Question-Week ending Sunday 06/08/03:
Regardless of your current age, take a moment "if you can" to reflect back when you were between the ages of 30 to 39 years old. How well would you say you took advantage of the Personal Development Opportunities (PDO's) that were within your reach during those years? Please read our Poll Commentary before taking this poll.
Pre-Poll Commentary:
Not to be repetitive, but here we go again entering yet another decade of choices during the years of 30 to 39 years old. A decade where we are somewhat settled into our habits, relationships and careers, yet still have so many opportunities to change the course of our lives. This is an age level where we still have a high energy level and are so busy, busy, busy.
Many people are so overwhelmed with their daily schedules and commitments and thus find it easy to make excuses and justify why they did not take full advantage of opportunities to grow.
If in fact these opportunities were available to you when you were 30 to 39 years old, how well did you take advantage of them? Keep in mind this is only a sampling. If you engaged in other similar activities, use them in place of this list when voting.
Educational Opportunities
- Did you continue to attend courses, classes, seminars and workshops to improve your career and personal skills?
- Job related seminars and workshops?
- Computer Skills Courses?
- Learning a New Language?
- Investment Classes?
- Religious Classes?
- Dance or Group recreational related courses?
Career Opportunities
- Did you plan and execute well for advancement in your career
- Did your performance justify a steady income improvement during this decade?
- Did you take advantage of key opportunities to earn more money and/or gain more satisfaction in your career?
- Did you move on to a new company if you were not satisfied where you worked?
- Did you have an opportunity to be a business owner and did you take advantage of that opportunity?
Financial Opportunities
- Did you seek financial help and knowledge to become a skillful money manager?
- Did you maintain excellent credit by paying your obligations promptly during this decade?
- Did you purchase a home rather than rent?
- Did you invest time planning and budgeting your expenditures so that you were able to save and soundly invest your assets for the future?
Personal Relationship Opportunities
- Did you maintain good relations with your parents, sisters and brothers?
- Did you establish a long term loving relationship with another significant person in your life?
- Did you respect your significant other and do all you could to develop a flourishing and happy loving relationship?
- Did you start a family of your own and devote the proper time to nourishing your family relationships?
- If you had children, were you present for all the important events in their lives?
Health and Well Being
- Did you avoid the excuse that you are to busy to exercise and stay fit?
- Did you become more conscientious about your eating and drinking habits?
- Did you maintain a schedule of periodic medical and dental checkups?
As we progress in age, our opportunities change. If you are just joining this poll in progress, please take the time to read this series from the Introduction to the Present. I always attempt to make your time investment worthwhile and hope that you will grow from your own reflections of your past.
Let us know in this week's poll, how well you took advantage of those Personal Development Opportunities (PDO's) presented to you when you were between the ages of 30 to 39 years old.
This poll will end on Sunday 06/08/03, when the results will be displayed.
Our polls and commentaries are enjoyed by hundreds of individuals weekly, with previous polls featured in the top ten of search engines like Google and Yahoo.
Results:
- 52% voted taking advantage of 30-39 PDO's Good=85%
- 21% voted taking advantage of 30-39 PDO's Very Good=90%
- 14% voted taking advantage of 30-39 PDO's Excellent=95%
- 11% voted taking advantage of 30-39 PDO's Fair=75%
- 02% voted taking advantage of 30-39 PDO's Poor=65%
Post-Poll Commentary:
More than half of our respondents 52% voted that they only took GOOD Advantage of the PDO's during the ages of 30 to 39 years old. That up from 32% in last weeks poll in the GOOD category. Some of the meltdown came from the EXCELLENT category, which was much higher last week. I would not have guessed these results prior to the poll.
Looking back when I was in my thirties, I was fortunate enough to take advantage of some key opportunities. Like becoming a business owner at age 32 and becoming a father for the third time at age 36. One of my fondest memories was at 38, when I was the head coach of a major league Little League team , which both my sons played on. We were together seven days a week either practicing or playing games. Although it was exhausting for me, I would not trade that experience for anything in the world.
It would have been just as easy to pass on all three of the opportunities I mentioned above. But they all had a dramatic influence on what I have become as a business person, leader and father.
Opportunities are not always in front of your nose for the taking. You sometimes have to seek them out and stuggle to get going. But in most cases, you will be so glad that you did.