I just read a wonderful essay by Peter Russell, author of “From Science to God”. His background, education and visionary thinking make his writings both stimulating and mind expanding.

This essay, “A Singularity In Time” was included in the book “The Mystery of 2012” and contains many other fascinating points information on the rapid evolution of human intelligence. The point I found to be most interesting, as it affects our own growth and development, was Mr. Russell’s thoughts on the hierarchy of data, information, knowledge and wisdom.
To quote Russell; “Information can be defined as patterns extracted from raw data. Knowledge is the generalization of information in other situations. Wisdom determines how that information is used.”

Putting it in layman’s language: It is not what we know but what we do with what we know that matters. You know from my book;  “Build Your Dream: 12 Essential Tools for Successful Living” that I place a high value on quality thinking. We’ve all known people who have a great deal of knowledge but do not put it to practical use. They are called “educated derelicts.” They abandon the learning process with the knowledge they’ve gained from the book or course they’ve just completed.

The ability to evaluate information and knowledge to determine how it be used to provide the greatest good for others and ourselves is a valuable attribute for all of us to possess.

We are all doing this on a regular basis. It’s raining. (Information) I’m going outside and will get wet if I go unprotected. (Knowledge.) I’ll take my umbrella. (Wisdom)*
We do this too, before we pick up a book or attend a lecture. It is judgment.

The challenge for us today is to be even more deliberate in making our decisions and choices.

Here is a question that we can use to turn information and knowledge into wisdom.
“How can what I’ve just read or heard be applied in a practical way to the issue at hand?”

A good place to start would be to ask your self that question with respect to what you’ve just read here.

  * Apologies to Peter Russell for this over simplification.

Success thought for today:

“Knowledge is organized and accessible information; wisdom is knowledge used effectively in the service of worthy ends.”
-Anonymous

Byron
www.byronethompson.com

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A couple of Mondays ago I had coffee with Larry at The Presidio Café. We’ve been meeting every other Monday for the past year to talk and play cribbage.
Sometimes Larry wins. Sometimes I win but it’s not important to either one of us. We don’t play for money; we play because we enjoy one another’s company.

I’m very impressed by the way Larry McNutt plays his cards. Not his  cribbage hands because cribbage is a matter of luck when he wins, but is a matter of considerable skill when I win.
No, I’m impressed with the way he’s played the cards life has dealt him. He is an inspiration to me with his attitude toward life.
He’s long retired now after a successful career as an executive in the chemical products industry, supplying various products to companies in the timber industry.

He spends a lot of time at doctor’s offices.
Not long after he retired he lost his wife, the love of his life. He has three sons and a daughter around the country and stays in close touch with them as well as with the children of his present wife, Sara.
He is getting together with all of them in July to celebrate his 80th birthday.
As we sat talking he said, “I went to have some more tests at my doctors while you were gone. It turns out that I have osteoporosis along with my diabetes and cancer.” Then he started to laugh. No bitterness, no regrets, no feeling sorry for himself. He just enjoys life and takes it one day at a time.
He told me his son, who is an M. D. in Green Bay called him a couple of days before and said “I deal with a lot of older patients and you don’t sound like an 80 year old man, you sound like my dad.” Then he laughed again.

What a positive role model he is for me and I think for all of us.
Let’s take a look at our “Hand” – the cards we’ve been dealt – and ask ourselves how we feel about them. We’re all going to get some “19 hands” (zero points in cribbage) and some “24-point hands.”

Success thought for today:

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass;
it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”
Courtesy of L.G. “Boo” Bue

Byron
www.byronethompson.com

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A recent Genworth Financial Survey conducted by Age Wave/Harris Interactive came up with some interesting results regarding pre-retirement attitudes of their study group. The answers are pertinent for all of us. They reflect, I think, an important change in peoples thinking in just the last 10 years.

