Comments on: Glory Days

By: The Next Dot Bookshelf: The Art of Non-Conformity (and Reincarnation) « The Next Dot.

Sun, 06 May 2012 21:31:51 +0000

[...] of the pieces of the narrative that sticks with me most is Guillebeau’s discussion of “Glory Days.” He writes of the phenomena whereby people rest on the laurels of past experience, and [...]

By: Mark Dowdell

Mark Dowdell — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:31:18 +0000

I’m just starting to realize this day by day. As inspired you may feel about the great times you’ve had doing something (for me it was a recent year living in Germany), no one else can relate 100%. But we talk about it to others as if they would. I caught myself doing it a few days ago, while the guy stared at me with the most bored look on his face.

It’s scary to think that I could become one of those 50 year old guys talking about his good ol’ high school football days. I guess it’s about time to move onto something else, huh?

By: Arun Pal Singh

Arun Pal Singh — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 01:44:31 +0000

I think it is important to look for new challenges and keep raising the bar.

Moment you stop doing that, you start looking back to find your best.

After the celebrations of achievement are over, a new journey must begin.

By: Halim

Halim — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:24:48 +0000

Hi Chris… I just stumbled upon this post.

By far, among the best blog entries I have ever read on your site!

Thank you for this insight. You have no idea how much I needed it.

Carpe diem!~

By: Rossi Stoyanova

Rossi Stoyanova — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:40:50 +0000

I wouldn’t call it exactly “glory days” but I was an exchange student and lived for 6 months abroad. When I came back that was pretty much all I was talking about and I was surprised and a little sad when I found out that most people, including very close friends, didn’t care to listen or understand me. It was also hard to accpet that I may never see again some of the wonderful people I met there. I think that putting all my thoughts and feeling in writing is what helped me. I realised that there are still so many great places to discover and so many people to meet. I started searching for new possibilities and found new things to focus on, which really matter for me and I’m excited about.

By: Katana Barnett

Katana Barnett — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 07:10:32 +0000

Hmm… I read this when you first sent it out in your newsletter (great value by the way- I always enjoy getting it!)

I wanted a bit of time to think about it, because I agree with what you’re saying, but I have a few comments to make.

1. I had the pleasure of listening to an american soldier of some kind (not sure) talk about the sacrifices he’d made for his country and how his son had followed in his footsteps. He had both my friend and I in tears by the end of our dinner (a random pairing on a train car). So your introduction brought up this memory for me and so I felt a little perturbed. I think people who’ve been through the trauma of war have been through so much that to use them as an object lesson for glory days trivializes that experience more than I am comfortable with. I think I may be making more of this than it warrants, but I wanted to point that out.

2. Glory Days is an extreme form of something that most people have even if they’ve accomplished nothing: always preferring to talk about themselves. I like how you keep a focus on your writing, always encouraging us to get up and get going!

Thanks for always thoughtful and encouraging posts!

By: Summer Foovay

Summer Foovay — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 16:50:58 +0000

As always, your post made me think. I don’t really have what I would consider “glory days” – but then again, there was a time in my life when I was highly respected and in demand in my work – not to mention making considerably more than I am now. I miss being that person. But it also got me to thinking. Those days came to me as a gift, based on a talent that I had always considered little more than a hobby. Today I am working on creating new glory days based on a talent that I’ve always believed had the potential to be a living. The article brought a new perspective, and a new hope. Thank you.

By: Audrey

Audrey — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 16:43:21 +0000

I read this post a few days ago and have been thinking about my own behaviors and those of people close to me. I’ve been fortunate (and I don’t say lucky because these opportunities did not fall into my lap – I had to work hard for them) to go through several “Glory Days” in my relatively short life. In retrospect, I realize that each time one of these experiences ended I spoke about them in a disproportionate amount – it’s the fear that you’ll never have as exciting a time again and insecurity in the present.

I’ve started noticing this behavior in other people during a recent visit home to the States. It gave my husband and I pause because we recognized similar habit in ourselves and we realized that we never want to be “done”. People talk about retiring and delaying “glory days” until retirement, but we want to continually push new limits throughout our days. And, if the present isn’t exciting enough that you always have to look to the past then it’s time to make some changes.

Perhaps the best example of this is an 84-year old woman who just joined the Peace Corps. She talked about her application process helping to reevaluate her life and set future life goals. I want that to be me.

By: Wyman

Wyman — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:25:50 +0000

I agree that we need to dream and talk of the present and future . I also think there is nothing wrong with reminiscing of the great events of the past. If we are good listener’s the other person may ask about your past and want to hear about it.

Chris, I wish you would write a book or series of reports about your African experience. It would be helpful in knowing what to do to help Africa now. That is the value of lessons of the past.

By: Carl Nelson

Carl Nelson — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 04:55:27 +0000

Reliving your glory days is definitely something that can be nice on rare occasions with old friends, but it is so much nicer to live the day as it unfolds.

I just recently wrote about a post about being engaged in life and one of the most important parts of that is living now. It can be so easy to slip into reminiscing of the past whether it haunts you or energizes you, but it never ceases to amaze me how much living at this moment enriches my life so much more.

This quote that I’m pulling out is really great: “I’d better be faithful with everything I’ve been given, damn it. Life is good, and I want the future to be better than the past.”

When I feel that urge to reminisce (or mope about the past) I work to break out of it often by performing a physical activity that takes me out of my head, my favorite these days is calligraphy. The diligence and mindfulness it takes to scribe the letters over and over again ends in a nice flow where I come out feeling energized and extremely present.