Mary and I love to travel. Our goal is to visit 60 countries before we expire. This year we added two more: Ireland and Iceland, which increases our total to 55.
For the past 11 years I’ve led groups of friends on annual trips to Paris, London, Europe, the Mediterranean, Baltic States, Russia, Peru, Greek Isles, and North Africa. We’ve never had a malfunction or bad experience, just memorable, life-enhancing moments.
In September 2022, twenty-five friends joined us on a terrific voyage to the cradle of Western civilization. Here’s a short video about our trip. At the end of the video is information about where we’ll go in 2023.
I recently saw this phrase on the front of a t-shirt: Train you must. I don’t learn a lot of good life lessons by reading t-shirts—most verbiage written on t-shirts is trivial—but this got my attention and has kept it.
Training is the only way to develop skills and make progress. Reading books is good, listening to podcasts and lectures helps, invigorating experiences contribute to our lives, but training is the best way to become a better, more competent person. To become a physician, pilot, musician, writer, teacher, manager, one must commit to the discipline of training.
Here are characteristics of what good training involves. Training:
Requires a considered commitment. In order to train, you might have to give up something, like time or resources.
Takes time. You’ll not complete training for a significant skill in a day; it will likely take years.
Focuses your attention.
Requires a disciplined approach. One doesn’t casually or flippantly train. There’s usually a structure to work within and a curriculum to complete.
Includes a measurable outcome. Most disciplines offer a test/certification.
Usually involves a coach, someone who will observe you in real time and give you immediate feedback.
Produces a usable skill.
Years ago I aspired to be a wine expert. Because of my religious upbringing, I didn’t even taste wine until I was 44 years old, but when I learned that the Bible doesn’t prohibit drinking wine, I became interested in the world of wine. There are three organizations that offer certifications in wine: Society of Wine Educators, WSET, and the Court of Master Sommeliers. I pursued certifications in all three. I committed to train to become a wine expert.
I read extensively (I have 72 books in my library about wine), I trained with the Dallas chapter of Wine Sommeliers, I memorized charts, graphs, and theory, I studied with a Master of Wine, and attended seminars and weekly blind-tastings. Eventually, I passed exams with all three agencies.
After studying for five years I sensed that my understanding of wine would not be complete until I actually grew and processed my own grapes, so five years ago I planted a small vineyard in East Texas and have produced wine from two harvests. I grow grapes, harvest, press, ferment, and bottle. [Here’s a video about my vineyard.]
This year I celebrated my seventh decade on Earth. I’m happy to be a septuagenarian.
I’ve heard the phrase, “Age is just a number.” Well, that may be true in one sense, but the larger the number gets the more your mind and body are affected. Your senses diminish, muscles atrophy, balance wanes, and words become elusive. But if you’ve kept growing through the years you’re wiser and more capable. We trade the vigor of youth for the wisdom of age.
Satchel Paige had a unique perspective on age. On Sept. 25, 1965, age 59, Paige became the oldest player to appear in a major league baseball game when he was the starting pitcher for the Kansas City Athletics. When asked how he was able to play competitive professional baseball being that old, he would reply, “How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?” Then he would add “Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” If I didn’t know how old I am, I think I would be in my early 60s. I feel great.
Since I’ve made it to 70, actuary tables predict that I’ll live to be 84.4, which gives me 14 more years. I think these will be the best and most productive years of my life. I still have fresh vision for things that are not yet seen (vision has been defined as a picture of the future, that is different from the present, that produces passion), so I have something to dream about. I love my work and my colleagues. My entire family lives within 15 miles. I am blessed. I want to live till I die.
I’ll close with a few ubiquitous senior adult memes.
For years I asked my grandson “What did you do today?” I now ask “What did you learn today?” He doesn’t always have a ready answer but he’s beginning to adopt the new mindset. When he does answer, it’s usually something like the “80 moons of Jupiter”, or a new phrase in Spanish. I accept those answers but I’m pressing him to also notice what’s he’s learning about himself, others, and life in general. Recently he answered, “I learned that a few of my classmates aren’t very kind.” Now that’s a good lesson to learn.
I’ve asked my staff to write down, every day, something they have learned. At the beginning of our weekly staff meetings we take a few minutes to share what we have learned the previous week.
Life is full of valuable lessons but we won’t notice them or learn from them unless we train ourselves to spot them, write them down, and talk about them. Relative to “spot them,” please read my post titled Frequency Illusion —we notice things that are top-of-mind, so make learning something every day a priority. Relative to “write them down,” thoughts are codified and easier to remember when we write them down. When I have a significant thought but don’t write it down, it’s gone by the end of the day. Our thoughts are also solidified by sharing them with others. Recruit someone with whom you can share what you’ve learned and reciprocate by listening to what they have learned.
Dawson Trotman taught, “Thoughts disentangle themselves when they pass through the lips and fingertips.”
If you’re truly engaged in life there will always be lessons to learn—every day. We can learn from others (why did Liz Truss’s tenure as Prime Minister of England last only 44 days?), from our own experiences (I recently hired an attorney to write our will but didn’t get a price estimate before we started; bad mistake), from reading (I learned a lot last week from reading Why We Argue (And How We Should) by Aikin and Talisse, from listening to podcasts, and through intentional conversation with others.
Every day, be aware of learning moments, slow down when you experience one, record it in a journal, and process it with a friend. This can be a life-changing, life-enhancing habit.
