Finally, there is a way to add years to your life. I’m not referring to diet and exercise, which we all know are extremely important for healthy living, but rather a positive outlook on aging.
Recently, The Wall Street Journal published an article titled “Want to Live a Long and Fulfilling Life? Change How You Think About Getting Old.” The article describes research conducted by Yale epidemiologist Becca Levy on the impact our attitudes and beliefs have on health and longevity. Levy found that people who reported positive age beliefs early on lived, on average, 7.5 years longer than those who had more negative beliefs. That’s remarkable!
I have witnessed this personally. Over the years, I have been privileged to work with clients through the many stages of life – working and raising families, transitioning into retirement, and up to the end stages of life. I am impressed with the positive outlook so many possess, regardless of their circumstances. Yes, they face many of the same challenges while aging, but they choose to focus on the positives. They tend to be more active and involved in living.
Adopting a positive mindset lets us drop the negative stereotypes and focus on positive descriptors. Aging means being accomplished, enlightened, a mentor, wise, a storyteller, and, my favorite, a value to society.
This positive outlook has an additional benefit: it helps keep us involved. No longer does retirement mean sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch. Today’s retirees are engaged in encore careers and volunteering. They see their value in our society and continue contributing.
After spending a career working full-time at the mercy of the daily grind, fully retiring can seem daunting. Suddenly, you go from a fully scheduled day to a day that’s fully open. While this sounds refreshing and seems great initially, vacationing every day can get old and expensive.
Having an encore career – or as some would say, “A Golden Gig” – or dedicating some of your time as a volunteer provides purpose, satisfaction, and for some, financial stability. It is an excellent way to transition from working full-time to the next stage where you have more control of your time. We can spend time doing things we are passionate about – whether paid or unpaid.
Listen to a deep dive into why you should have a positive outlook toward aging on the Power Up Wealth podcast.
