What has me excited as 2024 kicks off is that I’ve decided to amplify my focus on supporting people to increase their health span through better experiences at work.
In response to the “all hype and no hope” of too many workplaces, this will involve teasing out the naked truth of workplace development and leadership practice from the emperor’s clothing.
Have you an idea of what will excite you?
Volatility and the Spread of Ideas
The infrared image below, taken by NASA’s James Webb Telescope, is of the First Deep Field of the galaxy cluster SMACS.
Each of the dots you see is a galaxy….
And each galaxy has roughly 100 billion stars.
Each star has at least one planet.
How many galaxies do you think there can be in the picture?
And this is just a photograph of a very little parcel of the Universe.
This stuff blows my mind!!!! It reminds me of when I was younger, in my early 40s, when I felt a bit flat about my then seemingly insignificant place in the world.
Could I make a difference?
Did I have enough time left on the planet?
And then gradually I realised that I didn’t need to invent the wheel, it was enough to put some ideas in place that through the marvels of volatility could gain traction. I could also do my part to spread the ideas of others.
Volatility spreads ideas just like in “rippling water." Imagine a still pond where a single stone is thrown in. The impact of the stone creates ripples that spread across the entire surface of the water. Then, throw another stone (idea) into the water. Ripples spread outwards, sometimes amplifying each other, sometimes dampening each other. Wider and wider areas get influenced as ripples disseminate or disappear.
How Not to Age at Work?
Dr Michael Greger reminds us of the sobering statistic that only about 18% of people can be described as undergoing “successful aging” (How Not to Age, 2023).
Given that we spend so much time working, healthy aging at work is critical. Midlife is a fantastic time to explore issues that we weren’t ready for earlier in life. The wisdom that can come with our years makes for an exciting time in our 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond.
With age comes a deeper understanding of life's complexities and a greater capacity to find joy and meaning in both the highs and lows. Midlife is not just a time of reflection, but also a time of celebration, where the wisdom gained allows for a richer, more fulfilling experience of life.
Next Steps
If you are interested in exploring your place in the world, please click on the link below for a 30-minute complimentary exploratory conversation.
Schedule a free 30-minute exploratory discussion with Desley Lodwick here.
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