Beginning Today – Tony Agnesi

Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; See, I am doing something new! — (Isaiah 43:18—19, NAB)

Have you ever said to yourself, I wish I knew back then what I know now! I would do things differently. As we get older, we realize that we made many mistakes in the past, although we didn’t know it then. We have regrets, but there is not much we can do about it. However, we can decide to live out our years differently.

One of my friends who is approaching eighty, made an important point. When we realize that the number of years we have left on earth are far fewer than those we have lived, we need to make these changes, beginning today!

What are the things I wish I knew when I was a younger man? Here are a few:

Time flies! As we get older time seems to go by quickly. I remember in high school that it would seem like an eternity for summer vacation to arrive. As an older adult, we wish the clock would slow down a bit. We realize that if we are going to make changes in our lives we have to do it now.
Money doesn’t equal success. As a businessman, I have met many wealthy people with miserable lives. I have met people with very modest means who are happier and have real joy in their lives. We spend our adult lives accumulating money. We haven’t enjoyed family, friends and memorable experiences. We may be too old or physically challenged to begin.
Kids grow up quickly. We spend our children’s youth chasing money and success. We sacrifice the wonder and joy of watching our children grow. Those years, from babies and toddlers to adults we can never get back.
Relationships are everything. Making memories with our spouse is one of the ways we keep our relationship fresh. Those memories will sustain us when we get older and lose our mobility. Our relationship with God is the most important relationships we have. Next to that our relationships with our spouse, children, extended family and friends. Take some time to nurture these relationships. It can be as simple as a weekly call to your mother to say I love you.

[pullquote]Put away the old self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth. — (Ephesians 4:22—24, NAB)[/pullquote]

Knowing about God is important, but not as important as knowing Him personally. Churches overflow with older people who want a personal relationship with Our Lord.
Prayer isn’t for bad times. An active prayer life is something we should be striving for, not only when we reach retirement. There is nothing wrong with praying in tough times. But, prayers of thanksgiving are also important when thing are going well.
Align yourself with people who share your values. Younger adults spend time trying to impress others. Many of those we try to impress have a different set of values than we do. Often, we compromise our own values to “fit in” with the in crowd. Relationships are much stronger with those who share our vales.
Admit your mistakes. We are all going to make mistakes. Younger adults spend too much time defending their mistakes. The effects linger for a long time. We have a saying in business, “fail fast.” Admit your mistakes and learn from them. It is part of the process of gaining maturity.

Knowing what we know now that we didn’t know then, what changes can we make to do things differently? What can we do beginning today?

Beginning today—We can spend more time with our family. For starters, we can plan a weekly date night with our spouse. Giving up poker night to have a movie night with the kids, might be fun.

Beginning today—We are going to put relationships before the pursuit of money. A bigger house, more expensive car, or the Rolex watch, won’t guarantee happiness.

Beginning today—We will spend more time with our children or grandchildren. We will collect memories that will last a lifetime.

Beginning today—We will pursuit a personal relationship with Jesus. All that we have is a gift from God and we express our gratitude in prayer.

Beginning today—We are going to admit our mistakes. We will make a vow to make the changes necessary to live a life of character and integrity.

How about you? Can you think of a few others? What are you going to do, beginning today?

Thank you for sharing my stories with your family and friends. Below are links to share on your social media sites. Your sharing my stories helps to get the word out.

Get an autographed copy of A Storyteller’s Guide to a Grace-Filled life at the new reduced price and free domestic shipping. Just click on the link below.