Is 60 the new 40?

Economic prosperity and Lifestyle freedom go hand in hand and some Baby-boomers are redefining what it means to enter the last quarter of life.

I have to admire a lot of boomers who enjoyed a world of prosperity and opportunity that as a Millennial, I may never experience. I'm watching and listening to them closely, I'm looking for role-models of healthy aging, of self-empowerment and humanistic choice-making in retirement. Why? Because it inspires me, and I want to follow in their footsteps. 

In fact, I know quite a few models of self-actualized people in their late 50s and 60s who for all intents and purposes, look and act like they are in their 40s. They made the right career choices, have solid economic foundations, are able to retire with good pensions and have the energy, youthfulness and curiosity about the world to live productive lives full of travel and contributing to social causes. 

So while we often hear 30 is the new 20, for different reasons, I think more than ever 60 is the new 40. Boomers are showing us another model of how to age gracefully. In fact, boomers are likely to outlive most of the rest of us due to things like obesity, decline in nutrition, sedentary lifestyles and a host of other factors. How people grow now in their 60s, may very well set the standard of what it will mean to be "retired" for the next generations. 

Healthy living means we now hit middle age later.

 Those who had solid foundations and made the most of an era of prosperity are now basking in the freedom of retirement, one that is more dynamic than ever before. It's not just healthier lifestyles, it's a change in perception of what it means to have a life after your career years. People in the over 55+ category are traveling more, learning more and keeping busy in ways that their parents or grandparents could not have experienced and would not have imagined. 

While we live in a youth-obsessed culture, people who take care of themselves financially, emotionally and spiritually have a lot more energy to do good in the world, after the life-stages of family householder and even the grandchildren are grown up. They are aware and conscious that they are in fact role models of how the stigma of growing older and aging, isn't all it once was.

To be honest, I find it all quite inspiring that they are pioneering a new view of what it means to be retired: 

•  Taking up fitness in a big way, growth hacking lifestyle, health and happiness. 
• Taking up an art form or craft. 
• Volunteering more, civic participation, giving back to the community. 
• Writing, teaching, mentoring and being leaders in society by contributing a lifetime of experience and expertise to the younger generations. 
• Connecting spiritually more via meditation, spiritual literature and contact with more ancient religions. 
• Taking up social causes, charity work, defending minorities, giving their time to NGOs & contributing to the lives of those less fortunate. 
• Adopting yoga, Tai-chi, longevity practices and boosting our nutrition with a more vegetarian diet. 

The reality is, if you live till 90, 60 now is middle-aged, not old at all. There is a world of possibility left when we reach the 4th quarter of our lives, to keep thriving and growing as people. 

Making use of technology and bringing your tablet on the go and transforming it into your "go-to" device isn't difficult with a Tstand. In fact, I find those in their 60s surprisingly up to date in how they acknowledge and keep pace with the changing mobile and digital trends. 

In years of so much radical change, increased lifespans allow for more colorful and eventful lives. When I hear of people getting married in their 70s, I think it's wonderful. I think the adventure, romance and opportunities of life, are never over, and I hope I feel the same way in forty years. How about you? What have you noticed about how you are aging differently than your parents or even your grandparents?