Life changes suck…
Yes, they do. ‘Cuz ya gotta make some tough decisions. And pretend that you’re an adult while you’re doing it.
And then ya gotta live with those decisions.
Do ya know what I mean?
Here’s my story. My Medicare Story – Part I. It’s a story about change.
Hey ! Maybe this is your story. Or your parents’ story.
[**note: see below.]
Here’s where my story begins… It begins March of last year. When I’m gettin’ close to age 65. And BAMM !!! It happens.
* * * * * *
It is happening.
I start getting all…
…all of this Medicare Mail. Yes, the Evil Medicare Mail – 2 to 3 to 4 pieces of unwanted mail per day. It’s just plain annoying.
Hey, I try to be nice. But it’s stuff like this annoying Medicare Mail that keeps America’s GRUMPiest Grandpa just plain grumpy.
So I have the best of intentions. I organize this mail and say to myself, “I’ll set a time to read it all. Make some notes. And then I can make a quality, informed decision.”
Yeah, right ! You already know what I did. I just stacked this mail. This stack of mail gets taller. And taller. I get tired of looking at it. Then I throw it all into the trash.
Have you ever done this?
Then I do it again…
…I do it AGAIN the next week. I organize my mail (with the best of intentions). I stack my mail. The stack of mail gets taller. And…
I do this for one month. And then another month.
After several months of doing this. It’s now decision time.
Does this sound familiar to you?
I mean – the procrastination part.
* * * * * *
My brain feels…
…like a cage full of drunken monkeys with all of their fearful friends. All because of this ONE UNMADE DECISION. They’re bouncing around in my head during the day. And at night. All night long. Chattering and laughing at my indecision. And entertaining themselves by throwing p00p.
Now I’m dealing with a MONSTER unmade decision. That will affect me the rest of my life.
And there is…
…there is a real sense of urgency. Even panic. With time pressure and decision pressure. Exactly what I did NOT want to have. Indecision followed by pressure and panic. Followed by those laughing, taunting monkeys in my head.
* * * * * *
So I did what every self-respecting, procrastinating, fearful person does.
I made a decision without a lot of research. In panic mode. Just made a decision. To use one insurance (which one and why?) company for my Medicare.
Why did I choose this company? Because I checked with ONE person. And that’s the company she uses.
Simple. Decision made. BAMM !!! And off of my mind.
And all of those drunken monkeys (and their friends) went home. Where they belong.
Except for the ones that stayed and kept taunting me about my procrastination. And the haunting thought that maybe I made the wrong decision.
But this is not the end of the story.
* * * * * *
You guessed it. It’s doesn’t end well for me.
Does any of this sound familiar to you?
Have you ever made one of these hasty decisions? After months of procrastination. Only to regret it later?
Yes. Life changes suck.
But that’s not a reason to act out of fear. Or to procrastinate because of fear.
That’s not a good reason to make a decision without doing your homework.
* * * * * *
There’s got to be a better way to make these decisions. To relaunch your life. At any age.
There’s got to be a better way to reboot an old computer. Or an old guy.
* * * * * *
This story is NOT finished. YET.
Stay tuned. This is part of a series. A journey. A story about the pain and agony of change. And some joy.
Or rather a story about how to…
…how to relaunch yourself / reboot yourself / smarter and with less pain and agony. And more joy. How to relaunch at any age.
Let’s rewrite your story.
Because everyone loves a great story. And your story is gonna be one of those.
[**note: create anchor link. use anchor link to redirect from “putting the care back in Medicare dot com” to this blogpost. select the right place and right comments. and my brief medicare story. make the verbiage appropriate for the first contact. and include quick link to “ask Alvin about Medciare dot com” and ask Alvin Weiss @ gmail.com]