Autonomy, Competence, Connnection, Freedom - reDesigning Life After 50

Clean Slate and the Choice Point

By Mike View Comments

Start with a clean sheet of paper…

I ran into this line in an article I was reading today on innovation. It reminded me of a Friday Quote I used a while back. But today it really struck me where I live as a clean slate opportunity.

I started thinking about when in life do we really have a clean sheet of paper.  Here are some of my ideas that are clean slate, choice point moments.

• When we lose a job…

• When we lose our way…

• When we move in to the new house…

• When the kids leave home…

• When the house is foreclosed…

• When we realize we are 50. 60, 70 years old…

• When we run out of time, money, or ideas, the slate is blank…

• At retirement…

• When we are laid off…

• When we go through a divorce…

• When we recover from serious illness…

• When the contract runs out…

• When the job is done…

• When we’ve exhausted all the old possibilities…

• When the situation is hopeless…

• When we finish school…

• When our tour of duty is finally done…

• When we get out of the calaboose…

• When we get sent to the calaboose…

• When we decide to sober up…

• When everything is new…

• When we decide to start anew…

I’m not saying all of these are good. But each opens up a new choice point filled with possibilities.

Sometimes you have to suck it up and take it for what it is, but they’ll always show up.

There have to be thousands of choice points in each of our lives when a blank and clean slate appears in front of our faces.

What have been some of yours?