It’s never too late to reinvent yourself. Jonathan Evison, author of This Is Your Life, Harriet  Chance!, rites about a time he lived in a trailer park because his grandmother needed a caregiver. He reported being amazed at how these widows would, with great flexibility, adapt to entirely different points of view after their husbands’ deaths.

That certainly is not the only reason to make a change (although it may be an interesting one), and I highly encourage people who are bored, unchallenged and/or underemployed to consider a beginning exploration of other interests that may long have been either dormant, ignored, or simply have not been explored due to life’s previous circumstances.

Retirement is highly overrated in the traditional sense of the word. Although you may love either golf or shopping, can you really do this seven days a week? Maybe you have aspirations to travel, or lots of grand-kids to visit, but even that may not stand the test of time as a way to fill your days and have them end with a sigh of satisfaction.

One way to start small is to begin a new habit or take a class of some sort. Get an exercise/walking buddy, or check out the mini-courses at the local museum. Often there are weekend long courses that offer a jolt of creativity to stimulate your brain. The political season is certainly heating up. How about working to support your favorite candidate? This is especially helpful for local elections. Or volunteer in some new way you might never have considered. Stuff some unused purses with toiletries and give them to the shelter. A homeless woman might appreciate that. You can even stick a few things in it for younger kids. Or start a new winter sock collection and make sure there are more warm feet throughout our chilly winter.

Be original, and by that I mean follow your areas of interest, and don’t wait. Get just two or three of your buddies to help. You will make a difference, and in doing so, you will feel the sense of satisfaction that service to others always provides. It will increase your happiness, reduce your stress, and make someone else’s life just a little bit more tolerable.

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