Jann's Blog: Positively Aging

Welcome to the Zoomer Movement!

With more than 75 million U. S. baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), they set the rules. Boomers defined how Americans approached their working years and now they are out to change the rules on how to live the rest of our lives. David Demko, a gerontologist, is referring to this time as the Zoomer Movement which is out to redefine how people in their fifties and beyond visualize retirement, work, lifespan, and meaning. Basically, retiring the word "retirement" and creating a whole new vision for living out our lives. Demko says:

Image via Wikipedia

"The Zoomer culture isn't about denying that we're entering the second half-century of life, it's about viewing this period as a rich opportunity for personal growth."

Demko is the author of Zoomer Boomer: Stop Acting Your Age, Start Living Your Life. "It's a second chance to achieve fulfillment in ways you didn't earlier, to reinvent the prime of life."

Interestingly, a recent study on the mindset of boomers by the Natural Marketing Institute (nmisolutions.com) found that 77 percent of women in the category and 68 percent of men believe the best years of their life are still ahead and 61 percent of men and 53 percent of women aspire to live to age 100.

So what are we going to do with our time? How will we live out our long lives?

I am passionate about helping people figure this out. For some, the path is intuitive and life just happens. But for most of us, it is worth investing the time and energy into figuring out what to do with the rest of our lives. It can be a period of growth, excitement, and fulfillment. But it is not a guarantee.

Be proactive. I am.

Posted by Jann Freed on February 26, 2010 in Leadership, Life Renewal, Living Life, Positively Aging, Sage-ing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

What is your legacy?

Most of us think about our legacy at the end of our careers. But I just read Your Leadership Legacy by Robert Galford and Regina Maruca and they advocate the sooner we think about legacy the better. Legacy work is one of the primary components of sage-ing. If we feel as if our life matters and is fulfilled than it we look forward to getting older instead of fighting. We don't worry about wrinkles when we are focused on making a difference.

Galford and Maruca talk about how legacy thinking is forward thinking. We should be always aware of the difference we are making to those around us. With every decision we make or do not make, we are leaving a legacy.

Cover via Amazon

Professional athletes have an advantage in that they are forced to think about retirement at a much earlier age. In doing so, the legacy athletes leave is often a reflection of the stories emphasized by the media.

Kurt Warner just announced his retirement and since he is a local hero people in Iowa paid attention. In fact, Warner said he knows what he wants his legacy to be:

"It's not the way I threw the football, it's not particular games that I won, but that they remember that here's a guy that believed, that worked hard," he said. "Although things didn't always go in his favor, he continued to press through, and with his faith in himself and his faith in God, he was able to accomplish great things."

Warner was stocking shelves in a grocery store when the Iowa Barnstormers discovered him. At that time, he would volunteer time in the elementary schools and my twin sons used to throw the football with him never dreaming that they were playing with a future star of the NFL.

Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner in their book A Leader's Legacy summarize it this way: “The legacy you leave is the life you lead.” Warner is a great story because of the authentic life he led. We can learn from his grace and generosity. He wanted to go out on top and he is doing that. Now it will be fun to see what else he accomplishes with his life.

What is your legacy?

Posted by Jann Freed on February 22, 2010 in Leadership, Life Sages, Living Life, Positively Aging, Sage-ing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Remembering a Love Story

Cover of Love Story

"Love means never having to say you're sorry." If you are a baby boomer, you know exactly the movie from which this line comes: Love Story. This movie from 1970 earned seven Academy Award nominations and made Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw superstars. They were the Brad and Angelina of today.

The movie Love Story was based on the novel by the same name written by Erich Segal, a Yale classics professor's first novel. Segal just died in January of this year (January 17, 2010), but he will always be remembered for this book that spent more than a year on the New York Times hard-cover best seller list. Both the book and the movie swept the country.

I remember exactly where I was in life when this movie came out. I was in high school and we went as a family to the nearest theater and it was common for the line to be wrapped around the block with people waiting in line to get into the movie for weeks. Ali MacGraw was setting the fashion trend because she was so popular. In fact, my grandmother knitted me several hats that looked exactly like Ali's in Love Story.

Now Ali MacGraw is 71 and that is hard to believe. I read an article about her recently that talked about her journey in which she said, "Every life experience makes us who we are. I don't regret anything." And in many ways, her life has not been easy, but it has been interesting.

