THE PATH FORWARD:
What do you want your life to be like from this point on?
Lucie Hosova
Thinking about the path forward seems suddenly prescient as many states begin relaxation of the isolation restrictions required to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
We have all been staying at home long enough to feel some objectivity about what we actually need compared to our concepts of normality before this pandemic. As the country recovers, how do we want to put our lives back together? Have our priorities changed? What do we want the rest of our life to look like?
We have all been staying at home long enough to feel some objectivity about what we actually need compared to our concepts of normality before this pandemic. As the country recovers, how do we want to put our lives back together? Have our priorities changed? What do we want the rest of our life to look like?
The Path Forward is a simple process. Imagining a path to the future gives basic structure to your life. It also affords you personal power to create your life as you would dream instead of going along day to day with what is presented to you.
- Picture your life's journey: Examine what you would like your path to be from this point forward using different points of view: spiritual, social, physical, nutritional, intellectual, emotional, creative.
- Be detailed in your dreams but also make those dreams realistic.
- As opportunities arise which take you closer to your path, take advantage of them bit by bit. Modify your behavior when things pop up which take you farther away from your goal. Before long small changes add up to big ones and lives transform.
There are a number of images of paths throughout this article.
Which of them do you identify the most with?
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Those older are often told they are over the hill and that everything from now on is downhill. People over 80 are not often asked what they would like to accomplish with the rest of their life. Yet those years are among the most important, the most special. Why not think about your own personal growth and how you would like to expand as you age no matter how old you are now.
During times of difficulty like the NOVID-19 pandemic it is always useful to take stock and learn from it. Change is necessary right now because of the severe challenges our country and the world are facing. Why not use this time of change to make ones beneficial for our own health and well being. |
Thomas Q
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Spencer Everett
Fall Associated Risk: In the field of fall prevention we talk about fall associated risk. Since falls come upon us suddenly and are therefore hard to predict, it is wise to lower the likelihood of having a fall using other means. Every choice we make (or don't make) either increases our fall associated risk or decreases it. For instance, if you take trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night wearing loose fitting slippers, without proper lighting and in a hurry, you are making several choices that significantly increase your fall associated risk.
In a similar manner, every choice we make in life (or don't make) moves us closer to our chosen path or farther away from it. Decisions become so clear and a satisfying life all the more likely.
James Baltz
My idea of The Path Forward was born 15 years ago as I taught a class on stress reduction to the residents of a skilled nursing facility. This was a group of people restricted to being in a wheel chair all the time with unfortunately very little to do other than nap. Teaching this class was a powerful experience in how every person deserves to live for hope and a new day. Just as one weight lifting research project for 95 year olds resulted in every participant increasing their muscle mass, personal growth is possible for everyone.
Many believe that after a certain age, all is downhill. I don't agree.
Our elder years are some of the most precious of our lives.
Why not thrive during them.
Jannes Glas
Use these seven categories to figure out how you would like your life to unfold from this point forward:
- Spirituality: Do you want to deepen your experience? Perhaps you would like to spend more time alone in a spiritual setting, meditating, praying, healing, protecting.
- Social: What kind of relationships do you want in your life? Would you like to have more people in your life or fewer? Want to get to know the people near you better and gain new friends or perhaps you have discovered how wonderful it can be to be alone.
- Physical: Are you afraid of having a fall? Do you want to remain as active as you can? Do you want to put in the effort to get stronger, better balanced, more stable?
- Nutritional: Do the foods you eat nourish you? What foods end up being ones you're sorry you ate? Do you routinely eat more than your body wants?
- Intellectual: What subjects would you like to learn more about? Would you like to be able to express your views more?
- Emotional: Is feeling emotionally stable important to you? Would you like to eradicate fear from your life? Would you like to learn how to handle stress better?
- Creative: What hobbies do you always wish you had taken up?
Taisiia Shestopal
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As you figure out sign posts for yourself which reflect your dreams, it is important to be realistic in your goals. And the more specific and detailed you can be the better.
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Michael Fousert
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While it may be easy to answer some of the above questions, the solutions often require some effort on our part. Of course we want to feel more stable, less depressed and less fearful. Noble goals but how do we achieve them?
Darin Coleshill
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Suppose being independent is important to you: Since falls cause more loss of independence than any other single thing, learning how to prevent them from happening should be a high priority. "Improve Balance" would make a great sign post on your path. Each time life presents an opportunity for you to improve your balance and coordination, you take it. A new class starts and you are one of the first people to sign up.
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If you want a life with less pain: Many want pain to just go away, one reason pain medications are so prevalent. Some lifestyle choices foster pain. A life of tension for example. Others, the reverse. Put projects on your path that lead to less pain. One sign post for you could be: "Stretch" to release the tension that pain causes.
David Herron
If you are fearful a lot: Leading life out of fear is detrimental to health. The best way to reduce fear is to improve how you breathe. "Breathing Exercises" should be a sign on your path. Then if someone mentions an upcoming TV documentary on the legendary breathing methods of Dr. Andrew Weil, MD, director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, you make sure to watch.
Define your path as specifically as you like with sign posts along the way reminding you of the direction to go whenever there is doubt.
Silas Baisch
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Think of future objectives like:
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Then as life unfolds, and choices become clear to you, make the choices that bring you closer to your path. Perhaps the program director approaches you and asks if you would like to take a class in learning a foreign language. One of the things on your path is to learn new things, so go ahead and take the plunge and answer "yes". At the same time, reject those choices that take you further from your path.
Charlotte Descamps
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This is one way to craft your life. To sculpt, frame and form how you want to grow. So much of our lives we spend thinking about the past and letting it define our future for us without us being able to take part in the discussion. Here's your chance.
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Allison Pieterse
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You can be the sculptor of your own future.
Photos from unsplash.com, individual photographers credited.
Published May 4, 2020