Let’s Soar.
Baby Boomers – here’s the first post from my Then and Now series: MY WAY.
There is a lot of verbiage floating around that we were the ME generation. We wanted to feel better and to have dreams that were actually attainable. We wanted a great life and we wanted work to be FUN. We brought out new energy and ideas.
And luckily for the world, we did it, we believed in ME. Our self-focus contributed to notable advancements I’ll be discussing in the coming weeks.
Also trending is the comment we didn’t live up to our potential. In fact, this theme ranks quite high in internet searches when checking out “baby boomers”. Of course many of these articles are written by millennials so give it the weight it deserves. There can be a lot of conversation around this idea.
We believed in and worked towards:
Idealism – My way meant we had an “I can do anything” attitude.We did a lot but now more than ever, we need to reconnect with our idealism as we make important choices and decisions about how we live in this second phase of life. Do we settle for our fitness level as is or strengthen and build our stamina, eat better, become more active? Do we become isolated or enlarge our friends and associates base? Do we continue to work, retire, or start our own business? Time to relocate, to buy up or downsize?
Is now the time to re-invent ourselves, to chase our dreams or to give up on potential opportunities? What can we do?
Openness to change – If you don’t like something you can change it. Part of the my way attitude. Like many kids we weren’t interested in the way our parents lived. We wanted something new and we were willing to go for it – to change. Future posts will address some of these changes. But for now are we ready to accept the challenge to change again. Life is constantly changing around us so we can choose to adapt or be left behind. Sorry to say as we age there will be many adjustments needed.
Self-empowerment – We began listening to our inner voice. We sought to discover who we were and how we could improve ourselves. This concept is very relevant if we are ready to re-invent ourselves.
Anti-authoritarianism – We became disillusioned with authority. We protested, we sat-in, we challenged the status quo. We all have our own opinions about the current leadership and whether the rhetoric is speaking to and for us. But the reality is, we must set our own course and make our lives work for us. There is no better time to become more vocal and active in the political arena at any level. To make our voices be heard. While AARP does a good job addressing some big issues, it is irresponsible of us to give up our own power. We can fight for what is correct and just.
Has our power been taken away or have we given it away? Either way take some kind of action today. Reclaim and recommit to your power and use it for the betterment of yourself and others. This is a big component in the up and coming ebook entitled “My Way” along with more information and examples on the topic.
Examples of Action Steps:
Look at your senator’s or representative’s website to see what positions they are taking (I just looked at Feinstein’s sight and see there is a link to request a government grant!)
OR search AARP – click the menu bar. There are many resources available. Such as – 10 Best Part-Time Jobs for Post-Retirement.
OR challenge yourself with a personal goal on your procrastination list.
What one goal can you accomplish in the next 30 days?
Here’s what I am up to:
-1- I continue to work on my fitness mainly strength and stamina. In addition to my fitbit steps, 5 days a week I follow a TV yoga shows like Power Yoga or Wai Lana Yoga – all for free and in the comfort of my living room floor.
-2- I am Purging! My house is full of piles everywhere. Some because there is no where to store them, others because of my small pack rat mentality. My challenge is 30 projects in 90 days. I am posting some videos on my business facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/Dorothy-Kelly-Proud-Boomer-and-Coach-107677419260985/
-3- In collaboration with others I’m building a Boomer Movement. The website BayAreaisBooming.com will launch this winter. The focus is to “Lead a Conversation” on aging in the San Francisco / Bay Area. Let’s admit it, we are there. So how do we want to do it??? This is a replicatable model for our regions in the country.
Big challenges but I have an “I can do it Attitude”. What about you?
