ANDRE BEGIN

In crossing the big milestone of my 60th birthday, something happened. There’s something about that first digit that seems to whisper, “tick tock tick tock,” making me realize that I only have so much time to pursue my goals and dreams and to scratch items off my perpetually revolving to-do list.

When I retired from my career and jumped with both feet into screenwriting, I better understood why some seniors don’t beat around the bush and don’t seem to let day-to-day nonsense get in their way. Time, energy and headspace are too precious for that. We need to save our peaks in energy for family, friends, favourite activities and for the purpose of enjoying life.

That being the case, I am flipping the script, so to speak. I feel the time is right to enforce some boundaries to better manage life’s disruptors and stressors, in the hope of maximizing my quality of life and getting things done.

Here are ten of my newest boundaries:

– When people tell me that something will only take a minute or five minutes, sorry, I’m not buying it anymore. Blame the people who have kept me somewhere much longer than I wanted.

– Contrary to popular belief, I can’t be in two places at once. I don’t know why this is a recurring issue, but I’m done stressing over it. People and businesses need to be more flexible.

– Contrary to popular belief, I can’t control the weather. I don’t know why this is a recurring issue, but I’m done stressing over it. People and businesses need to be more flexible.

– I will ignore Social media accounts telling me what I’m doing wrong. I made it this far in life, I don’t think I’m doing things quite as badly as some would have me believe.

– “Would you like to join our email list?” No, thank you. I get too many already.

– “Would you like to sign up for notifications?” Nope!

– “Would you like to write a review?” Nope!

– When the phone rings and it’s a number I don’t recognize, it’s going to voicemail.

– When it comes to clickbait articles, no matter how compelling the title, I’m not clicking anymore. I’ve read too many that failed to deliver something I hadn’t heard before.

– On the roads, I’m keeping with the flow of traffic. If you want to go faster, pass. You don’t need to be rude about it.

Over the course of a lifetime, I’ve been flexible, accommodating and tried not to make much of a fuss. I’ve tried meeting others where they are. But at age 60, it’s time for people and businesses to start meeting me where I am.

My family, friends, colleagues and passion projects are too important to me to waste time on trivia that only serves as a distraction and a drain on my energy.

When time is uncertain, doesn’t it make sense to put in place stronger boundaries to prioritize the people and the activities that bring the most joy in our lives? For that reason, I extend my deepest gratitude to those who have led by example and inspired me to draw the line on other people’s nonsense and shenanigans.

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Sincere thanks for reading!
Have a great day,
André