Only 25% of the respondents defined retirement as I did when I retired: ‘A time for rest and relaxation.’ 57% defined it as: ‘A new, exciting chapter in life.’
I was on the phone with Michelle this afternoon and as we were discussing those statistics and my new book, she said, “Retirement is different now than it was in earlier generation.” I asked,” How do you mean?”  She said, “People are not planning for that outdated, long accepted concept of a life of ease after they finish their careers.”
She went on to tell me of a friend of hers who is on a career path and investment plan to retire at age 40. Then her friend will be in a position to, not necessarily, not work but to pursue different interests. She said, “I’m finding this is not an unusual attitude for my generation.”

The survey and Michelle’s observations indicate that there is real need for my next book. (New working title: “What’s Next? Discovering Your Dream After Age 50.”)

It also indicates that we need to be sure we keep our minds alive for a lot of years in the future to keep from lapsing into early senesce.
There are many ways to do this. My friends Tina and Karen are in a book club along with others and get together to discuss books they are reading. Friends Brown, Brian, Jim, Paul, Melissa, Jackie and I get together and discuss all kinds of matters relative to consciousness.
Many people do crossword or Sudoku puzzles.
I don’t think what we do is important as long as we are keeping our minds alive.
I was talking to my friend, Gordon, whom we just visited while in Spain and he said, “I have the perfect solution to off set that problem. My book of Maths Puzzles & Logic Problems”

He claims that by doing the exercises in his book we will exercise our brains and stimulate our thinking processes. He says, “Regular brain ex” Incidentally, Gordon, who is American by birth but has lived and worked in Europe for the past 40 years, tells me that “Maths” is the correct spelling for “Math.” Gordon, my spell check disagrees)
I’ve included one of his easy ones for you to try, if you like it, you can go on line at www.gordonburgin.com

With  (4) straight lines and without lifting the pen off the paper, connect all (9) dots.

*               *              *

*               *               *

*               *                *

Good Luck!

Byron
www.byronethompson.com

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We were having dinner with Tina and Mike, and I told her as I have before she is too young, too smart and has too much energy to just not do anything.
She said “Well, I do have an idea for a business…” Then her eyes lit up as she started to describe her idea, which both Patricia and I thought was a great one with a lot of potential. I can’t tell you what the idea is or she’ll kill me. Actually I signed a non-disclosure agreement before she would tell me.

The important thing is not her idea but that she recognizes the importance of taking those assets I mentioned and putting them to use. She’s not the only one according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Self-employment for people 55 and older has increased in each of the last 2 years to a dramatic degree as reported in the May 25th USA Today (Money page 1 “Never Too Late To Start A Business”)
Some of the factors influencing this trend cited in the article, a tidal wave of Baby Boomers who do not want to stop working, economic necessity (not in Tina’s case) triggered by the recession and the rise in longevity. Americans are not only living longer but also living healthier, longer, suggesting that those entrepreneurial 60-year olds could be 2020’s entrepreneurial 70 year olds.
This latest report certainly confirms the timeliness of my next book which is geared to this emerging market.

There are a number of reasons for us to pursue a business of our own in retirement or as a second or preferred career.
1. Going back to Wally Vega’s advice from yesterday. It is a way for us to share what we have.
2. We have more experience and wisdom than at any other time in our lives.
3. We know how to work smarter as opposed harder.
4. We’re more efficient and know how to manage our time.
5. We have more contacts and a network with which we can utilize to get things done.
6. We know how to manage our other resources such as our money.
7. In many cases we don’t need to make money or at least on the scale we did when we worked full time.
8. It contributes to sense of self worth. I was visiting friends in London a few years ago and heard J.K. Rowling being interviewed on the BBC The interviewer asked her how her life had changed since the Harry Potter books had been published. She said, “I no longer feel as though I’m such a waste of space.”

I sure you can think of more reasons on your own but these should prime the pump. Perhaps the most compelling reason is that it gives us the opportunity to pursue our passion and use creative juices that may have been under utilized previously.

Success thought for today:

“Work is an extension of personality. It is achievement. It is one of the ways in which a person defines himself, measures his worth, and his humanity.”
-Peter F. Drucker

Byron
www.byronethompson.com

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Last month while in Barcelona I had lunch with an old friend and Dale Carnegie colleague, Wally Vega.
Wally’s a man I’ve always admired for his energy, enthusiasm and love of people. He operates a management, leadership and personal development company throughout Spain and I interviewed him for my upcoming book. He continues to put in full days although he doesn’t need to work for the money.

