At a certain age, it gets personal

My wife does birthdays very well. She always has something special for every family member and, especially, our grandchildren. Once a year, whether I like it or not, it's my turn.

When I was born, my grandfather was 66 years old. I began to really get to know him when I was about 9. One thing I knew about him for sure was that he was really, really, really old -- maybe one of the oldest people in the world. He was 75 that year.

Guess what my age will be this year? Now, there is a sober realization. Being older has some advantages. There are some of life's lessons you can't learn unless you live them. Let me share a few of my "truths" with you. Maybe some young person will read this.

Everyone has TALENTS -- special abilities that are uniquely yours. I have them, you have them, all of God's children have them. Some of the best advice I ever received was to "Find out what you are good at and enjoy doing and see if you can get someone to pay you for doing it."

DETERMINATION and its twin, SELF-DISCIPLINE, are key factors in your ability to succeed in life. Some say you either have "it" or you don't. That is an illusion. We have all known many who have major talent, but who did very little with it. In such cases, everyone loses. Determination and self-discipline are imperatives. Make your talents count.

Everyone needs a PASSION -- something that draws your interest and stirs your emotions. Some of my Mizzou friends tell me their blood runs black and gold, and they live and die with the fate of the football team. My son makes his living in the world of insurance, but his passion is ping-pong.

Yes, I said ping-pong, table tennis, the table game with the net and the little ball. He loves the game. It provides his physical conditioning, many of his personal friends and a way to relate to his children as he begins to teach them his passion.

I'm not sure it is possible to have a good life without having CONFIDENCE in yourself. I am talking about developing a strong and abiding "Yes, I can do it!" attitude. Someone smarter than me once said, "If you think you can or if you think you can't, either way you are probably right."

In a few weeks I'm going to hear my six grandchildren sing "Happy Birthday" to someone I'm sure they think is really, really, really old. And I may be, but I don't intend to act like it. Someday they will know the truth.