Don't Wait to be Great!

Two weeks ago, I wrote about my recent odyssey to Egypt traveling through 7 millennia of human drama and my reflections on what it means to live an EPIC life. Time is a funny thing. While you are in it, time can seem endless. And then it can seem over in the blink of an eye. Gliding up the Nile, with the ancient temples and tombs sliding by, I had a lot of time to think about time.

As followers of the Decade Game, I am always reminding you that there are 87,600 hours in ten years. Assume you sleep 8 hours a night. As the CEO (Chief Experience Officer) of your life, you now have 50,000 awake hours to create a life of your own design. Experiences, knowledge, adventures and relationships of your own choosing.

Such ?a golden opportunity. Research has shown that people dramatically overestimate what they can get done in a year, but fully underestimate what is possible in a decade.? However, this doesn’t mean that time isn’t precious.

I am on the cusp of my 71rst birthday, one year into my Decade Game 70 – 80.? A year ago, I was surprised with the diagnosis of non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The good news is that the tumors are “lazy, indolent and boring” – a set of attributes that are a first for me!? I just had a check in with my oncologist – and my attributes are holding.? YAY!

Who knows how long I have had this condition (which showed up in a routine mammogram).?I am assured that with modern medicine and new treatments all the time, this will not be my last decade game. My Mom is 95 and I have her genes. ??But I am glad I know.? It’s a gift to be reminded of this great miracle we are in that lies between the two great mysteries of life and death.??

I am super excited about how my Decade Game 70 – 80 is already shifting my life experiences and perspective.?The objective of my game is, at 80, to know myself and be knows as ?the “Intergenerational Restoryer Naming the Dances that are longing to happen”. ?And I have 78,840 hours left in this decade game in service of that becoming.? However, I now have an additional reframe on time. I might have only 1,000 Sundays left to complete both this current game and my 80 – 90 game.? ?

Time to make every week count. Which brings us to EPIC! Rule #12.

EPIC! Rule #12: Don’t Wait to be Great:? The Decade Game framework invites you to design the next, best, ten years of your life.?When you spend a decade focusing on a commitment to be great, amazing things happen. ?But I want to make an important point:?

You don’t have to wait a decade or a year, or even a week to start winning.?

When you start with the right story and a clear vision of epic success—the winning has already started.?You have everything you need to start playing.?Just like in a video game, you buy it for its Level 10 epic quest.? But you play by plunging in at Level 1 and start exploring the new environment with gusto. You play the gamee very day by choosing an action or decision currently within your power, resources, and capability.?It is a baby step toward the future that incorporates a bit of the magic promise of your Level 10 imagination.

We call this type of move “a tiny mighty”—?It is totally doable in practice but is pregnant with your dream.?And you don’t have to worry about anything other than the next move. ? The Decade Game isn’t about mapping out the whole ten years in advance. It is a commitment to be inspired by your dreams. And contribute your dreams and gifts for good. ?And if that dream isn’t EPIC, bold, almost unimaginable – it is not a dream.? It’s just a plan.

You are absolutely equipped today to play a tiny mighty every day.? Maybe its 10 minutes of exercise that you seem never have time for. Or a loving call to someone who is having a tough time – not to fix anything, just to listen.?Or a difficult conversation with a colleague.? It is doable yet will feel epic because your future self has chosen it.?

And she knows the score.

One more thought about time.? Maybe I have only one hundred Sundays left. Life is filled with trap doors. We will never be able to predict the end of the story—for our loved ones or us. However, we are living now in the middle of our stories, and we will leave this life in the middle of the stories of the people we love. No matter when the curtain comes down, if we have lived life as fully as we can… If we have been able to throw our hearts into the service of others… we will have forever shaped the plot as well as the character of our beloved characters.

Sending love and light - Carolyn

PS. Since the New Year, I have been sharing my EPIC! Rules helpful to play the game of life, your way. I have them now posted on the website if you have missed a newsletter or would like to review them. Click below and scroll down to the Rules.

EPIC! Rules of the Game

PS. I am excited to announce that we have opened up enrollment for the Fall 2023 virtual 6 week Decade Game Master Class which starts on Sept. 23. ? You can sign up here and receive the early discount of 10%. ?Use the discount code SAVE10 on checkout. ?

If you have any questions or would like to talk to me directly, please email me at [email protected] or book a 15 minute chat on my calendar this week.