A Boomer's Footprint

Tag: legacy

  • Making a Difference for Ourselves

    airplane (2)

    If you have ever flow in an airplane, you’ve hear this direction – “Secure your own oxygen mask before helping others.”

    This statement sums up my tag line – Making a Difference for Ourselves.

    As we make a difference for others and the planet, we must continue to work on our own personal growth and development as well.

    Life is a continual journey of options, opportunities, challenges and change.

    We can always discover ways to improve, to learn, to stay relevant. This is especially critical for baby boomers entering this 3rd act in life.

    We prided ourselves in the 1960’s as we worked on self-development. We wanted change and choices. Now here we are in our 60’s doing it again.

    Accepting and learning from change, staying focused and motivated is not easy.

    So with this blog – ABoomersFootPrint, I am combining articles, information and tips pertinent to Boomers with my coaching lessons and exercises. My goal is to teach, inspire and empower you to live your best life, to leave a meaningful legacy, to make a difference.

    My “Live Life Blog” began in late 2013 as DKellyCoach.  During this time, I composed 60 blog posts using a systematic approach to creating a successful life.  I transferred this posts over to Boomers Footprint and they are available for you.  I will continue to develop many of these topics over the coming years but for now you can re-read them by using the categories or tag links searching on specific topics of interest to you. I have been going back to earlier posts and adding helpful categories and tags.

    PS. Please leave comments, even spelling and grammatical corrections. I look forward to reading them. They encourage me to keep writing, keep me focused and give me a clue about your interests.

  • Defining your Personal Legacy

    Sunset ablaze 1It may seem as if the sun is setting on us, as boomers. But we still have many years to make our mark, to make a difference, to create a legacy we are proud of.

    A generation is only as strong as the individual contributions each member makes.

    While as a whole, the perception of the baby boomer’s contribution to society may have a bad rap, many of us know that we have made a positive impact with our lives.

    As we approach this “3rd act in life”, now is a great time to review our legacy so far. (This is a common practice in the Thai culture – to re-assess life at age 60.)

    Every step we take, adds to our legacy. This happens whether we realize it or not. Our daily choices create our life, our personality and our contribution to history.

    Of course, in 100 years, our legacies may not stand out beyond our family history and the traditions we pass down through the generations. But we all make a mark and  leave a footprint on the planet.

    Today’s post includes an exercise to assess where we are.  So try to complete it now.

    Pull out a sheet of paper or your journal and begin. First, answer these questions:

    What is my current legacy?

    What words will be spoken at my memorial service?

    How will my life be remembered?

    What have I contributed, shared, taught to others?

    How have I made a mark?

    Finally, write down the three to five words or phrases which currently best describe your life.

    (Mine are – I serve, I teach, I play.)

    Regardless of your accomplishments so far, it is never too late to create a  meaningful legacy. Revisit your answers in a week or so to see if they still hold true.

    Over the next several months, I’ll be talking a lot about this topic. So stay tuned.

     

     

     

     

     

  • The Baby Boomers Legacy – so far.

    Sunset 1

    While researching boomer topics and trends for this blog, I found numerous articles by experts and amateurs filled with such negativity about our generation. We have been called self-absorbed, self-centered, self-indulged and self-loathing (really??)  and just plain selfish.

    Here are two examples from fellow boomers:

    Joe Klien (Time magazine) “For the past several years, I’ve been harboring a fantasy, a last political crusade for the baby-boomer generation.  We, who started on a path of righteousness, marching for civil rights and against the war in Vietnam, need to find an appropriately high-minded approach to life’s exit ramp.”

    And:

    The “Me” Decade and the Third Great Awakening

    “. . . The new alchemical dream is: changing one’s personality—remaking, remodeling, elevating, and polishing one’s very self . . . and observing, studying, and doting on it. (Me!) . . .”   By Tom Wolfe

    According to Baby Boomer magazine, Boomers:

    • Have more discretionary income than any other group in America.
    • Control 70% of the total net worth of the American households.
    • Own 80% of all savings and loan associations.
    • Are not fanatically loyal to brands.
    • Watch more TV than any other group.
    • Read more newspapers than any other group.
    • Account for 40% of total consumer demand in the US.

    These statistics show boomers have a lot of power, resources and potential influence.

    However, this magazine article does not show the entire picture. The plight of millions of other older Americans are startling.

    Some statistics from “The Economic Collapse:

    #2 According to a recent poll conducted by Americans for Secure Retirement, 88 percent of all Americans are worried about “maintaining a comfortable standard of living in retirement”.  Last year, that figure was at 73 percent.

    #4 Today, one out of every six elderly Americans lives below the federal poverty line.

    #10 According to a recent AARP survey of Baby Boomers, 40 percent of  them plan to work “until they drop”.

    Read more statistics from The Economic Collapse at:  http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/25-bitter-and-painful-facts-about-the-coming-baby-boomer-retirement-crisis-that-will-blow-your-mind

    So the question is:

    How will Boomers use their financial power?”

    Can we redeem ourselves and leave a positive legacy in this 3rd act?

    Can we “Make a difference for Ourselves, Others and the Planet?

    While I can’t deny, we could have done a much better job with the opportunities we were given, I’m still hopeful that we can Step Up and make a significant contributions to society as we age.

    As I continue to write, I will search for and share success stories of boomers who are making a positive impact in society.

     

  • Leaving a legacy

    As you read this blog, post, begin to think about what is your legacy.

    We all are creating a legacy.  It will be reflected by the words spoken at our memorial service.

    – What will people say about us?
    – What will they remember years later?
    – What have we contributes, shared, taught to others?
    – How have we made a mark?

    Of course, in 100 years, little is left for many of us, beyond the family history and traditions passed down through the generations. But we are all leaving a footprint on the planet.

    Regardless of your accomplishments so far, it is never too late to create a  meaningful legacy.

    As you discover more about what a successful life means to you, you can connect your dreams, plans and actions to your legacy.

    Begin by writing down the three words which best describe your now. They can be verbs, nouns or adjectives. Try to be consistent with the part of speech you choose.

    Mine are I serve, I teach, I play.

    Refer back to your definition of successful life. Are your three words reflect in your successful life statement? If not, this is your starting point for change. Think about the one area of your life you want to work on first in the new year.

    In two weeks, we will commit to one resolution for 2013.