Ali described how at her last birthday, almost every man from her past called her:

"That's another thing that getting older really cements: ex-lover, ex-husband, child, girlfriends, gay friends--that gaggle of human beings is a gift. Time is really precious now. I have too many books I haven't read and too much music I haven't listened to and too many long distance calls with people I don't get to see. So I get up very early, at 6:30. I am disciplined, in many ways. And--this will sound Pollyanna-ish--but gratitude is where I start."

Great words from a woman who is becoming a sage on her terms. She charmed us in the 1970s and she continues to charm me in her 70s.

For Valentine's Day and in honor of Erich Segal, I am including one of my all-time favorite movie scenes from Love Story:

Posted by Jann Freed on February 14, 2010 in Life Renewal, Living Life, Positively Aging, Sage-ing | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Life is Complicated

The other night we went to the movie It's Complicated. Talk about the perfect baby boomer movie! Jane (Meryl Streep) has an affair with her ex-husband Jake (Alec Baldwin) and spends the movie trying to process why she is doing it, if she should be doing this, and what to do next. It was interesting to watch the crowd leave the theater at the end because it looked as if everyone there fit into the baby boomer generation.

The movie made me laugh out loud and it made me tear up. A friend told me once that the sign of a good movie is that it can bring out all kinds of emotions--make you glad and make you sad. This movie did exactly that. It was as if I could put names of people I know on all of the faces in the movie.

But what struck me the most was how it reflected and emphasized that life is complicated. There are no easy answers, but we need to realize the transitions of life that we go through and continue to go through as we gain in life experiences. For a couple to stay together, it seems critical that both people are knowledgeable about these transitions in order to grow together.

The more life experience I have, the more I understand the phrase "they grew apart." It is hard to stay on the same "railroad tracks" and going in the same direction unless some serious "inner work" takes place by both people.

Image via Wikipedia

Sage-ing (positively aging, consciously aging, growing in wisdom) involves processing life experiences and sharing those experiences with people you care about and who care about you. It seems as if so many movies are being made about the topic of aging (i.e.The Wrestler, Crazy Heart) and how to do it right. Several movies show the struggle of not being able to do what we used to do or the character is an underdog--washed up and regretful of the past.

Life is complicated. But we need to remember to "be here now."

When will we have more time than we have right now?

What if the rest of life is the best of life?

Did you see It's Complicated?

What did you think?

Posted by Jann Freed on February 12, 2010 in Living Life, Positively Aging, Sage-ing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Happiness Series

Since PBS had a series on The Emotional Life and I am reading the book Healing the Culture: A Commonsense Philosophy of Happiness, Freedom and the Life Issues by Robert Spitzer, I thought I would have a blog series on happiness to share with you what I am learning. NPR had a segment about the series which brought this to my attention.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

One finding I found interesting had to do with aging. According to Daniel Gilbert, a professor of psychology at Harvard and author of the book Stumbling on Happiness:

"The fact is that when you measure happiness, if you hold constant physical health, people only get happier over time. This is very important. When we think of old people being unhappy, we're almost always thinking of old people whose health is failing.

But it turns out, when your health fails at any age, you're unhappy. Older people tend to be unhappier than younger people only because they're in poorer health. As long as they aren't in bad health, they're actually happier."

This research is consistent with sage-ing work, but I would add some qualifiers such as facing one's mortality, embracing aging, focusing on relationships, and legacy work. These activities, which take time and effort, help us shift the paradigm from aging to sage-ing which is a key to happiness.

What makes you happy?

Is anyone out there reading? If so, tell me what you think makes people happy, particular as we gain in years of life experience.

Cover via Amazon

Posted by Jann Freed on January 30, 2010 in Leadership, Life Renewal, Living Life, Positively Aging, Sage-ing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Blue Zones: Ways to Increase Longevity

It is one thing to live a long time. But the quality of life is probably more important. Becoming a sage is a journey to a quality life. Dan Buettner is on a mission to to help people live quality lives for the rest of their lives. Through his research, he has learned things that he is using to help transform communities. He has developed a program to help people eat better, become more active, connect with one another, and find a greater sense of purpose. These four things he believes lie at the heart of improved health and longevity--something he calls Blue Zones. These zones are unique regions where people have the world's longest life spans.

