In five days I will be turning 40. I woke up at 5 am this morning and decided I really ought to write something really geeky for my blog. I also knew that I should address turning 40 on my blog. I had been thinking of writing kind of sentimental send up to the past 40 years, but that’s not the kind of mood I am in today. I high concept idea this morning.
I have worked in non-profit organizations for most of my professional career. Let me tell you something, no organization loves to do a S.W.O.T. Analysis as part of their staff development day quite like a non-profit organization does. If you have never encountered a S.W.O.T. Analysis, it stands for:
- S= Strengths
- W= Weaknesses
- O= Opportunities
- T= Threats
Usually a S.W.O.T Anaylsis involves all members of an organization coming together to list items for each category either within small groups or all together. Often an easel is involved and extra large sheets of easel paper. Sometimes gold stars or post-it notes are involved too. Hopefully, everyone walks away from the exercise feeling validated and like the powers that be have a better understanding of what the average Joe’s and Janes in an organization do. The worker bees might come away understanding the bigger picture of what an organization has planned for the future.
Anyway, I thought it might be fun to make up one about the last 40 years of my life and the next 40 years.
Here Are 10 Great Things (Strengths) of the Last 40 Years:
- Getting excited about every single object anyone ever gives you and having it be your favorite thing on the day that it is given to you when you are a child.
- Having friends and relatives come to visit you. Also the excitement of going to a favorite friend or relative’s house.
- Being a child and getting an allowance and knowing that you could spend it mostly on yourself.
- Eating a bowl of Sausage Gravy at the Eat n’ Park Breakfast Buffet without any repercussions.
- Being able to fall asleep when sleeping on the ground in tent or under the stars without aches and pains.
- Getting praise and possible awards from teachers and parents for doing things you are supposed to do like: going to school, homework, studying for tests, and practicing band instrument.
- Getting three months of summer vacation for entire childhood.
- Swimming in the summer and playing in the snow in the winter.
- Binge reading a new Babysitter’s Club book or Christopher Pike book.
- Getting married, having children, and starting own family.
On Monday we will dive into threats (Worst Things) about the last 40 years (don’t worry, mostly they are light and fluffy things, this S.W.O.T Analysis is mostly silly-fun).
I would love to hear more about this strength of “Being able to fall asleep when sleeping on the ground in tent or under the stars without aches and pains.” and she how accurate that strength is at 40. I know I had that strength in 1999, but it no longer exists in 2019!
Exactly, that is why it is a strength. While I am not 40 yet, I know for sure that I don’t have that one anymore. I slept in a tent last weekend and afterwards I thought to myself “I am too old for this.”
I miss the Babysitter’s Club. Happy 40th Birthday! We need to go out an celebrate… even if we have kids in tow.
Thank you Renee!