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Make It Happen!!
Upcoming Schedule

April 20 International Society of Performance Improvement (ISPI)
Balancing Your Work Life and Reducing Stress

May 6 Senior Day at the Gaithersburg, Maryland, Mall
Adventures in Aging

May 15 Virginia Association of Community Banks, State Conference
Life Lessons from the Trail

May 24 Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants, State Conference
Make Time for Number One - Balance Work and Leisure (General Session)
Retirement Lifestyle Planning: Redefining Aging for the 21st Century (Workshop)

May 26 Henrico County Senior Day
Making the Most of Our Later Years

June 4 Manorhouse Retirement Centers, Inc.
Going for Your Dreams

June 10 Transition Center, J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College
Balancing Life in the Busy Middle Years

June 17 Richmond Human Resources Association
Balancing Work/Life Issues

June 23 Richmond Police Senior Academy, Graduation
Making the Most of Our Later Years

July 13 Senior Summer Schools, Madison, Wisconsin
Adventuring into the Third Stage of Life

July 25-31 Bicycle trip around the Finger Lakes, NY

Aug 1-30 Hiking the Appalachian Trail NY, CT, MA, VT

At a seminar I was giving on Life Balance a participant ventured that she had lots more time in her life since she began telecommuting. "Great," we said, "How are you spending it?" "Well, I'm watching more TV and cooking more," she replied. "Is that what you want to be doing," we asked? "No," she said, "I want to read." We cracked up. She had allowed her newly found free time to be frittered away in pursuits that weren't her priorities.

Is this really so unusual? Somehow we are able to plan our priorities at work, but when we get home we don't do as good a job. It's really easy to plop down in front of the TV and the next thing you know it's time for bed. What happened to that novel we wanted to read? The letter we were going to write? Those bills we need to pay? That conversation we planned on having with our child?

Be Clear on your Priorities
Are you clear on your priorities? Many of us aren't. We get so caught up in the chores of day-to-day living that we don't take time to figure them out. Can you arrange for some pauses in your life, so that you can determine what's most important? People who are clear about their priorities have a greater chance of making them happen in their lives.

Plan for Your Top Priorities
If quality time with your significant other is at the top of your priority list, and you are aware this isn't happening, then you can make a change. I know one couple who decided to engage a sitter every Wednesday night so that they would be guaranteed some alone time together, even if they only went for a walk.

Another family decided that the family supper hour was a priority. It was important for them to all be present, and give full attention to each family member as they shared news of their day. They made a decision not to take phone calls during dinner, making this a time for family togetherness and sharing.

Is exercise a priority for you? If so what will you eliminate from your day in order to fit it in? Does it mean getting up earlier? Finding an exercise buddy? Not making the family breakfast? Just what must you do to work exercise into your life? Or perhaps you have always wanted to write a novel, ski the Alps, or visit a far-away friend? How can you begin to plan now to make your priorities happen?

Make Choices
I have a friend who says, "This year I will work at my children's school." If asked to help out at the church she replies, "This is my year for the school. Next year I will work at the church." Now there is a person who has taken the time to clarify her priorities. She's going to be less stressed, and I would bet you she reaches more of her goals and is a happier person.

Priority setting involves making choices. Sometime those choices are hard ones. But once made they help us live our lives in conjunction with the things that we have decided are most important to us. That's a good feeling.

Time Management vs. Priority Setting
I think of time management as planning your time so efficiently that you can cram more and more things into it. I see priority setting as clearing out many of the time fillers that aren't priority items, so that you can have time for the things that are most important to you. There is quite a difference.

The Rewards of Speaking
A week after I conducted a seminar, Making the Most of Your Later Years, for the Orange County Visitor's Bureau Volunteers, I spoke to one of the attendees. She had signed up for an exercise class, was memorizing a poem I'd introduced her to, and had a new, energized attitude. "This is the time of life to take on new things," she told me. Her comments made my day! All speakers hope their words will inspire people to live their lives more fully.

Retirement some say is an outdated word that no longer relates to life's third stage. This may be true since one third of all AARP members are still working, and it is predicted that the 76 million Baby Boomers will work into their 70's!

Marketers are being urged to view older Americans not as seniors but as people in the prime of their lives. Dr.Walter M. Bortz wrote the book We Live Too Short and Die Too Long. In it he redefines the categories of young, middle age and old to reflect the reality of healthy aging and longevity in todays'society as follows:

Young Middle Age Old
Young-Young birth to 20 Young-Middle Age 40-60 Young-Old 80-100
Old-Young 20 to 40 Old-Middle Age 60-80 Old-Old 100-120

Most Common Benefits of 100 Best Companies
The 100 best companies to work for in America have a lot in common according to the January 11, 1999 issue of Fortune. "Compensation is still certainly key," says Milton Moskowitz, a compiler of the list. "But the list also reflects the level of trust, pride and camaraderie that employees share with management and their peers, as well as what practices the company has in place to support those things." The reported best benefits are:

Best Benefits No. of Companies
On-site child care 31
Group homeowner's insurance 20
Group auto insurance 23
Individual financial counseling 25
College-planning assistance 37
Home-purchasing assistance 33
Group prepaid legal services 19
Subsidized cafeterias 47
Take-home meals 18
Personal concierge services 11

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Emily Kimball 3220A West Grace Street Richmond, VA 23221-1306 (804) 358-5536 Fax (804) 358-2415 etkimball@aol.com

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