I have been scouting out Jason Fox’s explorations. He advises us to “choose one word” to describe our past year. In my case my life has been about retirement, but that is not the word I chose. I chose “disappointment” as my word. Maybe this seems harsh, but I have to say overall that I am disappointed with how retirement has measured up against my original expectations. Fortunately, I see another curtain to pull back and I think that curtain reveals that I need to deconstruct one old idea and restore it with another. Disappointment is a positive failure. The deeper the disappointment, the stronger the value that has to be restored. I believe it is much the same idea that is behind Taleb’s term ‘anti-fragility’. Disappointments seen in their best light will make you stronger.
The map below is how his ideas have unfurled and unflattened.
The poetic map below is how I came to understand through the poem and from the map above. It is a different kind of understanding of the disparity between expectations and their realizations (or not), hopes and disappointments. It is a preliminary analysis of where I thought I wanted to be a year ago and where I have gotten to over the last year.
I will be sending my future.me account an email to try to renovate my initial expectations. Maybe the whole idea of “retirement” is a crock, maybe I just need a better tool handle for the hammer of retirement. Or better metaphors.
And disappointment is our way of measuring the strength of our values. I think we need to recalibrate our “appointment” regularly in order to understand our “disappointment”.
Thanks, Dan. I knew this would be the perfect fish bait to get you to bite. 😉
Retirement??? That is, indeed, a crock. 🙂 I know many (most?) people look forward to retirement, and certainly if it allows you to do some things you’ve been unable to in the past, it is a wonderful phase. In my case, I can think of nothing more dreadful than sitting in my rocking chair and knitting scarves. As Daniel says, I see it more as an opportunity to focus on *whatever* is most valued by you.
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Retirement just means you have more time to do things you want to do.
For some, it also means you have less money, so still have trouble doing things you want.
Disappointment? Maybe. Maybe not.
It’s all about how you use that time. And how you value what you’ve done with that time.
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And disappointment is our way of measuring the strength of our values. I think we need to recalibrate our “appointment” regularly in order to understand our “disappointment”.
Thanks, Dan. I knew this would be the perfect fish bait to get you to bite. 😉
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“What the hell will happen next?”
Indeed.
The universal question on the minds of everyone … even if yours is personal.
Kevin
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Retirement??? That is, indeed, a crock. 🙂 I know many (most?) people look forward to retirement, and certainly if it allows you to do some things you’ve been unable to in the past, it is a wonderful phase. In my case, I can think of nothing more dreadful than sitting in my rocking chair and knitting scarves. As Daniel says, I see it more as an opportunity to focus on *whatever* is most valued by you.