It hit me this morning that it is my job to “make it happen”
I do remember someone saying they were complaining big time about all the things on their to do list that were keeping them from doing what they really wanted to do.  But examining the list they realized they were responsible for all the things they had committed to and that kept them from doing what they really wanted to do.  Easy fix.  Fixing may disappoint some, but it will inevitably lead to better outcomes.
I have found that one of the hardest things for volunteers to do is to say no.  Volunteers tend to think of themselves as super people.  They often are made aware of a need and volunteer to do it.  Just because it needs to be done.
The thing is though, overextended good will leads to burn out.  I remember a guy saying that if he is made aware of a need, he just does it.  To me that is a noble sentiment but often the motivation is good - but the consequences are not good.  I said to him that was the quickest way to burn out I know.
The thing is, often the person expressing the need is the one responsible for making it happen.  I have found in leadership the buck stops with me.  If it has to be done, it has to be done.  If not - it does not happen, and no one is burned.
I may not be passionate about a particular task, but I may know it has to happen.  If I can find no one willing to make it happen and I am the leader, it is up to me to make it happen.  Sometimes that means I need to do it until I find someone else who wants to, and is able to, do it - that is they are either taught it or take up the mantle because they have been there before, and it is what is in their heart to do.
The thing for me is I am very much responsible for leading myself.  The way for me to avoid “what might have beens” is to make it happen.  Often I do not know the full picture.  In those cases I get all the help I can and make a start.  To me imperfect incomplete is better than seeing nothing achieved.  So often there are others willing to help and provide helpful advice when I am willing to make a start.
Definitely starting can be the hardest part, but every journey has a starting point.  Often, if I want it, it is up to me to “make it happen.”

Talk about “the best laid plans of mice and men.”   I thought today I would use the quote book and write about whatever my finger fell upon.  But could I find the quote book.  No siree.   Nor could I find the famous speeches book.
I know they are not far away, and I will find them, but right now I could not.  I had done some tidying up and where they were they were no longer.
I did find other books that interest me and I have done some reading of.  One was on aging.  I do look into that a fair bit as many I have met act like life has past them by and the best years are behind them.  Guys especially can be like “bulls in a China shop.”  So much was achieved in times past, but a new generation has taken up the mantle and the older ones who had been “go get em” types, are frustrated.
To me that is totally understandable.  Knowing when to step aside is a hard one.  I have seen people hang on too long.  The feeling seems to be “give someone else with a passion for it a go.”
But others know their time is up doing what they were doing successfully.  But to me it is really important I know it is not like there is now a void.  The key to me is finding what’s next and doing that.  The profile may not be as public, but the work is just as important.
The older someone gets, the more their world shrinks.  Travel becomes less and less viable and more and more of a challenge.  Eventually  it becomes better off not to pursue.  Getting around the house becomes more and more of a challenge.  Eventually around the clock “ability to respond” becomes desirable and necessary.  Ultimately the number of “incidents” become such that the one going through it knows they are better off with care – if only to satisfy the peace of loved ones.
That can be frustrating particularly when someone knows they were capable of more.  But for the present, life is becoming more limitated.  Yet I do not for a moment believe someone needs to go out with a whimper.  I am a great believer in everyone going out in a blaze of glory.
The end of one thing is the beginning of another.  Maybe it is less public.  Maybe it is more confined.  Yet definitely it is just as important.  A change of season does not need to mean a cessation of life.

This will be post 2531.  When I divide that figure by 365 it is very close to 7 years worth of posts.  I make a point of doing one daily and have only ever not done it for a few days as a mark of respect for someone that has passed away.
It is funny I have been a bit like the ad on tv that shows people seeing their speedo in the car pass a milestone number.  For some it is like 1,000k and for older vehicles it is like 300,000k.  Whatever the number is it is seen as significant and worth noting.
I used to do that when I passed a multiple of 100 like 1,500.  I will never say never as I may do it again but in recent times I have been busy writing and realized too late the post was something I was going to highlight.
One thing that I have seen big time though is the diversity of subjects I can write about.  Sometimes dictionary day throws me a curve ball and I need to look into something to know anything about it.  At other times the subject matter is something I am familiar with and need to come at it from a particular angle as there is so much to the topic.
Writing a post I know it is something I do not need to do but it is something I want to do.  What I find about random topics is the challenge they present.  That I find is good for me.  As is trying to put my thoughts on paper in a logical manner, something that is bread and butter too me.
I have decided to expand the random inputs.  I have been using dictionary day and the weekly email from James Clear.  Recently I thought, “I will do the same with a book of quotes I have plus a book of famous speeches.”  I will approach them the same way as dictionary day.  That is, shut my eyes and choose a page at random and write about whatever is on the page.
Not long ago I read something that said, “how boring life would be if we listened only to our own insights.”  I want to hear and consider what others are saying.  I love hearing about and reading about other traditions and cultures.  For any culture (including my own) there is both good and bad.  I feel it is like any technology that is developed.  There is often great potential for good and great potential for bad.  It all depends on the motivation of the user.
I am happy to explore the ideas of others.  Some I will agree with and some I won’t.  But I reckon whatever the case I can reach my own conclusions about what is being presented, and I will be the richer for it.