(Click play to listen to the poem here!)

I want to change the world. I think I can and I think you can too….

Remember the Michael Jackson song “The Man in the Mirror”? I love MJ despite all the horrible things that were rumored and levied against him. I couldn’t see past his remarkable talent nor the joy his music and performances brought to my life.

Today, the title of the song “The Man In the Mirror” came to me first in my morning meditation. The version by MJ produced by him and Quincy Jones was released in 1988. I was 34, strangely that was HALF my life ago.

As I stand on the threshold of my 70’s looking ahead, the path is not clear. It’s like I’m in a car in the dark and in dense fog. The headlights illuminate only what is directly in front of me, reflecting off the dense fog. I only know I’m going forward. Each step or to continue the metaphor, each mile unfolds as I move forward. I only know where I am at the moment. I must stay present and continue to move forward with eyes open and hopeful, even excited. I feel I can imagine anything ahead and I choose to imagine thriving.

The mission of Graceing Agefully™ is to change the “culture of aging”. I’m changing how I ACCEPT aging and all the possibilities. I’m changing myself and by doing that I KNOW the world will change.

Like the song says, it starts inside me. The refrain says it best:

I’m starting with the man in the mirror
I’m asking him to change his ways
And no message could’ve been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and make that change

What about you?

Are you finding what’s wrong with everyONE and everyTHING else that’s making you scared, unhappy, and sick?

I was for a long time. No more.

I’m looking in the mirror first.

I’m figuring out who that is looking back at me.

I’m learning to forgive her and love her.

In the “Art of Extreme Self Care” by Cheryl Richardson she instructs us to start by looking at yourself in the mirror every day—look yourself in the eye and say “I LOVE YOU” out loud.

It’s very awkward and hard at first. It’s also simple and easy to do.

Make it a daily habit. You WILL be amazed.

If you can look in the mirror and STOP judging yourself, if you can look in the mirror and ACCEPT yourself, if you can look in the mirror and FORGIVE yourself, magic happens.

You will begin to find yourself less inclined to judge others. You will find yourself accepting others. You will find yourself forgiving others.

After all, we are all in this together. Our collective purpose IMHO is to make the world a better place for everyone.

The most effective and powerful way to do that is to look at the HU-man in the mirror and love that person first!!!