According to Buettner, there are nine easy ways to boost longevity:

1. Keep moving--Find ways to be active.

2. Find purpose--Find it and pursue it with a passion (See Richard Leider)

3. Slow down--Work less and take more vacations.

Cover via Amazon

4. Stop eating--When you are 80% full.

5. Dine on plants--Eat more veggies and less meat and processed foods.

6. Drink red wine--Only in moderation.

7. Join a club--Social networks are important.

8. Feed your soul--Spiritual activities are essential.

9. Love your tribe--Make family a priority.

While this list may sound as if it were common sense, it is based on research. If you want to know more about how you might score, go to Vitality Projectat aarp.org/bluezonesproject.

If we are going to live a long time, we might as well live a quality life. Sage-ing is better than just aging.

Posted by Jann Freed on January 24, 2010 in Life Renewal, Living Life, Positively Aging, Sage-ing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Jimmy Carter is a Sage--for sure

As a member of the Elder Council, Jimmy Cater is already recognized as a sage. He is a great role model for what it means to grow into a sage. On a recent trip, I was reading the Delta Sky magazine which included an article about Carter.

Image via Wikipedia

It reminded us that most people at age 85 are either mastering the Sunday crossword puzzle, golfing, lunching with friends, or finding some way to pass the time. "Unless we get out ideas about retirement from Carter, in which case we don't even acknowledge the existence of such a word."

As most of you remember, Cater was president from 1977 to 1981 and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for decades working for peace, democracy, and human rights. During the past year, Carter has been to more than a dozen countries. He is now working to fight malaria in Haiti and monitoring elections in Lebanon with The Carter Center. He builds homes with Habitat for Humanity. In addition, he is a painter; he has written 24 books; he teaches Sunday school at a Baptist church in Plains, Georgia. He also spends time with his four kids, 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

In essence, Carter understands that to keep living you have to keep growing, learning, and giving back. He realizes that value of leaving a legacy and continuing to work in that direction. Carter is the perfect example of what sag-ing is all about.

While having good health is a benefit, we can all find ways to incorporate these concepts into our lives in order to live a quality life for the rest of our life.

I am on a mission to retire the word "retirement." As with so many of the examples about which I like to blog, there is a trend for a new model of life after major career. Call it recareering or transitioning or living the next phase. Regardless of what we call it, we need to think about how we want to live the third chapter of life. And the sooner we think about this the better.

Posted by Jann Freed on January 22, 2010 in Leadership, Life Renewal, Living Life, Positively Aging, Sage-ing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

A Booming Career in her 90s!

In a recent New York Times, there was a fascinating article about Carmen Herrera, a painter who is now gaining recognition at age 94. Even though she has been privately painting for more than six decades, she sold her first painting at 89. Her style is considered a minimalist who paints geometric art. Her larger works sell for $30,000 abd one painting even brought her $44,000 to which Herrera said, "I have more money now than I ever had in my life."

But what caught my attention was Herrera's comments that resonate with sage-ing principles. She continues to learn, to create, and to live life to its fullest:

"I do it [art] because I have to do it; it's a compulsion that also gives me pleasure. I never in my life had any idea of money and I thought fame was a very vulgar thing. So I just worked and waited. And at the end of my life, I'm getting a lot of recognition, to my amazement and my pleasure, actually."

This story reminds me of a comment made by a participant in one of my seminars. We were talking about sage-ing and growing in wisdom. A woman spoke up and said that her grandmother figured out how to do this years ago and served as her inspiration. She asked her grandmother where she learned how to live and the response was memorable. Her grandmother told her that throughout her life she always looked for role models (people who were living in healthy and admirable ways) who were about 10 years older than she about every 10 years. So she always had someone leading the way.

How inspiring to read about people such as Herrera who just kept on a healthy path for all of the right reasons. We should all be so fortunate to have our health and to keep moving on down the "path."

Do you know someone who inspires you as Carmen Herrera?

Posted by Jann Freed on January 19, 2010 in Life Renewal, Life Sages, Living Life, Positively Aging, Sage-ing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Clint Eastwood Turns 80!

