2021…another year is in the books.
As a recovering goal-setter, I used to meticulously plan my New Year’s resolutions and set audacious goals for myself, both personally and professionally.
I would then obsess and meticulously track my progress.
Frankly, it was exhausting, but as driven as I’ve been known to be (after all, one doesn’t earn a Pink Cadillac in one’s past without doggedly obsessing over the target), I usually met my objective.
Maybe it is middle age complacency settling in, but this year I made the conscious decision to NOT set any goals for myself.
Instead, I am experimenting with enjoying and accepting life as it unfolds in 2022.
I have established a routine meditation practice after my morning workout. I find myself becoming more contemplative and accepting of life’s ebb and flow.
So perhaps it is with this backdrop that the following Buddhist discourse called the “Five Remembrances” resonates deeply with me:
- I will become old; I cannot avoid aging.
- I will become ill; I cannot avoid illness.
- I will die; I cannot avoid death.
- I will become separated from all that I hold dear and love.
- I am the owner of my actions, both good and bad.
I found it revelatory when I read these declarations a few months ago. Rather than finding them depressing, I find them to be mentally freeing.
Of course, my body is aging and growing older every day. No matter how hard I strive or what the scale reveals, my 52-year-old body will NEVER look like it did when I was 18.
Of course, my body will become ill or injured at times no matter how careful I live my life.
Of course, my body will die someday. All cells that make up my body die and are replaced every 7 to 10 years already according to science.
Of course, all that I hold dear (things, relationships, circumstances) will evolve or disappear from my life.
And, of course, all of my actions hold consequences, good or bad.
Remembering these truths has mentally released me this year from constantly striving for the next best thing (i.e. goal) or clinging to the past, which was great in the moment but was never meant to last forever.
Now don’t mistake my newfound Zen-like attitude as throwing in the towel and walking away from my life.
Quite the contrary, I really love my life right now despite all of the changes over the past few years.
I’m still excited to serve my estate planning clients through My Pink Lawyer®.
I’m still excited about watching my children launch themselves into the world independent of their parents.
I’m still excited about the evolution of my marriage and our plans for the future.
I still have responsibilities that I will not shirk.
I just intend to plan less and enjoy life more.
I guess you could say that I am giving myself some extra grace this year and embracing the future wonders that 2022 is sure to reveal in my life in the upcoming months.
A case in point, I am excited to share that we have a new team member joining us this week at My Pink Lawyer®. Stay tuned to learn more about her in an upcoming post.
Kristen “Reveling in a Magical and Delightful New Year” Marks
P.S. Remember, planning your estate is not all about you. It is your loved ones who will be left to deal with the decisions you chose to make, or not make, for them when you had the opportunity to do so. Click here to schedule your 2022 estate planning consultation with us now—before it’s too late.
