Fifty. It’s just a number. We give the number meaning depending on it’s context and what we, as human beings, bring to that context. Is fifty a lot or a little? By itself, it’s both. Very zen, actually.
Nowhere is potential meaning more charged than when we apply the number “fifty” to our age. To some, fifty feels “old”; to others, “young”. I just turned fifty. To me, it doesn’t feel anything. To me, it’s just a number.
This is not to say, however, that turning fifty has no meaning in the scope of my life. It does. But not in the dichotomous context of young versus old. But in the context of where have I been, where am I now, and where am I going.
Physically, I look and feel better than I did thirty years ago. Time has, however, diminished some of my body’s ability to perform certain tasks. I can’t run the hundred as fast as I used to, for example. But in the grand scope of things, that doesn't mean much. Physically, I can still do what’s important to me. And I intend that to be the case for some time to come.
To the endeavor of keeping myself fit, both Inside and Out, I have brought Discipline, Commitment, Passion, Wisdom, Joy, Self Awareness, Love, and a Youthful Exuberance. If I can apply those elements to other areas of my life, I can create success, fulfillment, happiness, and meaning in those areas. No matter how I define the parameters of success, fulfillment, happiness, and meaning. I sometimes forget that. We all do. So I’m reminding myself of that today. And I’m reminding you of that as well.
Bringing a “Youthful Exuberance” rates as especially poignant when we talk about age. Connecting to that youthful fire and joy inside is something that time and life have robbed from many. But no matter what, we can all reconnect to it. Reestablishing the conduit to our inner youthfulness is a recurring theme of this blog. Rediscovering, and reconnecting to, that youthful passion, joy, curiosity, and wonder, is going to be one of the cornerstones as I take my blog to a business. I will help people bring more of that to their life. I know how to do that. Because I’ve been doing it my whole life. And I’ve learned a thing or two.
When I bring the best of myself to my life, my life works better. Nowhere is this more poignant than in my relationships. When I bring commitment, passion, wisdom, joy, self awareness, a youthful exuberance, and love to a relationship, it works. When I don’t, it doesn’t. If any of those critical elements are missing too often, from either person, my relationships suffer. I suffer. We suffer.
I took this picture just after I turned fifty. It serves as an example and a reminder to me that when I bring the best of myself to my life, I experience my own brand of happiness, fulfillment, success, and meaning. Only when I bring the best of myself do I create the possibility of making an idea into a reality. That’s what's so exciting to me about any process in which I’m fully engaged, whether it’s my fitness or my intimate relationship.
The art of life demands that I apply myself to my visions.
©2013 Clint Piatelli, MuscleHeart, and Red F Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
Friday, March 15, 2013 at 8:35AM 