I asked him, “What advice would you give a person approaching the age of retirement?”
He answered in his characteristic fast-paced enthusiastic manner and covered a lot of ground but the most important point that he made which, I think, is useful for all of us is:
”Share what you have or you will die with it.”
When I asked him to elaborate he said; “You’ve paid the price. You’ve gained, over the course of your career, wisdom and knowledge. To just take that with you is not right.”

I walked away from that interview thinking; “Wally’s right.” All the people I’ve talked to so far have an accumulated wisdom that others can benefit from. This is the reason I’m finding some of the most fulfilled people to be those who do share in some way.

Volunteering or joining a service club, such as Rotary, (my choice) are a couple of ways to do that and many people do; others are finding mentoring to be the most satisfying.
Whatever fits your particular style is the one I’d recommend you choose. Get into action. Share what you have.

Success thought for today:

“The more we share, the more we have.”       
-Leonard Nimoy

Byron
www.byronethompson.com

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The longer I live the more convinced I become that we, too frequently, deny ourselves a vital gift. One of the most important contributions to our happiness is the gift of self-appreciation.
It occurred to me since we are interested in satisfaction and happiness after our main career has been completed it would not only be valuable to celebrate our “body of work” as I suggested in my last blog but to interpret those achievements.

A few weeks ago, while staying with our friends in Malaga, Spain, the conversation turned to how does a person answer the question; “Who am I now that I am no longer working and have my title and my position?”
Margaret was asking this question, at first rhetorically, but as we pursued it, it became more personal.

So I suggested an exercise for her.  I said, “Make a list of just 25 of your positive qualities.”
Her first reaction was the same one most people have when I give them this assignment. “25! I can’t think of that many.” She is an extraordinarily intelligent woman with a lifetime of achievements behind her but wasn’t acknowledging them. With a little prompting she was able to see herself more accurately in light of her plus qualities and came up with a pretty good list. When she read it to me I said. “You left off an important one, humility.” She laughed and I could tell she felt better about herself.

I recommend this exercise for all of us from time to time.
Why don’t you sit down and do it now. You’ll be glad you did. It is from the vantage point of knowing our strengths that we can see our potential.

Success thought for today:

“ How little do we know that which we are!
   How less what we may be!”
-Lord Byron

Byron
www.byronethompson.com

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Just returned from visiting a good friend in California who is a retired Hollywood movie producer; I was impressed with all the movie posters he had hanging on one wall of his house. They were but a small percentage of all the work he’d done during his career.

Mike knows about the new book I’m working on for people who are entering   the next phase of their lives. One evening after dinner I told him I’d been thinking about his industry and how Hollywood does something most other industries don’t do and wanted his read on it.
In the movie industry they refer to an actor’s “Body of Work” – the collection of all the movies they’ve been in and the roles they’ve played. Once a year, I think, at the Academy Awards ceremony they honor a particular actor or actress for their “body of work” and present them with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Most of us do not normally break our lives up in that way. Perhaps we should. Some of us get a retirement dinner and perhaps a gold watch and maybe a plaque if we work for the same company long enough.
That’s becoming increasingly rare as we’ve become more mobile.
I read once that the average person today will have seven careers in their lifetime.
This being the case perhaps we should script our own lifetime achievement award ceremony with our own body of work detailed and perhaps illustrated with citations, certificates, letters, awards or whatever we have. Call our best friend- go to lunch- be our own emcee- buy ourselves our own piece of bling- hoist a glass of champagne and say,” Well done!”  

Success thought for today:

“Regard not so much what the World thinks of thee, as what thou thinkest of thyself.”
-Thomas Fuller

Byron
www.byronethompson.com

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Joe showed me around the facility then gave me an hour of his time and told me about the challenges and rewards of operating Marshall Home.
He then introduced me to several of the residents and I stayed and had lunch with a couple of them.

