Coincidentally, the same quote from George Bernard Shaw popped up in my life twice over the last week. It reminded me that the quest to find yourself might not be the right path. Creating yourself may be a better option.

Welcome to the 65^th edition of The Sunday Spark, a series with weekly thoughts and highlights, nuggets of learning, and a decluttering challenge for the week. Along with thoughts on why creating yourself is a better option than finding yourself, this week I share some startling facts about the impact of health illiteracy, and I take on the task of decluttering my medicine cabinet.

On my mind this week: Are you finding or creating yourself?

Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.

George Bernard Shaw

Twice last week, this quote popped up in front of me. The first time was on a paper calendar that I keep on my desk in my home office. The second time it was prominently displayed in my Chicago hotel room.

The first time I saw the quote, I thought about it for a few seconds and carried on with my day. When I saw the quote the second time in the span of a few days, it made me pause and think about these wise words from George Bernard Shaw.

When I was a child, I remember hearing on television shows that someone had “gone off to find themself”. At the time, I never understood what that meant. Now that I’m older, I suppose it means they left their loved ones and familiar surroundings behind in search of meaning or purpose in their life. I’m not exactly sure where they thought they’d find that meaning. Under a rock? In the sound of the ocean waves? In the starry night sky? Or perhaps just in their own thoughts as they reflected on life?

There’s nothing wrong with reflection but, like George Bernard Shaw, I prefer the idea of creating yourself because it makes you an active participant in your own destiny. Instead of searching for something external, it’s about channelling what’s already within you.

Creating yourself with Ikigai

I think that’s one of the reasons I’m a big fan of the Japanese concept of Ikigai. In simple terms, Ikigai is your life’s purpose, and you discover it by analyzing your passions and strengths and matching them with what the world needs. (Read more about Ikigai in this post and in the piece I wrote for Wise & Shine.)

The quote is especially meaningful to me as my retirement date creeps ever closer. (Just 39 days now…but who’s counting?) I believe retirement is an opportunity to create yourself. It’s one of the reasons I certified as a retirement coach. We all have the answers within us. But we have to play an active role in creating that meaning or purpose. Or we run the risk of someone else deciding our fate.

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Three highlights of the week

It’s important to celebrate big milestones and simple pleasures in life. Keeping the trend going, here are three highlights of the week gone by:

• On Monday, the rain held off so I could dry a load of laundry outdoors.
• The weather was mostly nice all week, giving me a chance to enjoy the deck after work on a couple of days. It rained on Friday but I was able to get out to the garden centre and buy the rest of my flowers.
• On Thursday, my daughter Colleen celebrated her 21^st birthday. Unfortunately, she’s still away working out of province, so we didn’t get to celebrate together. She’ll be home on Friday, though, so we’ll see her then.

Things I learned this week

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m an avid lifelong learner. I’m currently taking a Plain Language in Health Literacy course as part of the Simon Fraser University Plan Language Certificate program I put on hold while I completed the Certified Professional Retirement Coach designation. As a result of the coursework, I’m a bit behind on my regular blog and newsletter reading. The course is eye-opening and a little worrisome. I chose three pieces of information to share with you this week:

• Close to three-quarters of American adults had been exposed to inaccurate medical or health information—largely from social media or friends and family.
• In Canada, 60% of individuals over 16, and 88% of adults over 65, lack the capacity to obtain, understand and act on health information and to make appropriate health decisions on their own.
• More than 100,000 Americans die every year from not taking medication as prescribed. That shocking statistic has led to several initiatives to redesign prescription labels, including one from the University of Georgia and another from the University of Wisconsin – Madison School of Pharmacy.

I also learned that Simon Fraser University offers an online Climate Action Certificate program. I might have to explore that one after I wrap up the Plain Language Certificate. My retirement goal list is getting longer every day.  

This week’s decluttering challenge – Medicine cabinet

In 2024, I’ve been revisiting the 52-Week Decluttering Challenge I completed in 2021. This week’s task was decluttering the medicine cabinet, an area that’s often overlooked.

The timing of this week’s decluttering task was coincidental considering the reading I’ve been doing for my Health Literacy course. In total, I was able to declutter 10 items. You can find the details, along with my tips and learnings, in this week’s decluttering post.

If you’d like to join the challenge, visit this post to download your free checklists and jump right in with this week’s task.

I’d love to hear what you think about any of this week’s topics. Drop me a comment below and let me know your thoughts and ideas.