Dear LPG readers,

I think that the most important thing that anyone, at any stage of life needs nearly as much as a bunch of good friends, is a sense of purpose, and it can be something that it is so easy to lose sight of once there is no one forcing you to keep on track.  

When we are really young there is so much to learn that we don’t have time to look too far forwards.  Parents and teachers are always adding to that burden but, for most, there is that little window somewhere during that period when a hobby or pastime becomes a possible life passion or goal.  The school experience gives us a taste of the many possibilities that we can aspire to before the rigors of going to work each day take over.  A life time of distractions then usually get in the way and by the time we reach retirement, so many of us have forgotten those more personal ambitions we once had. 

Those goals change as we go along and, while I still remember mine, I wonder how many retired people have lost sight of theirs.  

Since retiring I have made a life commitment to getting up each morning with a positive outlook and I know that is sometimes easier said than done.  I feel that one of the best ways to improve my journey into each of my days, is to get to the end of the previous one having been able to quantify at least one positive thing that I did with it.   

I strongly believe that the secret is to make sure that you have planned something to do with the day to come while being able to look back positively at the day you just left behind.  If you have accomplished the smallest of purposes, you will have a reason to look both back and forwards positively.  There has to be some logic in the argument that if you fall asleep satisfied with the day you are leaving; you are more likely to get up looking forward to the challenges of the day to come with a bit of positive expectation.   

I recently found myself talking to someone I had met for the first time.  After the initial pleasantries, we went on to talk about what we used to do for a living pre-retirement, before the conversation moved on to what we hoped to do with the rest of our lives.   

We concluded that, while for some retired people, the answer to that question will have been established long before they stopped working, for others, it can be too big a question altogether.  

But even if your plan for the day is to make sure that you put that pile of washing in the machine, having got to the other end of the day in the knowledge that you actually did, can dictate that you end the day with a sense of achievement.  

That stranger and I are now firm friends and each morning share a telephone call where we compare how successful we have been when it comes to achieving our daily goals, no matter how large or small.  

There is something very special about knowing that you have to give account,  albeit a really brief one, about a really small achievement, to a good friend who will not judge if you fail from time to time.  The faintest hint of friendly rivalry can be all the reason you need to accomplish a little something every day…

KD, Penge