Art, Thomas, and I sat and talked for about an hour in the rec room and it was an eye-opening interview. They told me that they were both retired ex military as were a high percentage of the Marshall Home residents. They were both on medications, as was almost every other resident. Joe had told me earlier that the staff made sure that all the residents received their medications in the proper dosages on the right schedule.
Art was being treated for cancer and felt as though he had it “licked” and was looking forward to buying a car and going to Texas to visit a couple of relatives. Thomas said as soon as he got well enough he wanted to go visit a daughter of his.
They both had enough money to pay their way, about $900.00 per month, at the home and enough extra to do what they wanted to do, which was not very much.
They had limited options and limited ambitions. Art said, “I don’t have any more missions to accomplish. I’m 79 years old and I’ve accomplished everything I wanted to.”
Both Thomas and Art impressed me with their level of happiness.

I came away with a feeling of respect for a couple of guys who were at peace with themselves and their circumstances.
I also have a great respect for Marshall Home and the service they are offering.

Success thought for today:
“Happiness depends more on the inward Disposition of Mind than on outward Circumstances.”
-Benjamin Franklin

Byron                                  
www.byronethompson.com

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When I walked into the front door of the Marshall Home the first thing that struck me was the sparseness of the environment. It was clean and quiet but not alive. I didn’t expect The Ritz Carlton but this was more Spartan than I expected.
It certainly did not reek of abundance or prosperity nor should it have but I wasn’t fully prepared for the contrast between the people I’d been talking to and the group of senior men sitting around at 10:00 in the morning watching a soap opera on television.

I wasn’t sure of the appropriateness of the title of today’s post. I’ve been doing a lot of my research with people who are, for the most part, well off financially.
Being able to write a book that would be helpful to a wide-ranging audience with what I considered to be skewed demographics bothered me. How could I be sure that it would be helpful to people who were not as materially comfortable? I know you’ve read or heard me say: “Money will not make you happy, it will merely keep you from being unhappy.”

That is easy to say if you have achieved a certain level of financial security. I mentioned this to Art Gould when I was interviewing him. I know that he is way beyond comfortable. He said, “I’m on the board of The Marshall Home for Men in Tucson. It’s a personal care facility for elderly men with limited means. Why don’t you come by and interview some of them?”
It sounded good, so this past Tuesday, I walked in the front door and waited for Art there. When he arrived he introduced me to the Executive Director, Joe Cimino. What a neat guy! What a great experience!
I’ll tell you what I learned about wealth and happiness in the next blog.

Success thought for today:

“Most people are about as happy as they make up their mind to be.”
-Abraham Lincoln

Byron
www.byronethompson.com

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I was on the phone with friend Mike, (Yes Stackster, this time you are the Mike to whom I am referring.) He as always demonstrated his genuine interest in me by asking about my recent (note to accountant) working trip to Europe.
I told him our return flight had been delayed by 6 days due to the volcanic ash coming from Iceland and how fortunate we were because we got to extend our time there.
His response was to label me an optimist because everybody else that had  been detained was unhappy about it.

As I thought about it I am an optimist. An  optimist according to the American Heritage dictionary is; “One who usually expects a favorable outcome.”
That describes me, always has, always will and I believe that it has contributed in no small part to my happiness. I also have observed that this is true of other optimistic people. I believe too that because that is my expectation, more often than not things turn out well.
Chris Prentiss, author of the inspirational book; “Zen and the Art of Happiness” has this to say about happiness, “….act as though the following statement is true:
Everything that happens to me is the best possible thing that can happen to me.” 

That is a great philosophy to live by. If we were to make that our mantra on a daily, no hourly, basis we would all insure ourselves of the true happiness we want and deserve.

My recommendation is that we all adopt Chris’s philosophy and see what effect it has on our overall level of happiness.

In fairness, going back to Mike’s observation about my optimism; I wasn’t under any pressure to get back to the States. I’m sure many of the people who were stressed out over their delayed flights were justified due to work or other obligations.

Which leads us into our Success though for today:

“ Bein’ optimistic after you got everything you want don’t count.”
-Kin Hubbard.
“Abe Martin Hoss Sense and Nonsense”

Byron
www.byronethompson.com

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