURPOSE with me!!!