Many who are old may wish they were young again.
Then again, others would rather not either relive their past, or be young in this day and age.
Reporter Kerry Hannon wrote an article on aging in the June 29, 2014, edition of USA Today.
Paul Irving, president of the Milken Institute, has a collection of essays on aging from experts across America, titled “The Upside of Aging: Long Life Is Changing the World of Health, Work, Innovation, Policy and Purpose.” Hannon used these essays to source the article.
“The common spine of their discussions is finding creative solutions to a range of issues from age-friendly housing alternatives and transportation systems to lifelong learning and socially focused encore careers,” Hannon writes.
Let’s start our discussion by paraphrasing baseball great Satchel Paige: “how old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?”
Would you want to be 30 again? How about 20? If you are in those age groups, you’ll think about this later in life. Prepare now to live a good, long life and be healthy, wealthy and wise.
If you are somewhat older, closer to retirement, how do you feel about your job? Does it give you any pleasure? Are you counting the days when you could retire?
“Every person will have the opportunity to be ‘right’ for his or her personalized aging,” writes Pinchas Cohen, dean of the USC-Davis School of Gerontology. In other words, we won’t all age the same way. Some of us will have different health challenges. Some of us will work until we die – here’s hoping that you love your work that much. Still, others will struggle financially and others will struggle to find enough to do when they stop working.
Many will feel forced into a situation that they had no control over, i.e. their employer “retires” them before they wanted to go. Though we can’t control those situations, we can control how we proceed after something happens.
The one advantage to being young today is having the time to plan to get older. We can’t anticipate every curve ball someone will throw, but we can have the ability to either catch it, or hit it out of the park when it comes our way. Everyone should presume to be thrown curve balls at inconvenient times.
Those with less time to plan may have to start from scratch at an age at which one should relax. There are many ways out there in which one can start from scratch, no matter what age he is now. To check out one of the best, visit www.bign.com/pbilodeau. You may see a good financial future, that can also give you time to enjoy what you love.
So don’t dread aging – embrace it. Don’t waste time and energy thinking how good life was years ago. Anticipate how good life will be years from now.
We all have different views of the past, and have different ideas for the future. Remember your past fondly, but look with great optimism to the future.
Most of us will live a good, long life. Prepare now for how you will pay for it, how you want to feel as you live it and, most importantly, how you want to enjoy it.
Peter
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GETTING OLDER? REIMAGINE YOUR LIFE
When we look at Jane Pauley, we think she has had a good life.
After all, she was the co-host of the “ Today” show and “Dateline NBC.” But, at age 63, her life is not done.
Pauley has written a book titled, “Life Calling: Reimagining the Rest of Your Life.” Reporter Kerry Hannon discussed the book in a Feb. 5, 2014, article in USA Today.
The book encourages Baby Boomers to look at life anew as they move into their 50s and 60s. Pauley’s book takes a look at career paths others have taken in the belief that you will learn from their stories, Hannon writes.
We are living longer. We are getting older. But that doesn’t mean we should think about packing it in, heading to the rocking chair and await death.
Sure, some employers are downsizing. Some see older workers as expensive and less productive, despite their experience. Perhaps you’ve reached your 50s or 60s, and your employer has said goodbye to you.
But Pauley’s book looks at that as a second chance. “We’ve been given a second chance – to do the thing we’d always wanted to do, or never had a chance before to do, or never imagined we could. I think of these as ‘trying times,’ a time to try new things,” Hannon quotes from Pauley’s book.
So getting the boot from your employer could be the best thing that ever happened to you, if you choose to look at it that way. Perhaps the message was to pursue your dream, spend more time on a favorite hobby – perhaps even turn it into an income stream.
You see, it’s not about circumstances, because most circumstances are out of your control. But you have absolute control over how you respond to those circumstances.
Getting older is one such circumstance. You can’t do anything to stop it. You can’t relive what was, in your mind, the best time of your life. You need to train your mind to believe that the best years of your life are ahead.
So what’s ahead for you, if you have passed the half-century mark of life? Perhaps it is starting your own business. Perhaps it is going back to school. Perhaps it is enjoying your children and grandchildren.
Whatever you decide, do it with joy. Do it knowing that the past has passed, and the future is bright.
Of course, some of you may not know what you will do next. Don’t approach that with angst. Approach it with optimism. Keep looking for the opportunity to be inspired. There are lots of great opportunities out there. For one of the best, visit www.bign.com/pbilodeau. You’ll see a bunch of happy people of all ages pursuing their dreams.
Some people get bored in retirement. Others use retirement to pursue things they’ve always wanted to. Retirement is not a precursor to death. It can be an impetus for a new life.
Remember, too, that it may take time to find that new life. It took Pauley four years, Hannon writes. It’s been said that it’s not the success that matters. It’s the journey.
It also goes for younger people who find themselves at a crossroads – between jobs or downsized out. The modern world encourages constant invention and reinvention. You can accept circumstances as fate and die, or you can accept circumstances as another opportunity for reinvention.
As you get older, you can find a new you.
Peter