This month will see me pass a “life landmark” as I hit 40. The old saying goes that it “all downhill from 40” so it got me thinking about these things. In the last “almost” 40 years my life has changed in so many ways and as a person I have evolved through various stages, which most people do, a few of which are listed below:

• Child
• Teenager
• Young adult
• Parent
• Employee
• Self employed
• Business Owner
• Employer
• Friend
• Partner/Husband

While only a bullet point list, don’t think there is really any explanation need for these, you can easily see that throughout our lives we are constantly changing our identity, values, core values, ideals, goals and many other key aspects which define us. After all, what was important to me at 20 (drinking and having a good time) and not so key at 39; not because I’m boring just that my responsibilities have changed.

Having read the book Relax Focus Succeed by Karl Palachuk, this is not uncommon as we all go through these stages. What Karl teaches though is that so many people end up conflicted because we have to act out different roles at different times of the day dependent on where we are, what we are doing and who we are with. When you think about it that way it really is amazing that we are sane at all!!

This was a major thing that I took away from Karl’s book and almost certainly the most difficult to achieve is to align those roles that we may so that we no longer have to change our “hats” dependent on what we’re doing. So hows that working??? Lets say it continues to be a “work in progress” but suffice as to say I will keep trying.

So as the sun sets on my thirties the best advice I can give to anyone would be to find alignment in the roles you play so that you don’t have to change who you are to suit the situation you are in……just be you!

Now I look forward to enjoying some “downhill” cruising for a while now as I come on to my fourties!

Peace out! x