LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 14: Jane Goodall attends the premiere of Apple TV+ in Los Angeles … [+]
Did you understand that more people turn 65 day by day in America than are born? And by 2030, there will likely be more people older than 60 than younger than 18? This generation of older people within the developed world is “the longest-lived, wealthiest, healthiest, best-educated and largest older population in history,” says John Izzo, life coach and creator of The five secrets you will need to discover before you die.
I even have been interviewing thought leaders about life and work wisdom for about 10 years. I’m particularly concerned concerning the legacy that the majority seniors will leave behind. After hearing Izzo’s TEDx talk “The decisive moment for a generation in waiting”, I interviewed him for my podcast “Becoming a Sage”.
According to Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, the word “retire” is defined as: “to withdraw from action or danger: retreat; to withdraw, especially for reasons of privacy; to fall back: to withdraw; and to retire from one’s position or occupation.” None of those words seem positive in relation to life. But your retirement could be.
Work takes on a brand new meaning after we are retired. Work could be viewed as a contribution of skills, talents and interests. Instead of claiming, “I’m retired,” I encourage people to share their interests, hobbies and/or passions. Instead of asking people, “What do you do?” I suggest, “What are you interested in or engaged in at the moment?”
It is very important to take heed to your time. Jerry Foster, founding father of the Foster Group, describes in his book LifeFocus: Achieving a lifetime of meaning and influence, As people age, they often select one in every of three paths: enjoyment, indifference, or influence. Enjoyment focuses on consumption and accumulation. Indifference just isn’t knowing what to do. Influence is productivity—making the world a greater place. The latest research from Age wave stated that nearly all of baby boomers consider it more essential to be “useful” than “youthful” in the following stage of life.
Life after your profession often offers more freedom and suppleness which you could use to make meaningful contributions. Izzo explained that we face big challenges: the warming climate, the growing income gap between the wealthy and everybody else, the wars in Europe and the Middle East, and the differences between different generations. These challenges are causing fear and increasing anxiety for many individuals, and this generation of older people has the time, talent, wealth, and political ability to influence how the world treats them.
Throughout history, elders in cultures world wide have been those liable for serious about the long run, passing on their wisdom and making essential decisions nearly as good ancestors for future generations. The best example of that is the Principle of the seventh generationThe Native American tribes imagine within the principle that “our decisions today should take into account the possible benefits or disadvantages that seven future generations will experience.”
Izzo said the critical query for older adults is: How do you must proceed to contribute to the world? We talked about how life after age 50 is usually not about your ego, but about how you may contribute in latest ways. He described how midlife has prolonged in two directions. He advises people of their 30s and 40s who’ve made fortunes by starting and selling a business. Now they’re asking questions that individuals of their 50s and 60s often ask. What do I do now that I even have earned my living? What do I do with my energy, time, talent and treasures?
How can you utilize your wealth, talent and wisdom to reinvent and solve societal problems? How do you concentrate on how your kids will fare and the way your grandchildren will adapt? How are you able to reinvent yourself and help create a greater society? A typical assumption is that as people grow old they grow to be more conservative – protecting what “I” have. We must take into consideration protecting what “we” have.
Retirement doesn’t need to be a time to show inward. It generally is a time to make use of our wisdom to open our hearts and switch outward to make the world a greater place for all of us. Jane Goodallthe legendary environmentalist, put it best: “What you do makes a difference, and you must decide what kind of difference you want to make.” You resolve what legacy you must leave for future generations.
