Time maybe infinite, but not for the individual.

As youngsters, we are fascinated to learn about the life cycles of frogs and butterflies – especially if it involves watching tadpoles grow legs or a butterfly emerge from a chrysalis. Just as much fun is sharing this experience with your children or grandchildren.

Perhaps not quite as exciting but potentially more valuable is some thought around the human life cycle. Assuming our four score years, we transition from a helpless dependent baby through to ( possibly) a helpless dependent senior! The stages we go through can be characterized in many different ways- but for illustration could be

• Awareness and trust
• Growing, playing and learning
• Skill development and accomplishment
• Maturing and seeking independence
• Partnering and building a life together
• Procreation (generation 1)
• Growing, learning, influencing and teaching
• Supporting and advising
• Peaking
• Retiring
• Preparing for slowing down
• Slowing down – but still supporting ( generations 1 and 2)
• Requiring support
• Dependency
• Becoming a memory

The purpose of this “ tongue in cheek” viewpoint is to acknowledge that our lives are not static. We transition gradually through these stages, hitting milestone birthdays and anniversaries, often reflecting on “where has the time gone”.

At the different stages we need to learn and deploy different skills. Managing a bunch of unionized technicians in a regulated work environment requires a different approach to helping your children find their true vocation. The level of engagement necessary varies depending upon accountability and responsibility or how important the subject is. I am less interested in whether my grandchildren eat broccoli than say how capable they are at mental arithmetic- but in either case it is not my responsibility!

Hopefully, no matter what stage we are in our lives we can be happy, healthy, satisfied and feel valued. Be interesting and interested. As such it is worth thinking about our own personal life cycle and what skills we need to refine and deploy. This is just another aspect of life long learning.