Live After 40

"For man, as a specie, and unlike other inhabitants of the globe, does not just ravage mindlessly the planet of its bounties in order to survive. He endeavours to leave behind legacies of the application of his mind."
-Rasheed A. Gbadamosi

I turned 40 few months ago, and if statistics are right and I die on or around my 80th birthday, I am halfway done. So, for me, it's half time. And that got me thinking about football, particularly about the half time events in the locker room. The coach usually gathers all the players in the locker room for pep talk. Most of you can, probably, imagine that.

There are two primary things that happen at half time. One is to reflect on what went right and wrong in the first half, and the other is to decide how to proceed in the second half so you come out victorious.

With that in mind, here are some of my reflections on how I am going to play the second half of my life. Looking back at the major lesson life has taught me in the past 40 years, I would say you must have a blueprint for your life and work at it. You need the grace of God, support of your family, friends, mentors etc. You must have total confidence in yourself; you must invest in developing yourself intellectually, have many skills and develop multiple streams of income. That way you will not be found wanting and will also be on the cutting edge of life.

That, I will say, was the first half of my life.

For the second half of my life, having established direction, I intend tocontinue to stay disciplined in accomplishing my goals. That is a good thing.

Often coaches ask their players to be and stay disciplined and focussed incarrying out the game plan they have developed. So far, the game plan hasworked well. Now I need to keep to the game plan and finish well in thissecond half.

In this second half, I intend to take more risks. Life rewards those who take risks. Don't misunderstand me, I don't mean being risky. Being risky in a game leads to getting your head handed to you by the opposing team, whilst taking well calculated risks lead to big gains.

Furthermore, I will be spending more quality time with my family because mychildren are getting older and I want to be there for them in their teenageyears. I would also like to have some fun. Yes we want to win and staydisciplined, but what good is it if it isn't fun? Not much good at all. So I am going to make sure I am having fun along the way. I would like to take playing golf as a form of relaxation.

In addition, I want to write a best selling book that will inspire people to greatness and sell more than a million copies; be the founder/lead entrepreneur in a company that goes public, and have enough money to run the foundation I set up in 1997 - St. Florence Foundation, in honour of my mother. These goals motivate me to get up every morning to learn, lead, and work.

Finally, I want to build a legacy for this generation and the generation yet unborn. When I get to the end of my life, I would want to have inspired and empowered people to achieve their full potential in life. I want to know that I have done all that I could to make this world a better place, by enhancing the lives of those around me and helping thousands, if not millions, to achieve their full potentials in life. I want to know that I gave everything my best shot. I want it to be on record that I maximized my potential and stretched myself to the limit. I want my wife and children to remember me as a man who left a good legacy.

Those are the things I think about as I sit in my half time locker room of life. Maybe you are there as well. Maybe you are just hitting the first quarter break. Or, maybe you are in the final two minutes! No matter where you are, remember this week that life is short and we must remain diligent in designing and living our lives!

It is therefore imperative to recognise the time we are in at each stage of our lives. This will help us make the most of such times. As for me, it is just half-time and I have just started.

See you at the top!

Dayo Olomu is a UK-based Motivational Speaker, Writer, Business/Life Coach, Trainer, Media Entrepreneur and Competent Toastmaster. His core belief is that we are all endowed with seeds of greatness, and his mission is to help individuals and organisations achieve their full potentials. He is the author of best selling "4 Indispensable Strategies for Success" and the President of Croydon Communicators Toastmasters. Get his FREE monthly Rise to the Top ezine by sending a blank email to subscribe@dayoolomu.com or visit his website at: www.dayoolomu.com