When I was a kid they actually had elective classes in the arts, including band.
I picked the trumpet in elementary school for some reason – the guitar would’ve been much cooler.
Anyway, I remember complaining one day about the daily practicing required, and my dad responded the way he always did when my brothers and I complained about anything:
“Can’t never did anything”
That was his way of saying you won’t know unless you try, and the trying part is not easy and never is when you’re learning a new skill.
Living legend Tom Hopkins has a list of affirmations he calls “attitudes towards rejection”:
“I never see failure as failure, but only as a learning experience.”
“I never see failure as failure, but only as the negative feedback I need to change course in my direction.”
“I never see failure as failure, but only as an opportunity to practice my techniques and better my performance.”
Retirement is the perfect transition time in your life to try something new!
Even if you likely won’t be very good at whatever it is, at least initially.
But that’s OK if you’re a “learner” and your goal is getting better – not perfection.
The key to a happy, balanced life in retirement is having a firm financial foundation in place so you can really focus on the stuff of life that really matters.
Whenever I read a great book or watch a professional QB throw a football into a “tight window” between two defenders hitting a receiver in full stride, or eat an exquisite meal, I try to really appreciate the endless practice and repetition required.
Yes, dad was right – then again, he usually was.
P.S If you’re ready to check out what the next step looks like for you in setting a firm financial foundation to live your best “second-half life”, just go here now: chatwithcraig