Baby boomer retirement looming? Here now? Already in full swing? Why is it that the retirement age is 65?
The Myth of 65
If you’ve heard the stories that attribute this to Germany’s Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, that’s not actually true. But that’s another story.[1]
Author, Reid Lance Rosenthal & LeAura Alderson. Reid published the first novel in his Thread’s West series of Historical Western Romance novels in 2010 at age 57.
Author, Reid Lance Rosenthal & LeAura Alderson. Reid published his first novel, the first in his Thread’s West series of Historical Western Romance novels in 2010 at age 57. Now he’s working on book 4, all while running and managing multiple ranches as a fourth generation rancher. [1]
So who decided that? Do you know? What happens at or close to age 65 that causes the sudden decline in work-ability, marketability, growth, significance, and contribution?
And, do you believe it?
Similarly, why is it and who decided that we needed to wait virtually 65 years to really get on with work we love, or with what it is we believe we’re here to do?
If you’re still not sure what it is that you’re really here to do, you’re in the right place to explore more of what it could be… what it is that you might choose for it to be. For some, it may be one specific thing.[1] For others, it may be a steady progression of things, each horizon of opportunity arising out of the other.
Our purpose is the “why” not the “what”.
Baby Boomer Job Opportunities
Author John Tarnoff wrote the book on Boomer Reinvention after earning his degree in Psychology at age 50.
Our purpose, passion and interests can have many different vehicles of expressions.
You can be sure that for any profession or job you’ve worked, there are new opportunities to level up into something new in today’s world. Even if what you decide to do next is completely unrelated, it is your foundation of experience to draw upon. Remember how Steve Jobs was inspired to create Apple’s elegant interface after a class in calligraphy.
Numbers? Math? Accountant background? Let’s say your passion is numbers. Perhaps you’ve been a CPA, or a math teacher or a bookkeeper or an engineer. You may find new vista of intrigue and interest in learning the online world of website analytics and decide to invest in “online properties”, or acquire an analytics skill that’s marketable as a consultant to website owners.
Nursing Background? What if you were a nurse, now retired? You might create a course for nurses, or those seeking a nursing career. There are of course traveling nurse openings for those with a goal of travel. How cool… travel while earning!
Teacher? There are so many tutoring, course and specialty opportunities for teachers, independent of any school system. There are an increasing number of people engaged in homeschooling, alternative education and even establishing private schooling groups amongst their friends who need good teacher influence.
Mom? If your biggest “career” experience was being a stay-at-home-mom, then you are highly qualified to be many things and serve in many career positions. First off and foremost, should you be so inclined, you’re qualified to start your own business.
Running a household is like running a company or being a project manager. Stay-at-home-moms wear many hats and have learned how to manage others, mediate, keep the peace, plan, organize, budget, problem solve, teach, tutor, chauffeur, follow instructions, events manager, facilitate, entertain and even thrive amidst chaos.
Mom’s are immensely qualified to be project managers.
The Sky’s no Limit
In today’s proliferation of quality education online (yes, you have to sift through some junk stuff to get to the good), we can become trained and educated in any area of endeavor we may be interested in.
There are certifications we can invest in that leave us qualified to offer professional services in so many areas of the online world. Many of these jobs we can do from our computers from anywhere in the world, and we can learn it in just weeks in many cases and hone it over months.
If you’re a builder or architect for instance, you might be intrigued to know that we (my husband, Coleman Alderson and I), built a vacation villa as an investment property in Costa Rica that turned out to be an amazing and inspiring experience.
We built a villa in Costa Rica… about 80% via Skype.
LeAura Alderson, on the job with builder/architect, Carlos Arias in Costa Rica. Along with her husband Coleman Alderson (not pictured here), enjoying the adventure of building a villa in Costa Rica in 2009; age 50.
We’re also growing online businesses, including this website, with a long list of other areas of interest and endeavor. Now, in our 50’s and 60’s, we feel like we’re just getting started! Coleman is working on his second novel in a trilogy, and every day we’re thrilled to be creating, collaborating and contributing.
So… Retirement at 65 is a myth. Something manufactured, created, decided by others.
To put it mildly, this is a myth.
To state it boldly, it’s a lie.
All of it.
Unless… unless we believe it, and in that case, it is true for us, because as you probably know by now:
What we believe becomes our reality.
If you’re 65 or older, congratulations for attaining these hallmark years and—in particular—for pursuing continued excellence. If you’re here reading this, it’s because you are on a journey of discovery in pursuit of excellence; your own best self. We’re avid fans of the “learner mindset“.
“I’ve never thought of work as work and play as play; to me, it’s all living and learning. The way I see it, life is all about striving and growing. I never want to have made it; I want to continue making it!” Richard Branson
Even if you’re only now embarking on this chapter of your life. There is no better time than now. Now is all we really have.
Carpe momentum.
LeAura Alderson, first time stand-up board surfing, Costa Rica, 2013, age 54.
Wisdom Needed
In ages past… perhaps a few generations, and still in some countries and tribes, elders were revered and respected, simply because of their age. Societies understood there is experience from living and learning that should be passed on so the younger generations could build upon the wisdom of their elders. In this way, the progress of a civilization is more certain to progress in a positive and growth-oriented direction.
Today is different. Youth and beauty is worshiped before age, and in the generation gap—more like a chasm—created by the high tech, youth worshipping onscreen world, the quieter voices of wisdom are often missed.
But all we need to do is tune into the news to recognize that the world needs the wisdom of elders now more than ever.
The world needs you. The world needs us to engage rather than retire.
What our youth and beauty focused society has forgotten, is the eternal beauty of wisdom and the hidden riches of experience.
We all see the national and global economic concerns in the media today, and there’s much fear and constriction around scarcity and collapse. It’s no doubt there are many problems to resolve in virtually every aspect of our world today. But here’s what’s equally true though less visible until we start looking for it and associating with it:
There are more opportunities today than at any other time in human history.
And… we believe there is more goodness today than at any other time in history.
The Alderson Family on an educational real estate investment cruise with Robert and Kim Kiyosaki, April 2012. L-R: Nikolai, Devani,LeAura & Coleman
My family and I are authors, entrepreneurs and ideators and regularly invest in educational conferences and programs of all sorts. Everywhere we go we see more opportunities for new business ventures than we will ever have time to get to. Our favorite thing is to mastermind with other learners seeking to elevate their creative side and energize their lives with a new endeavor that kindle their soul.
We value this intersection of our young adult children exploring and growing their careers even while Coleman and I reinvent our retirement to look more like an adventure.
Too many baby boomers and their adult kids feel separated by the technological generation gap, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Okay, so you never learned to program that VCR..? No problem! You don’t need it anymore anyway. But you can learn anything about the online world that you find interesting.
Virtually daily, we’re excited to hear of Baby Boomers who have or are beginning new ventures that energize and enrich their lives and that of others. These are the stories that convince us that this second “half” of life can be the best beyond compare. Those are stories we bring to you to inspire us all here at Boomers Reinvented.[1]https://boomersreinvented.com/living-the-travel-dream/
Lastly… for an inspiring 6 minute video from one of our favorite thought leaders, created just for the older crowd, here’s Gary Vaynerchuk on why now is the best time for those in their 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s to really do the work you love… to do work that matters and make a difference in the world in the doing.
WARNING: Gary is liberal with expletives, (though more toned down in this short take than usual). It’s not our favorite thing, but we tolerate it because Gary’s wisdom and plea to us all, is powerful and vital.
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