THE BIRTHDAY AUDIT
With birthdays in my business and birthdays in my personal life, I started looking at how I have changed from 40 to 50. Over and above the fact that hair grows everywhere except where you want it to, I have found that I have become more content with life. I have stopped chasing more and focused on chasing better.
Better health habits, better decisions regarding our kids, better exercise regimes that suit my age, better friendships, and better relationships with family, friends, and colleagues.
THE BEST VERSION OF YOURSELF
The net result is that you, as a person, become the best version of yourself. You become content and grateful for what you have: your family, your business, and the things that you cherish. These are the important things that bring happiness into your life—not more “stuff.”
Looking back, I think my biggest lesson was that being adaptable was far more important than the “perfect” plan. Someone once said, “Hold strong opinions loosely.” If you come up against an argument and it makes sense, then you must be able to change your opinion and take the advice. So often we are set in our ways, and we refuse to see another point of view. The world is changing at a rapid rate and we need to be able to adapt our views, opinions, and outlook on life—but we must never compromise on our morals and ethics.
Our reputation is probably our greatest asset, and therefore we need to protect it with everything we have. We often hear people say you must “keep your doors open.” I don’t agree with that, as it can give you an easy excuse when things go wrong. Don’t leave yourself a backdoor.
EMBRACING THE SEASON
My wife always talks about seasons in your life and how important it is to embrace that specific season. My season from 50 to 60 will be challenging, but I am super excited about the next chapter. Two students and one scholar make life very interesting, but also incredibly rewarding.
Gone are the days where kids are to be seen and not heard! Justine and I love sitting around a table and chatting with our kids about their week. We enjoy seeing them grow up and become adults. We enjoy having open and honest conversations—and sometimes debates—around the use of their phones and social media. When we are together, there are no phones to distract them. Those one-on-one opportunities to really talk to them start at the dinner table.
FINAL REFLECTIONS
I have had many tough times in my 40s and 50s. The world has changed so much in the last 10 years, and I believe we will forever be grateful that we didn’t have phones and social media when we were in our teens. The freedom we had was on another level, and we will never get that back.
I am usually very hard on myself, but my “birthday audit” at least came out in the green. Be kind, be a hard worker, and be a great friend, father, or mother. But most of all, let’s try and give more than we take or receive.
GET IN TOUCH
If you would like to get in touch with me about my key note presentation, Debunking Motivation, please send an email to corne@cornekrige.com. Visit my website to review my speaker sheet for more info. I also share my story on my social media pages on Facebook and LinkedIn.