Have you given up on yourself? Have you decided to take the easy road and coast for the rest of your life? Have you come to the decision that you have done all you could possibly be expected to do in your life now it is someone else's turn? As you get older you may not be able to run as fast, swim as far, hit the ball as hard or even concentrate as long as you used to but is that the reason to give up? Surely your aim should be to be the best you can at whatever age you are.

"Navratilova wants to be as good a player as she can possibly be at the age of 47, just as she wanted to be the best she could possibly be at 19, at 25, at 35". (Nick Pitt).

Whether you are like Navratilova and still working or retired and hitting a golf ball around or focussed on the garden or the grand children, nothing is stopping you from being the best you can.

Dennis has been retired for about eighteen years and still hankers back to the old days when he was?.. and capable of doing??. Although he is an avid gardener he continually gripes about the length of time things take and 'when I was younger'. The result has been a gradual, deterioration of his health over the recent past and since his wife died, about five years ago, the world has owed him a living and he appears to have got angrier and angrier with the world and people around him.

Michael, on the other hand, also retired about eighteen years ago and took the opportunity to improve his golf. When his wife died about seven years ago, after a period of mourning and self reflection, he made the conscious decision that he had to get on with his life and decided to do two things. Firstly, he decided to continue with his golf and make an effort to play at least twice a week and be the best he could. This, in his terms, means not to let anyone down and do his best in every competition.

Secondly, Michael decided that there were a lot of places in the world that he would like to visit before he died and he set about visiting Jordan, Egypt, Israel, Canada, and many other countries with the result that he is totally unaware of and unrestricted by, his age. He is good company and always willing to enter into a conversation about the present and what is going on in his life.

Last year he severely damaged his knee playing golf and had to undergo emergency surgery which resulted in many hours of physiotherapy and six months plus in the lounge chair. 'Confined to barracks's' is how Michael described it. But he took it all in his stride putting the same endeavour into getting well as he put into the other areas of his life.

As both these men are members of our family it never ceases to amaze us how different these two characters are. They both had similar life experiences but when you compare and reflect on their current situation there is one thing that stands out. Michael is determined to be the best he can be at 83, just as he wanted to be the best he could be at 40, 50 and 60. He rarely, if ever, talks about the past. He always focuses on what's happening now. He has not given up on himself.

Just to show you how amazing the human mind is:

The following text gives a good insight into the way your mind works. It may appear a bit difficult at first but please stick with it. Don't give up on yourself.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was raednig! THE PAOMNNEHAL PWEOR OF THE HMUAN MNID Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? (Unfortunately we do not have the originating site.)

Your mind does have phenomenal power. If you start with the thought; to be the best you can possibly be and continually follow it with sincere action you may get a bit jumbled up from time to time but it will always see you through. There may be some unintended consequences but to have an enjoyable and rewarding life the aim must always be; to get the best out of yourself.

The point is don't give up on yourself. Be the best you can now, at whatever age you are.

Good Luck

Graham and Julie www.desktop-meditation.com

To improve your intuition, initiative and energy levels please go to: http://www.desktop-meditation.com