Clint Eastwood is a sage. In May, Eastwood turns 80 and he is as active now as ever. He understands the value of continual learning and mixing it up with people of all ages. In his own words:

Image via Wikipedia

"I'm always trying to tackle subjects that tax me and make me think. The brain has to be exercised the same as the rest of the body."

He believes the never-too-old-to-learn philosophy is critical at this stage in life. "Follow what you think. You want to do something? Just do it the best you can, whatever that is. I'm not saying everyone make a phenomenal thing. But you can fail on your own terms."

In the interview I read, Eastwood savors life.

"You don't have to rush down the hill. you can walk down. The main things is not how long you're on the planet, but the quality you have while you're here. That was always the only thing that really mattered."

It is almost as if Eastwood has read a book on sage-ing. He intuitively understands the differences between sage-ing and aging.

"My dad was always talking about retiring and sitting next to a stream with a couple of beers in his hand. Sounds like a commercial, but retirement is not for me ... The reason I don't retire is that I learn something new every day. It's about expanding, constantly pushing yourself."

Eastwood is a great example of the importance of exercising the mind and body. Instead of retiring, he realizes that the key to a quality life is to keep learning and pushing oneself at whatever level possible. I would say at 80, Eastwood is inspiring.

We should all be so fortunate. But as pointed out above, there is work involved and the results are worth it.

How come some people understand this naturally and others just don't get it?

I think the answer may be intentional decision making, being awake, and not sleep walking through life.

What do you think?

Posted by Jann Freed on January 16, 2010 in Life Sages, Living Life, Positively Aging, Sage-ing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Meryl Streep as Sage

Meryl Streep is well known. She is the recipient of two Academy Awards as well as 15 Oscar nominations and 23 Golden Globe nominations. This is more than any other actor in the history of either award. But Streep finds the fact that she is still working unbelievable.

Meryl Streep via last.fm

In a cover story article in Vanity Fair, Streep said the following:

"It's incredible--I'm 60, and I'm playing the romantic lead in romantic comedies! ... Bette Davis is rolling over in her grave. She was 42 when she did All About Eve, and she was 54 when she did What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?"

When Streep was preparing to be Julia Child in Julie and Julia, she was constantly amazed that when Julia Child's famous book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, was published Child was almost 50 years old. "So she didn't really become 'Julia Child' until she was 50."

Brigitte Lacombe, French photographer, has taken photos of Streep for more than three decades. She thinks Streep's power comes from fighting the pressures put on by society about aging.

As Streep ages, she refuses to alter her face with cosmetic surgery of Botox. "If you start to do something lie that, it's very hard to stop," said Lacombe. "If you understand that what makes your work good is not the way you look, as you grow older, you take different parts. It's like women in real life who want to hang on to a certain part of their life and to look younger. they miss every other stage of their life. To try to stop the time, to look young--it's such a futile, absurd way to look at life in general, and it's very detrimental to their work.

They may think that it prolongs their work, and maybe they might get one or two parts more, but their face is their tool, and also what they understand about life, what they go through in life. If you alter it, you deprive yourself of some of what you need to do your work well."

Sage-ing is all about appreciating where you are in life and making the most of it. The journey of becoming a sage involves accepting life and reflecting on life experience in order to gain wisdom to pass on to others in the form of a legacy. Being comfortable in one's skin is always the best way to live.

I have seen celebrity speakers who could barely smile because of alterations to their faces. In fact, one person kept putting her hands in front of her face when she laughed because I think she was embarrassed that she no longer looked like the video being shown of her from past movies.

While I am sure it is tempting to want to halt the signs of time, sage-ing is about acceptance and appreciation. This reminds me of a quote remembered from a long time ago (went something such as this):

"Face lines remind me that I showed some expressions during my life."

As Streep concluded:

"As there begins to be less time ahead of you, you want to be exactly who you are ..."

I agree with this.

Posted by Jann Freed on January 06, 2010 in Life Sages, Living Life, Positively Aging, Sage-ing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Jann's Blog

Positively Aging

Welcome to the Zoomer Movement!

What is your legacy?

Remembering a Love Story

Life is Complicated

Happiness Series

Blue Zones: Ways to Increase Longevity

Jimmy Carter is a Sage--for sure

A Booming Career in her 90s!

Clint Eastwood Turns 80!

Meryl Streep as Sage

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