Everywhere I go in Palm Springs area, I meet fellow Canadians. Downtown yesterday, I talked with a man from Regina, then walked further down the street and ran into a Fairwinds member and his wife. He asked me where I was staying and I said “Shadow Hills-Indio” to which he responded “Along with the rest of the Fairwinds Mafia”.
While I miss people at home, I feel like I am living the PROBUS spirit full-time here. In our complex we have so many activities, it is like daily Probus “Out&About”. We golf, hike, play Mahjong, Bocce Ball, pickleball, computer club, swimming pool, gym, read, cook different things than we would normally, and drink cheap American booze.
It’s a new year, time to try different things and fulfil those resolutions. Of course for most of us, New Year’s resolutions don’t make it past the first month. According to University of Scranton research, just 8% of us actually achieve those resolutions – the reason being because many of us look at New Year’s resolutions from the point of view of “ What’s wrong with me that I need to fix?” That’s already starting from a negative viewpoint, so how could it get a positive result? Let’s toss all of that out the window. Instead of making some big resolution, let’s resolve to just take a few moments to look at our lives and the choices we make and say, “What makes me happy? What brings me joy?”
Think of something that brings you joy and practice it for the next 30 days. You can start anytime. At the end you will see that a small change will make a difference in your life. Happiness is a state of mind but you do need to work for it.
PROBUS should be fun. I am sure that deciding to join in PROBUS activities, volunteering when asked and getting to know your fellow members will bring you happiness in 2015.