The recent death of baseball philosopher Yogi Berra exposed a new generation to his engaging quotes. It’s hard to imagine a baseball star being quoted more often than Winston Churchill! But how do you ignore such statements as, “Baseball is 90% mental, the other half is physical?”

Like many people this week I reviewed a list of his most quoted lines. One of them stuck with me. It’s a kick in the pants reminder for Baby Boomers everywhere: “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

When we enter the third quarter of life we are forced to grapple with new realities.

• We do not have the energy of our youth.
• The young people at work outperform us.
• If you decide to make a career change you discover many businesses are looking to hire a younger person.
• The disappointments of life have added up and weigh you down.
• You have developed a chronic hitch in your get along.
• Bitterness threatens to take a more prominent role in your life.
• Retirement is looking less inviting because you realize your retirement plan really stinks.

This list only scratches the surface of issues we need to face in the third quarter of life.

How do we handle this load? Too many Baby Boomers give up. They tell themselves life is basically over. Now what? The plan is to withdraw, park in front of a TV, and slide into oblivion while nursing regrets of missed opportunities.

Wait just a minute. Yogi Berra would remind you, “It ain’t over till it’s over!” You are still alive. There are opportunities all around you. You can make a meaningful contribution in your corner of the universe..

Remind yourself of people who became huge successes late in life.

• Harland Sanders didn’t make it big with his Kentucky Friend chicken until after 65.
• Ronald Reagan never won an election until he was 55.
• Laura Ingalls Wilder didn’t publish her first book of Little House fame until she was 65.
• Nola Hill Ochs, on May 14,2007 became a Guinness World Record holder as the world’s oldest college graduate. At 95 she graduated from Fort Hays State University in Kansas 77 years after starting her college education.
• And everyone knows of the famous painter Grandma Moses who started at the age of 76.

Listen. Trust me. It ain’t over till it’s over. Even if your life is right now an unimaginable train wreck you do not need to give up. You must NOT crawl into a hole and let the rest of life pass you by. Don’t do it.

Decide you are going to do whatever it takes to make the third quarter of meaningful and fulfilling. How do you get started? Talk to a trusted friend who has been through similiar circumstances but landed on their feet. Read a book on reinventing yourself. Enroll in a class. Find a life coach to help you sort through issues and see the opportunities. Look for a way to volunteer in the area of your expertise.

Here’s a homework question: “What’s the one thing I can do before the day is out to move my life in a positive direction?” Think about it. Make a list of possibilities. Study the list and choose the best idea. Now. Go. Do. That.

It ain’t over till it’s over.

Do you really believe it?

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