As Boomers age we must live up to our reputation as an explosive generation. Part of the “unseen Elder” syndrome is our fault. We allow others to treat us as though we’re not relevant, when in fact, we’re the second largest generation (behind Gen Z) with the largest spending power of any generation. How can we possibly allow ourselves to be marginalized – this is not who we are!
The magic word is thrive! Do not buy into the belief that you’re old and “can’t do things like you used to” – in fact, that’s the good news. Think about it: of all the decisions you’ve made in your life, which ones turned out better for you – those you made in your 20s or your 40s? Those you made in your 40s or your 60s? Maturity brings confidence, wisdom, and better decision making. Why is that? Because we’ve had more life experiences! This begets the following question: Why, when we reach “old age,” are so many of us willing to settle for mere survival?
Yes, yes, the studies are correct; as we grow older the memory becomes (a bit) more sluggish; we have memory lapses on easy words or ideas; and multi-tasking is more difficult. Yet, as Dr. Agronin writes in The End of Old Age, these studies don’t take into account all the positives associated with growing older, such as:
- We are more complex, which allows us to pull resources from a myriad of areas.
- Who said that slower = worse? Usually taking time on a project means covering all your bases and it creates a deeper understanding of the task at hand.
- We have age-developed strengths such as wisdom and creativity, which we’re much more willing to deploy to find a solution.
- We know how to compensate! Maybe multiplication and division in our head is slower but our iPhones are always at the ready to help!
All this is to say, we are not “over the hill.” In fact, it is our wisdom and creativity that allow us to seek out new opportunities. As we add years, our wisdom becomes a stabilizing force. During our lives, we experience failures, losses, and heartbreaks, and we grow from each one. Therefore, when a negative event occurs (hurricane, tornado, illness), we can draw on our wisdom to search for a solution without panicking. As a young mother you rush to your first child when he or she falls. By the third child, you yell over to the kid who fell and yell ‘Watch where you’re going!” That is wisdom at work!
So, what is the future? Unending! Remember, when we were (much) younger, we couldn’t trust anyone over 30!! Now we’re over thirty and trust ourselves much more! Let’s move forward, thrive, engage and prove to the other generations that Boomers are still explosive!
A graduate of University of Miami Law School, Frances spent ten years as a litigator/lobbyist. Today, she is an accomplished business woman who, when her parents could no longer take care of themselves, learned the ins and outs of senior care (or the lack thereof). She founded Parent Your Parents to assist seniors and their children through the myriad of pitfalls and options of “senior care” in the 21st century
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