While I did not attend, my high school reunion was this past week. Luckily, I got to see many of the pictures on Facebook—the old high school pictures and what people look like today.
We all had a ridiculous amount of hair back then—and most of us have less now. Maybe for the men, it was not by choice, but it certainly is by choice for me.
Back in high school, people told us these were the “best” days of our lives. At the time, I hoped not. And I was correct—I had yet to see my “best” days.
That’s because our “best” days change as we grow and evolve.
Some of My Older “Best” Days
I vividly remember starting college—the fall air was crisp and cool. I’d made a couple of friends at the June orientation. And I was totally ready to remake myself into who I wanted to become.
That’s part of the problem with high school. When you learn with people over many years, they think of you in one way. Worse, you might think of yourself in that same way. For me, college was the first time I got to choose how people would think of me. I changed my nickname (which I hated), and I had a chance to stretch in all ways.
I had many “best” days in school, but the real best day was when I graduated. That’s because I was ready for the next adventure.
Our careers have ups and downs, so when we understand our career timelines we can make better decisions for another “best” day or series of days. (See Know Your Previous Job Patterns for more details).
For a long time, my career defined my best days. That changed when Mark and I got married and started a family. Our wedding day and our daughters’ birthdays are among the best days of my life.
But that’s when the idea of best days started to dissolve for me. I changed my attitude about days and turned that into life.
How Can We Make Our Best Lives?
The more I think about making my best possible life, the more best days I have. (See What Does Work/Life Balance Mean to You? for more information.) Yes, I went meta about the “problem” of creating my best days.
Don’t get me wrong, I totally enjoy all my personal milestones, such as weddings, grandchildren, birthdays, you name it. I’m thrilled with my work milestones, such as book birthdays and creating new workshops.
It’s funny—the more I think about my best life, the more often I have my best days. Even better, that means many of my best days are still ahead of me. That’s the essence of Daniel’s beautiful eulogy for Kim. See this quote at the bottom:
You have to live each day as if it’s your last and you have to live each day as if it isn’t.
Instead of thinking about my best days as behind, current, or ahead, I’m taking a more holistic approach to creating my best life. I hope the same for you.
(And to my high school friends, thank you so much for sharing your pictures with me. You all look fabulous!)
That’s the question this week: Which best days are behind, current, or ahead of you?