How Do You Know When You're Middle Age?

Middle age is a time in life we want to forget, ignore, avoid, or put off for at least another twenty years. How do you know when you're middle age?

I'm going to put an ad in the local newspaper's LOST & FOUND column to find out where 2008 went. I don't know. I don't know when years started to have only eight months.It must have been when hours started to have only forty minutes. What I do know is that all of us will have something in common in 2009, no matter how fast the year passes. We will all be a year older. I, like everyone else, want to live healthfully and happily to a very old age; but presently I'm dealing with middle age.

According to statistics, the average life expectancy is now 77.6, which means middle age would be 38.8. The dictionary is more generous. Using the euphemism "adulthood", it defines this time as the years between 40 and 65. Of course, with 50 being the new 40 and 70 being the new 50, who knows anymore. My personal definition is 10 years older than I am.

However, we can't fool ourselves. We know when we're "mature", which is another one of the dictionary's euphemisms. It's when we start fighting the signs of aging. We diet, exercise and dye our hair. Men stop tucking their shirts in and women pray for sack dresses to come back into style.

A man knows he's "no longer young" when the weight of the world falls from his shoulders to his love handles. For women it falls to their hips. It's the time in our lives when the only thing we don't have trouble hearing is our bones creaking when we stand up. It's the time when fortune tellers read the lines in our faces instead of the lines in our palms. It's when men start hoping that jogging their memories counts as exercise and women are tempted to mix fabric softener with face cream to get rid of wrinkles.

But let's look on the bright side. Yes, there is a bright side. With middle age comes the wisdom and experience which helps us to better understand the world. Of course, being better able to understand the world is Mother Nature's way of compensating us for not being able to see the world without glasses.

When I was a teenager, I thought middle age was old. Now I think teenagers are too young to know what it is. Now I don't think it's old. I think it's just older. In fact, because I'm going to be a day older tomorrow, I'm going to enjoy being a younger person today.

(Courtesy of Knight Pierce Hirst) http://knightwatch.typepad.com

Together in Humor on the Success Avenues :),

Randy Ritter

If you missed getting the Free Success Tool from my last blog post CLICK HERE

Is Someone Trying To Steal Your Dream?

We all want to live life to our fullest potential. Nobody wants to struggle through life with less than what they could have achieved. Wouldn’t it be the greatest shame that we live to the end of our lives wondering what it might have turned out like if we only followed our dream earlier in life?

There is this wonderful story about an eagle that illustrates this point well. Once upon a time, there was a large mountainside, where an eagle's nest rested. The eagle's nest contained four large eagle eggs. One day an earthquake rocked the mountain causing one of the eggs to roll down the mountain, to a chicken farm, located in the valley below. The chickens knew that they must protect and care for the eagle's egg, so an old hen volunteered to nurture and raise the large egg.

One day, the egg hatched and a beautiful eagle was born. Sadly, however, the eagle was raised to be a chicken. Soon, the eagle believed he was nothing more than a chicken. The eagle loved his home and family, but his spirit cried out for more.

While playing a game on the farm one day, the eagle looked to the skies above and noticed a group of mighty eagles soaring in the skies. "Oh," the eagle cried, "I wish I could soar like those birds." The chickens roared with laughter, "You cannot soar with those birds. You are a chicken and chickens do not soar."

The eagle continued staring, at his real family up above, dreaming that he could be with them. Each time the eagle would let his dreams be known, he was told it couldn't be done. That is what the eagle learned to believe. The eagle, after time, stopped dreaming and continued to live his life like a chicken. Finally, after a long life as a chicken, the eagle passed away.

The moral of the story: You become what you believe you are; so if you ever dream to become an eagle follow your dreams, not the words of a chicken.

How often do we let ourselves be defined by other people, we let them determine our self worth whether we realize it or not. In order to live your full potential you must first believe you were born to be more than you are. You must believe it with such conviction that you follow your dream no matter how often you may be ridiculed or how often you stumble. It is in the act of following ones dreams that your potential will be realized.

The worst thing that could happen in life is to wake up one day and realize too late that we have been held back from our dreams because we were too afraid to lift ourselves out of the chicken pen and from the small thinking people. While these people may mean well,they can only see possibilities through their limitations and not from your possibilities.

