April 23rd brings us National Take a Chance Day—a great reminder that life is short and dreams should not be shoved in the “I’ll get to someday” corner. Having dreams and goals is the cornerstone to a life lived with passion. So, stir up those dust balls and let this day remind you of your fondest hopes and aspirations.
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Caregiver Jamaica NY -
April 23rd is National Take a Chance Day[/caption]
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.”—H. Jackson Brown.
If you look back at your life, is there something that you wish you’d done? There are few people that cannot recall at least one of these actions left undone. Replaying the mistakes or “should have beens” does little to create a happy life. You can, however, decide that from this moment forth you are going to say “Yes” to life.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”—Lao Tzu
Take a Chance Day is all about taking one step toward a dream or goal. People have a tendency to look at something desired and see the accumulated steps required to get there. It’s like climbing Mt Whitney by looking at the peak and continually thinking about how far you have to go. But in doing so, you miss the nuances of the climb. You lose the gifts along the way such as the sky pilot, a wildflower that blooms above the tree-line, or the red tail hawk hovering overhead.
Break down your dream into bite sizes. For instance, you want to write a book. Do you know that if you write only three pages a day you will have the first draft to your 300-page novel completed in only 100 days? That’s just a little over three months!
“Follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be.”—Joseph Campbell.
Being a family caregiver is often about completing important daily tasks, but it’s important for both you, as a caregiver, and your parent to remember to enjoy some quality time together. One such shared inspirational activity is creating a bliss board, also known as a vision board. Grab a stack of magazines, scissors, some glue and two poster boards. As you’re leafing through the magazines, cut out pictures and words that strike a chord in you—a “Yes, I’d love to do, be or have that someday.” Then glue them on the board to create a beautiful vision of what you’d like to create in your lives. If your parent carries the belief that it’s too late in the game, consider the following:
Duncan Hines wrote his first food and hotel guide at the age of 55 and sold the company that developed Duncan Hines cake the right to use his name at age 73.
Lauran Ingalls Wilder, author of Little House on the Prairie, published her first novel at the age of 65.
Grandma Moses picked up her first paintbrush at the age of 76 after arthritis left her unable to continue with embroidery—her first love. She continued painting for 25 years and eventually saw her paintings sell for upwards of $10,000.
Resources: https://quoteinvestigator.com/2011/09/29/you-did/
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/143093-follow-your-bliss-if-you-do-follow-your-bliss-you
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/21535-the-journey-of-a-thousand-miles-begins-with-a-single
https://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/14-inspiring-people-who-found-crazy-success-later-in-life.html
https://mentalfloss.com/article/24688/10-people-who-switched-careers-after-50-and-thrived