Were you a naïve optimist when you were young?
I’m using “naïve” here in the sense of “innocent” or “unsophisticated.” It’s easy to be a naïve optimist when you’re young. You don’t know much of the world, and you haven’t had time to have many plans that crumbled when they hit reality.
How about now? Do you know any innocent, naïve, optimists who are between 30 and 50 years old? How about over 50? I’d wager there aren’t many.
What changed?
Time and chance overtake us all. Yet, some have chosen to be victors while others have accepted or drifted into victimhood. It seems that by the time 50 rolls around many people are like the hired man in Robert Frost’s poem:
“And nothing to look backward to with pride,
And nothing to look forward to with hope.”
When we were young most of us had no clue what was possible or what it costs to be exceptional. Some wonderful people have never been interested in being exceptional.
Proverbs tells us that “As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is.” People with a vision for the greater good often find a way around or through obstacles. In contrast, people without hope are less likely to begin a challenging adventure, much less persist through the inevitable difficulties.
Here is a friendly nudge toward your positive and enduring impactful legacy.
Consider what motivates you. How can you utilize your hope and unique gifts for your betterment or for the betterment of those you care about?
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Terry Moore, CCIM, is the author of Building Legacy Wealth: How to Build Wealth and Live a Life Worth Imitating. Read his “Welcome to My Blog.”