I’ll be fifty-two in just a few weeks, just the thought of this is wild to me. My youth doesn’t feel that far away. Most days, I feel as vibrant as I did in my 20’s, although some things are shifting and changing. As the crazy amount of miles (almost 50) my brother and I walked during our recent weekend trip to Montreal reminded me, my feet are more fragile. I’m finding that I definitely put more thought into comfortable footwear. Even with decent shoes my feet throbbed for the better part of three days after all that walking.
I don’t drink to excess anymore, the sheer agony of hangovers just isn’t worth it. Words can’t even describe how bad they feel. One glass of red wine, a whisky, or a beer is the norm for me. If I’m really kicking my heels up I’ll have two or three. I find that spontaneity, in general, takes slightly more preparation in middle age. I know that seems like an oxymoron but hear me out. With a few decades of wisdom under your belt you begin to amass little shortcuts that help circumvent the shortcomings of aging, these shortcuts make life much easier.
I’ve also become quite enthusiastic about sharing these shortcuts with any of the younger generations who are willing to listen. Some of these have taken a lot of precious time to find or figure out. Time, afterall, is our most valuable resource and it’s incredibly difficult to fully grasp this until you’ve crossed the halfway-mark in life.
I get so excited at sharing some of this stuff, that I really have to check myself. I mean, not everyone in this world is looking for advice and it can come across as GenX’splaining.
Look at your attention like bandwidth. We all have a finite amount of attention so be very choosy about who and what you spend yours on.
Learn how to think critically. Critical thinking isn’t taught anymore and there's a reason for it. This skill will become infinitely more important in the age of AI. I found this great store online called The Thinking Shop that offers products to help.
If something isn't serving you, don't be afraid to prune it from your life.
Don’t engage with trolls. That old adage misery loves company is true. Arguing is a complete waste of time.
You will find whatever you’re seeking in life. If you’re constantly complaining and negative that’s all you’ll notice and you’ll be miserable. Find something to be positive about and grateful for every day. The world can seem like a harsh place but if you seek out the good you'll begin to notice more of it.
Choose a book of daily affirmations that you really connect with and read each day's affirmation religiously. Scribble down notes and observations in the margins and highlight words or phrases that particularly resonate. I've carried many different books with me throughout my life. The Daily Stoic is the one I'm using in this phase. This will spark more personal growth than you can imagine and, strangely, you'll begin to notice examples in your daily life that align with that day's affirmation.
It’s not all for nothing. Whether good or bad, all actions have consequences. We cultivate our personal integrity with every decision we make. Even some of our smallest decisions can have ripple
effects throughout our lives.
No one is really paying attention and few care so stop worrying about what others think. The sooner you realize this, the better.
When spending time with friends or walking your dog, keep your phone in your pocket.
Time is a tremendous asset, use it to your advantage. Start investing while you’re young. The power of compound interest is a magical thing.
Invest for the long haul, not for short-term profit. Most people don’t have the stomach or the discipline for short-term investing. Most short-term investments equate to gambling.
Start a business, even if you work for someone else. Having multiple revenue streams will allow you to sleep better at night. Employers are ALWAYS looking out for their best interest, not yours. Remember that.
Invest in you. Cultivate your strengths, work on your weaknesses. Work on yourself, tirelessly and relentlessly. Meditate, learn the deep truths about yourself, participate in therapy to heal past trauma. This is the greatest gift you can give yourself and the world. Hurt people, hurt people (and themselves) even if they don’t realize. The world needs less hurt.
Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Run towards your fears in life and slay them. Your comfort zone is the barrier between you and success. All of the gold can be found there.
Move. Find one exercise that you enjoy enough to do every day and make this part of your daily routine. It should be something you like enough not to want to skip.
Get a hobby (one of mine is watch collecting). Do a deep dive and geek out about your hobby and talk about it ad nauseum. This pays huge unforeseen dividends and will allow you to make some great friends along the way.
Grow a garden. Growing and tending a garden provides a wellspring of joy, sustenance, as well as life lessons.
Seek out quality. Invest in the highest quality items you can reasonably afford. Quality doesn’t always equate to price so do your research. This goes for clothes, tools, luggage, furniture, etc. Anything cheaply made and/or disposable is usually much more expensive in the long run and worse for the planet. Ideally, material items should spark a little bit of joy in your life. If they don’t do that, think twice about buying them.
Carry a Swiss Army Knife. These things are ingenious and incredibly useful. I keep this one in my pocket at all times and a day never goes by that I don’t use it.
All for now. Trust your instincts, invest in you, live boldly, and take chances.
~Eric Vance Walton~
Poetry should move us, it should change us, it should glitch our brains, shift our moods to another frequency. Poetry should evoke feelings of melancholy, whimsy, it should remind us what it feels like to be in love, or cause us to think about something in a completely different way. I view poetry, and all art really, as a temporary and fragile bridge between our world and a more pure and refined one. This is a world we could bring into creation if enough of us believed in it. This book is ephemera, destined to end up forgotten, lingering on some dusty shelf or tucked away in a dark attic. Yet the words, they will live on in memory. I hope these words become a part of you, bubble up into your memory when you least expect them to and make you feel a little more alive.
Pick up a copy of Ephemera today on Amazon.
Most of us have experienced a moment of perfect peace at least once in our lives. In these moments we lose ourselves and feel connected to everything. I call these mindful moments. Words can’t describe how complete they make us feel.
These moments are usually fragile, evaporating in seconds. What if there was a way to train your mind to experience more of them? It’s deceptively easy and requires nothing more than a subtle shift in mindset. My new book, Mindful Moments, will teach you to be much more content despite the chaos and imperfect circumstances continuing to unfold around you. Upgrade your life experience today for only $15.99 on Amazon.com.
