It’s Time to Kick the Bucket List

If you were an adult living in the US in the 1950s you were looking at an average life expectancy of 66 years amp160The typical arc of life meant having kids in your teens or early 20s having an empty nest in your late 40s and if all went as planned a comfortable retirement at age 65 amp160Life was fairly linear with clear beginnings and ends amp160Since retirement and the end of life werenamp8217t that far apart itamp8217s not surprising that folks had a bucket list mentality and took pleasure in checking as many things off their list while they couldSince the postwar decade weamp8217ve been adding to life expectancy at impressive rates amp160Between the years of 2000 and 2016 alone global life expectancy grew by almost six yearsamp160 Not only are we living longer but thanks to improvements in nutrition physical fitness and medical science weamp8217re living better too amp160Back in the day if a hip or a knee failed you that was it a part of your body had run its course with age amp160Today itamp8217s common practice to replace ailing joints for people in their 80s who still have a lot of good road ahead amp160When quantity of life and quality of life are growing at the same time life is goodWith this type of wind in their sails we can see why Boomers are living longer lives at full speed without an end in mind amp160Hereamp8217s what you can expectMore Middle Age MentalityAs life expectancy and longevity increase are we extending old age or are we expanding middle age If you ask a Boomer the answer is clear They are expanding the best years of their lives living in their prime longer amp160As they reflect the beginning of adult life was hard amp160The challenge of passing in college gave way to the pressures of launching a career along with the demands of parenting and paying the mortgage amp160Now theyamp8217re at a stage of contentment striving less to climb the ladder and seeking more pleasure in the moment amp160The end of life will have to wait because prime time is too good to wasteThe Rise of amp8220Super Agechieversamp8221There are achievementoriented people and then there are super achievers those who are driven to excel and are relentless in their pursuit of praise and recognition amp160Enter the amp8220Super Agechieversamp8221 Baby Boomers who are exceeding the expectations of whatamp8217s possible at age amp160In the bucket list era achievement was largely associated with successfully raising a family and being accomplished at work amp160Retirement was the prize for being an achiever and the reward was being able to finally stop rest and smell the roses But in our new era of amp8220no endsamp8221 oneamp8217s passion for achievement not only continues it accelerates amp160Stopping or settling for less is simply not an optionSpirited SpontaneityTo get more out of life Boomers are realizing that they need a more spontaneous approach to lifeamp160 That in turn means mastering amp8220the art of yes and noamp8221 amp160Earlier in their lives saying amp8220yesamp8221 to something required consideration and planning and amp8220noamp8221 was something they regretted not saying more often amp160With the growth and learning that comes from experience and the freedom that comes with age theyamp8217re now acting more instinctually and enjoying a more spirited spontaneous existenceAgelessnessWhatamp8217s more revealing however is what the participants in the Longevity Economy are doing differently to trigger economic expansion amp160Letamp8217s start with aging itself that subject again amp160One has to ponder the existentialism of aging ie as life expectancy and longevity increase are we extending old age or are we expanding middle age amp160Since thereamp8217s no real right or wrong answer here the only way we can answer this question is to identify the activities that used to be associated with middle age eg working peak productivity and then assess the extent to which these activities may be continuing longer and at an older ageamp160 The ages that correspond to the middle age life period are generally 4060amp160 Middle age was seen as ending at that point oneamp8217s productivity began to yield diminishing returns amp160One simply retired and at that point they knowingly and willingly opened the door to old ageThe prospect of aging well is getting shinier every year and with it the concept of the bucket list is getting ever rustier and less relevantamp160 Itamp8217s time to kick that bucket down the road while thinking about a more contemporary substituteamp160 Iamp8217m thinking itamp8217s the quotageless listquotamp160 When you dream youamp8217re ageless and anything is possible at any timeamp160 Why waitPhoto courtesy of BoomAgersClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of 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It’s Time to Kick the Bucket List

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Peter Hubbell

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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It’s Time to Kick the Bucket List

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Peter Hubbell

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