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Remember when we boomers were in our thirties and forties? There were all these books about how to be better at living life; they described how to be a better businessperson,
i.e., Stephen Covey’s The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, or how to be happy. The books in the latter category usually describe personal growth. My favorite was You Can’t Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought, by Peter McWilliams. To this day, when I’m having a “negative” moment, I go back to the book and just read a paragraph or two.
All of these books, business and personal, had a common message – grow! So why is it, when we become “old,” “senior,” or “mature,” we tend to think we’re grown up; that there is no more growing to do? The two-minute warning of life is a reminder that now is the time to manage our time more closely than ever before.
We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to use our experience, wisdom, and knowledge to make the most of who we are and what we do as we wait in the departure lounge of life. Clint Eastwood (the actor) once told Toby Keith (the country- western singer) that he was turning eighty-eight. (They were playing golf.) Toby asked him what he was going to do and Clint said, “Shoot a movie.”
Toby asked him, “What keeps you going?” Clint replied, “I get up every day and don’t let the old man in.” THERE IT IS, in a nutshell – “who let the old man/woman in?” YOU DID! Why did you do it? Could it be because you fear change? The book, Who Moved My Cheese, by Dr. Spencer Johnson, is about change behavior. Most people resist change and live their lives in fear of it. Yet, as we age, experience and wisdom tell us that change is often good.
Often, reaching for the low-hanging fruit is enough to give us a step up.
But we boomers must view ourselves as living life, not fearing the changes that MIGHT come with aging. Now is the time to LIVE and to continue to do so until you die because there is no doubt that you will die. It’s never a question of if you die, it’s a question of when.
Do not settle for mere survival when you can seek to THRIVE!! Figure out what you want to do. If it’s starting a new company (which I did), then do it! If it’s spending a month in Italy, do it! If it’s eating bonbons and reading all the books you haven’t had time to read, DO IT! This is when you can be selfish and act on your whims. DO IT!
About Frances Reaves
H. Frances Reaves, Esq. is an estate and Medicaid planning attorney in Miami, FL. She began her career as a litigator/lobbyist. After 15 years in Maryland politics, she moved back to Miami and began her practice, and founded Parent Your Parents, an Elder Advocacy Group. Her inspiration was her parents, whose battle with the ‘elder bureaucratic system’ made clear the pervasive discrimination against elders. Should you have any questions or comments, please contact her at hfrancesr@parentyourparents.
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