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When I began my new book, a friend suggested that to gain confidence in my ability to complete it I should visualize myself signing the finished book or being congratulated by a certain TV talk show host. I tried. But self-mockery usually subverted my intentions.
Running on the track or at the gym each day worked better. It was a good physical metaphor for the process. "If you can finish the next mile, Bruce, you can finish three more pages today," I might tell myself. Like running, writing the book just required pushing along each day.
But it was the examples and voices of the 14 men and women in What Should I Do with the Rest of My Life? that bolstered me the most.
When money troubles threatened, I could hear Dr. "Robby" Iadeluca, who first became a psychologist at 60 and then a specialist in substance abuse at 70, quoting his mother, "Keep your face to the sunshine, and the shadows will fall behind."
When self-doubt kidnapped my confidence, I heard social entrepreneur Dana Dakin saying that the key to the success of WomensTrust, the microfinance organization she began in Pokuase, Ghana, was not rocket science, "We just keep coming back."
When exhaustion overtook me, I turned to the image of Thomas Dwyer, in his mid-70s, rehearsing for hours each morning in Liz Lerman's Dance Exchange studio in Takoma Park, Md. I pictured him in his well-worn sweats, doing pushups, throwing balls in the air, and otherwise pushing himself through his rigorous physical regime while, all day long, remaining alert to the details of choreography.
I remembered the stories of Barbara and Ira Smith volunteering their days to pick up stoves and mattresses in the cold. Or I saw them as they are now, nearing 80, showing up every day to work in the warehouse for Household Goods Recycling of Massachusetts, in Acton, to others re-furnish their lives with dignity.
The core message, revealed to me through these and others in my book, took root in me: Doubt and difficulty dosen't necessarily vanish. But if you live your life with passion and purpose, energy and endurance will be yours. And you'll find a way to finish.
What Should I Do with the Rest of My Life Bruce Frankel Retirement Baby Boomers
