HERE ARE 2 INSIGHTS THAT WILL MAKE SURE YOU WANT TO PARTY WHEN YOU REACH THAT MILESTONE.
First off, I am NOT turning 94 myself. But my dad is about to and we will be celebrating with a bit of a party because he loves company and the opportunity to be his charming self! Other than a few spare parts, like hearing aids and an impressive state-of-the-art ceramic valve in his heart, he is in amazingly good health. Admittedly he has early stages of dementia but the up side is that we get much more mileage out of the same piece of interesting news.
Besides celebrating this milestone with you, I want to share a few insights that have come out of observing and understanding my dad’s state of being and the, good, space he is in.
You know how you read “things” about trends and the future and, similar to myself, you probably think “yeah, yeah, lets see”?
Well, I realise that my dad is the perfect example of the benefits of looking after your brain and physical well being, as well as the truth of what the “future of work” looks like for us.
And it’s not purely thanks to my dad. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, my decision to leave the “adwoman deluxe” career behind and kick start a brand new direction as a Business and Executive coach, six years ago, has also been a confirmation of the predictions. More about that later. Back to my dad.
Here are two key insights that have come out of my “dad experience
1. Increased longevity is a reality.
Most of us stand a pretty good chance of living far longer than any generation before. This is largely thanks to medicine and science rather than our improved habits.
When my dad has his Sapiens 2 (no, this is not a movie title or Yuval Harari’s next book) valve inserted it was via his femoral artery - so no open-heart surgery. When he came around he asked me, with a high degree of frustration, why they didn’t do the operation. That is how good he was feeing.
I am not going to replay the often-repeated headlines of longevity. Rather I want to encourage you to retrain your forward projection of what future years might entail. Your 94th birthday celebration discussions could quite easily revolve around what your plans are for the next 20 years.
What you want to ensure is that a) you have enough money at your disposal and b) that you won’t be bored out of your mind.
2. We are seeing the last of a single career generation.
The fact that we are likely to live for much, much longer means that we can no longer entertain the concept of retiring. My advice for the future is “work as long as you work”.
Allow me to reference my amazing father once again. He is a very bright man and was fortunate to sell his business at the age of 55. That was ahead of the retirement norm of 65 at that time. He has now been retired longer than he worked! Good news for him is that he has four children who are around to support him should his funds run out. But he openly admits, when listening to my explanation of the work environment I face, that he is very, very happy he is no longer in business. Just the fact that I give away more copies of my business book, The Art of the Suit, than I sell is beyond him. I have tried many times to explain the change of consumer dynamic where they need to experience the delivery BEFORE buying is a bit beyond him.
What does this mean for you?
I think this is very exciting news. Your career is no longer a one hit wonder ambition. You will need to evolve as market dynamics and your corresponding skill set change, so new career opportunities will open for you. Whether you like it or not actually.
Of course you are going to have to go back into learning mode and repackage yourself. But that is not bad news. Neuroscience is proving that our brains have far more plasticity then we ever imagined and you can even grow more of the grey stuff for when you go back to adult school – on-line. And you will need it.
The good news for you and me...
is not so much that I might have my dad’s genes (actually that is quite scary) – but rather that the work I do helps my clients prepare for this future scenario. My Business & Executve coaching includes programmes designed to Unpack and understand your unique brain profile, how to go about Building your Personal Brand so that you are ready for reinvention and How to increase your Resilience@Work.
If you would like to ensure that you are in a position to party in a few decades time then drop me an email today.
