Garden Spot Communities Presents: Purpose In Retirement

Poor choices are inevitable in life and should be viewed as stepping stones to better choices, provided you learn something from them. Scott challenges us to consider what moral judgments we carry about ourselves and others, noting that we are often our own worst critics. Reassessing these self-judgments offers new levels of clarity, allowing you to forgive yourself for past mistakes along the way. By noticing and naming these events, they no longer hold tyranny over your life, enabling intentional pivots and shifts.

Marsha Dawson helps us understand that personal transformation is the key to professional success. Marsha started her career as an introvert on the assembly line, sharing that a pivotal part of her story arc was going into sales in the 1970s – forcing her to find her voice. From that moment on, things changed. She gained the grit to stand up for herself and even successfully challenge the company owner speaking up for those around her.

Discover a fundamental life pattern – orientation, disorientation, reorientation. This cycle helps unlock the wisdom in your personal story. Scott Miller, drawing on wisdom literature, explains how this pattern reveals pivot points that cause us to look at life differently. Consider unpacking past difficulty and suffering to understand how you navigated change and reoriented your life, and apply those learnings moving forward.

Alan Dining candidly discusses feeling marginalized as an older person, sometimes thinking "nobody wants to hear my story". Through the wisdom course, he has felt empowered to tell his faith based story, hoping it will resonate with both family and younger generations who are looking to find their purpose.  Want to learn more and dive deeper into what we discussed today?  https://www.gardenspotcommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/5StepsForDigginginYourBasementPT2.pdf

Discover how writing is a crucial method for processing your life experiences when "digging deeper in your basement," allowing memories to surface. By stepping back, questioning these experiences and understanding societal influences, you can can reclaim your agency and see the world from a much different, broader perspective. Want to learn more and dive deeper into what we discussed today? https://www.gardenspotcommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/5StepsForDigginginYourBasement.pdf [https://www.gardenspotcommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/5StepsForDigginginYourBasement.pdf]