Talane’s Blog of the Week, May 29, 2006

I recently attended a seminar in London by a Canadian coaching colleague, Dan Sullivan. One of the first things he asks his clients is, “At what age are you going to die?” Apparently, everyone has an answer. (Did you know that today’s children have a life expectancy of 120 years?) Dan says we must look at our whole life as a planning tool. I like this idea because, while it may be impossible, not to mention impractical, to have it all at this moment, it isn’t impossible to have it all over a lifetime. Then he said: “Always make your future bigger than your past. If you don’t build your future, your past will get bigger and pull you back into it.” Wow! I hadn’t thought of it this way, but it is so true. Think of all those people who are constantly living and dwelling on the past. Their future is smaller and the past has pulled them in. Very interesting notion. We must always be creating a new and bigger future that pulls us forward in life. Exciting!

After the seminar I had drinks with a former client who talked about her 87-year-old mother-in-law, who looks and acts about 50, and goes a mile a minute. She doesn’t need much sleep so is up late doing the ironing, reading, balancing her check book until midnight and then up bright as a button at 5 am, raring to go. She is always talking about the trips she plans to take and what she is going to do next. A perfect example of a woman whose future is bigger and brighter than her past. I expect she’ll live to 120 at this rate.

This week, take some time to plan a big, bright and brilliant future. Use your whole life as a planning tool. That way, you can start those French lessons when you are 75 if you can’t fit them in right now.

All the best,
Talane