1 Hour Closer To 10,000

I’ll start with a bit of honesty. Yes, I am rapidly closing in on 60. And no, I am nowhere close to retiring from a pursuit of purpose.

Now, don’t misunderstand me. My life is fulfilling. I am beyond satisfied with my current place in this journey we call “life.” I have the unbelievable privilege of being a husband, a father, and a grandfather (3 essential relationships that define me). Over the years, I have been blessed with numerous adventures and opportunities that once were restricted to the stuff of “pipe dreams” in my mind (older adult student at Oxford in England, one of 100 finalists for a White House volunteer posting, published author, spent a month touring Italy, and currently serving as an African NGO representative to the UN). I am not complaining. Not at all. My life has been amazing and totally a work of grace.

I am just simply stating that even though I am clearly “on the back 9,” I still long for purpose, especially as it relates to the future. My days of full-time employment in global supply chain will eventually come to an end. My wife and I draw closer to an empty nest with each passing day. Recognizing that there isn’t much left on my “bucket list,” I realize I need something constructive and beneficial to close out my days.

To that end, I started a new endeavor yesterday.

Let me explain. I don’t really know if that whole “10,000 hours to become an expert” is really based on any scientific research, but it makes sense in theory. If you spend that much time doing anything, you should be able to develop a fair level of knowledge and proficiency at it. So, I decided to give it a go. I chose an area of interest… aid development and poverty alleviation. I created an Excel spreadsheet to track my time and activities… because I am an Excel geek. And I spent my first hour+ yesterday reading, underlining, highlighting, and scribbling notes in the margins of my first selected book… “Murdering Poverty” by Arrey E. Ntui.

Like the image below, I find myself faced with a horizon of new adventure and learning that stretches out before me. I have a long way to go. But I am moving forward, pursuing an area of interest that I hope to put to use as I close out my years on this earth. Have I arrived? Not by a long shot. Do I know if this will actually translate into anything viable? Nope. Will I look back at some point and wonder what I was thinking? That’s certainly possible. But I have started chasing a new pursuit and passion. I’m not shutting down and getting comfortable. I’m not retiring. I’m just transitioning into something new (hopefully). And as of today, I am now 1 hour closer to 10,000 hours. And that is worth celebrating in my mind.