Hello Old Friend, I Missed You | My Love Affair with My Franklin Planner, Rekindled.

Most of us have a few office items we keep around that have come to mean more than the function they serve in our routines. Sometimes, when we make a major switch in our lifestyle, these items don’t come along with us. In a lot of cases, it’s good riddance. In other cases, the items come back to us at just the right time. For me, the item that has found a renewed place in my life is my Franklin Planner.

When I left my corporate job, I left a lot of friends behind.

I left the corporate world in 2017 and I left many good friends behind. One of them was my Franklin Planner. I threw away years and years of binders, calendars, schedules, notes and memories. I kept the notebook that housed it all on a daily and monthly basis. These days I keep an electronic calendar and have realized the notes I take are everywhere. My continuing education is one one legal pad and folder. Weekly marketing calls are on another pad and in another folder. When I go to look for it, I can’t find anything. I also have my daily affirmations and gratitude. That’s in another place.

I went looking for a clean legal pad and found a friend

I was getting ready for a meeting and went to my neatly organized office supply bin. And there it was. Calling me back. My Franklin Planner notebook. It was empty of the calendar and pages, but filled with memories. An important memory that jumped into my mind: This planner gives me the ability to find all the information I need in one place. I can’t remember why I gave up this system. I immediately ordered a new one. It seemed to take forever to arrive, which gave me time to look through more memories.

Here’s what else I found:

1. A game of “corporate lingo bingo” from the 1990’s
2. A prayer card from the funeral of my beloved friend Boo Weiland who died in 2012.
3. The page from the calendar my dear dog Hannah appeared on Thursday, October 14, year unknown.
4. My SHRM membership card from 1999-maybe the hardest exam I ever took right up until I passed the National Home Inspector Certification in 2020.
5. I saw a psychic a few times.  All those notes were in this notebook.
6. The goals I set back in the 1990’s written in the present. The law of  attraction before I knew what that meant. I am fit. I eat nutritionally. I am a knowledgeable Jew who is an adult Bat Mitzvah. I pursue my interests. I am self affirming.

What’s next? It’s mid life, baby! Time for some fun.

I see the future in my siblings and older friends. I see moving into my 60s as the decade for planning all kinds of fun things. For my husband Herb, he plans to retire in his 60s, so that’s coming up quickly even if he waits until 69. I’ll likely stop doing art shows with my creative jewelry business in my 60s. It’s great and also a ton of physical work, so maybe I won’t feel like doing that too far into my 60s. I intended to start UNSTUCK Coaching in my 60s and got several years head start thanks to COVID. I’m grateful for that unexpected opportunity. 

I’ll get started by celebrating our “On Average 60th” Birthday

I turn 59 in November. Herb will turn 61 in December. We are heading to Tucson late this year to celebrate our “On Average 60th” with a week of friends, hiking, sightseeing, and total chillaxing. I am committed to using the law of attraction to celebrate the next decade. A few more wrinkles, a bit less energy and celebrating my grey hair will NOT be how I define my 60s.

Join my mailing list to stay tuned for what comes next. And if you are excited about imagining your life’s possibilities — with the help of your old planner or not — schedule a free sample coaching session today!