Follow YOUR dreams on Your Success Avenue!

Together in Success,

Randy Ritter

Here is a Free Success Tool you might be interested in to help YOU achieve YOUR dreams!.

Be A Success Story--7 Easy Steps To Make It Happen

Today I want to talk a little about 7 easy steps to make YOUR success Story happen.

When you allow yourself to become the person you want to be, you will write your success story.

Success stories are never accidents. They are always the result of deliberate intention and persistent action. They all began from a burning desire, a dominant aspiration.

"You will become as great as your dominant aspiration. If you cherish a vision, a lofty ideal in your heart, you will realize it," said James Allen author of As A Man Thinketh.

He also said, "Mind is the master power that molds and makes, and we are mind, and evermore we take the tool of thought, and shaping what we will, bring forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills."

How then do you turn your mind to create your success story?

Success starts within. Then it shows up in your experience. You can influence your mind to create success. You can become a success story.

For this to happen you need a blueprint.

The first step is to imagine your ideal self. Project yourself five years from now and imagine that you have everything you have ever wanted in life.

Include everything you'd like to do, everything you'd like to have, and everything you'd like to be.

The second step is to write it down. Write the story of your success.

The third step is to break down each of your desires into a goal. Thus, if in your ideal imagined scene and in your written story you are at your ideal weight, your goal may be,"I will be at my 150 pounds within 90 days."

The fourth step is to make your goal statement an affirmation. For example, "My body is lean and strong."

Put each affirmation in the present tense.

The fifth step is to make these goals into plans.

The sixth step is to put all of these into a folder. So you will have a few pages for your success story, a few for your goals, and a few for your affirmation.

The seventh and final step is read the affirmations daily, follow your plans, and log your progress.

You can also add an eighth step, too, if you like. You can add daily prayer. If you choose to pray, then include this sentence at the end: "May all this happen for the highest good for me and everyone else concerned."

Thus, to create your success story, imagine it in your mind, write out the story, break your desires down into goals, break your goals down into affirmations and into plans, then put all of these together in a folder and take action.

Let's get together and start to create YOUR success story.

Find Me Here

Together on the Avenues to Success,

Randy Ritter

The Top 10 Signs You Are Addicted to eBay!

There are literally millions of people that are striving each and everyday to make an easy buck online. The idea of making money online and especially, making money on eBay, is not new. In fact, the eBay market is a little too saturated if you ask me.

With all the nail-biting, finger-clawing, head to head competition for bids on eBay, I thought it would be nice to take a step back and poke some fun at the eBay rush. Below is a list of the top 10 signs that your addicted to eBay. Anyone that uses, or has used eBay will be able to appreciate the truth behind the list.

The Top 10 Signs You Are Addicted to eBay!

10. You consider selling the piece of chewing gum you found on your shoe.

9. You apply for a new loan and give your pay pal address as your only bank account.

8. You've taken down the degree and awards in your office to be replaced by self made power seller print-outs.

7. You save all your toe-nail clippings in a jar, hoping that one day they may be worth a small fortune.

6. You wear the same underwear for a week, waiting for your chance to outbid "gstring-guru" on a pair of used designer briefs.

5. You spend several hours a day trying to burn the face of Mary onto pieces of French Toast.

4. You've marked 87 separate - 2 inch sections on your body that can be sold as advertising space to the highest bidder.

3. You've lost so much sleep due to bidding wars that you are chosen as Christian Bale's replacement in The Machinist II.

2. You have to see a therapist because the negative feedback you got is killing your self esteem.

And the number 1 sign that you use eBay way too much,

1. You go to the county registrar and change your legal name to your eBay User ID.

While this list is meant to be a spoof on the David Letterman top 10 lists, the truth behind the humor is meant to hit home. eBay, like many other online sites have both good and bad users, many of which are out to take your money and run.

When you are using eBay, be sure to check the seller and buyer feedback prior to bidding. Don't be afraid to ask questions, or insist that the seller "prove" the authenticity of their product. In the end, if you have any doubts about bidding on an item, walk away. Most things people bid on are not needed and definitely not worth taking the risk of being ripped off.

(Courtesy Joshua Watson)

Together in Humor and Success :)

Randy Ritter