megram - Index

megram - 55GTA - Index

Dare…continued from page 26
can’t throw away that bag. I guess I
will give it to my grandson, William,
whose eight-year-old imagination will
take him to the island.
My point is not that we should all
head off for a Caribbean island or similarly
different destination and adopt
the local lifestyle. It is, however, that
we should be open to thinking about
the scenarios that we encounter and
consider our own possible interests in
what we observe. The market square
represented carving, painting, designing,
sewing, jewellery making, candle
making, baking, playing music, dancing,
singing, guiding, grounds maintenance,
taxi-services and probably
many other activities I didn’t notice.
The possibilities are limitless
I have been saying for years that I
didn’t know what I would be when I
grew up. I’m still not totally sure, but
exploring new ventures is a lot of fun.
Several years ago I came across a
newspaper article that featured two
women who had started a new career
in modelling. I was totally fascinated
because this was one of my interests,
but I thought this was something that
only the 20-somethings or teens were
involved in. These two very mature
women looked fantastic. I read the
article very carefully and decided on
the spot that it was not too late for me
to follow this dream. I registered at
the same modelling school they had
attended and the information gained
was invaluable. One of the most
important things learned was that
everyone can look beautiful.With a little
bit of valuable information about
poise and makeup, no one needs to
feel like an ugly duckling.
I’d like to tell you this led to a
great modeling career for me, but that
would not be accurate. It did, however,
lead to my pursuit of a broad spectrum
of studies in the field of personal
development and to professional
certification as an image consultant.
These have, in turn, brought me enormous
satisfaction as I help other peo-
ple with their self-development and
self-improvement.
Personal readiness
Okay, the time is right.There will
never be a better time than now to
think about a dream that is unfulfilled.
As we age we lose some of our inhibitions,
so perhaps we are now ready to
make some changes.There will never
be a better time to take charge of the
rest of our lives and being willing to
explore other things that life has to
offer will put us on the road to a
healthy, happy and exciting life.
Options
We can think about options in
clusters — learning, teaching, sharing,
serving, entertaining, creating, and
preserving, to name a few. You can
have fun thinking up more.
Learning. Devoting time to
acquiring new knowledge and skills
— anything from that never-completed
high-school diploma to a PhD; any
trade such as electrician or auto
mechanic; any artistic skill from carving
ducks to painting lakes, mountains,
animals, birds or people; to the
whole world of musical possibilities.
Teaching. Passing on to others
the knowledge and skills you have
developed — thousands of opportunities
exist from the university level to
community centres.
Sharing. As opposed to formal
teaching, the sharing of knowledge
and experience is becoming a much
sought-after commodity in the form
of mentoring.This can range from the
level of Canada helping Bangladesh,
for example, by having consultants go
there to help them set up government
systems of administration and
accountability, to mentoring new
business owners, new professionals,
students, youth groups, or even people
who are new at organizing minor
sports or directing a choir — if you
have it, you can share it!
Serving. Actually doing things in
continues on page 30
May 2008 • 28 • Fifty-Five Plus Magazine
Teresa’s Tips
When you hear someone
speak on a subject that you are
interested in, don’t be too shy
to approach the person and
engage in a conversation to
learn more from them. The
person will in all likelihood be
very pleased to speak to you
about a topic that is obviously
very dear to them.
Help is always around the corner;
you just need to ask. It’s
surprising what happens
when you simply ask for something.
Take a good look in the mirror
and check if your hair is a
becoming colour and if the
haircut is current. There is a
saying that we earn all our
grey hairs. That saying almost
makes having grey hair worthwhile,
but the fact of the matter
is that very few people can
look attractive with grey hair.
It tends to age most people
way beyond their years. Go to
a competent hairstylist and
colourist and love the difference
they can make.
Have you been telling yourself
that you had no time for skin
care or makeup during those
growing years? Treat yourself
to some competent advice
from an Image Consultant.
Many spas also have persons
well-trained to offer advice or,
if you are not comfortable
with either, check out the
makeup counters in the big
department stores and find a
person you feel you can relate
to and just ask questions.
Always remember that less is
more.
What about your wardrobe?
You don’t need a lot of clothes
if your world centres around
your home. Chances are you
do have quite a few clothes
from long ago. You need to
sort through your whole closet.If
you don’t know where to
start, have someone competent
help you audit your
wardrobe.