I’m not nostalgic. I don’t dream of returning to my 20s or 30s. Now is good. “Really, you don’t want to be 23 again?” No thanks.
I’m a baby boomer that surfed an unbelievable wave of peace, growth and opportunity for 3-4 decades. We were very lucky. Today, it’s the other way round – the 20/30-somethings get to buy our expensive houses and pay through their noses for education and healthcare – and many get to contribute to the asset pools needed for the pensions owed the often comfortable boomers.
Not to mention the global pollution issues that we have left behind…
We are the enchanted generation, and now with freedom and new tech tools at our disposal to deploy energy, creativity – even experience – without resorting to the often futile methods from the past: you schlep yourself to some office, sit in meetings, write e-mails and hope to achieve something.
That is still one way to do it, but there is now a choice to communicate in new ways with family and friends – sometimes even new audiences. We get to learn from the IG generation, but can adapt the social media platforms to our rhythm and preferences.
I study how young entrepreneurial people build personal brands for their businesses big and small. It’s hard work drawing on their drive and charisma. It’s intense and intrusive and not for me, but I think there is potential for me and other boomers leveraging the same tech tools and resources to maintain a “voice”. Sometimes writing a book or focusing on traditional media feels right. But for most – including moi – it could simply be about sharing words, photos, pictures, drawings, music with a circle of friends and connections, and see what happens!
Our boomer cohort is so lucky. I get to play with the communication tools available in 2019, and then maybe create something completely different: A 60-something discovering a new way of living, sharing, and making a contribution.
Thankfully there is no label for what I do. Retired? Hell no – am not waiting to die just yet. Gap year? Nah – that’s too nostalgic. It’s about staying vibrant and finding ways to help the generations in my wake. There is no playbook, I’ll make it up as I go.
What’s next?
The Global GrownUp 