Gain the feeling of Accomplisment

I started working when I was seven, delivering papers, over the next 60 years, I never stopped working. Many of us have done the same, worked hard, played hard and had success and failures. Now, over the years, I have had that feeling of accomplishment, triumph, and sublime joy that immediately follows a job well done. When that happens, I have learned to reward my self with a victory cheer or a fresh, hot pizza delivered to my door.

What is wrong with having that feeling now. 

Go on. Give it to yourself, and ignore the rules. 

The early bird...

Remember when we were younger, we were told that the early bird gets the worm.

While in fact, the early bird gets the first worm, but did you ever notice that so does the late bird and the bird in-between. Because, by design, there are always more than enough worms.

In fact, the only bird that doesn't get a worm is the bird that doesn't go out to get one.

So it is so nice to be alive... 

Don't wait to tell your story

As we move into the final stage of our life, we all want our story to be told. We all want to be remembered. In the last few months. Many of us have different faces to present to the world. (The song Two Faces Have I by Lou Christie springs to mind) and many of our friends may only know one or two aspects of who we really are. As we look back over our life, we also struggle to get our story told, in a way that holds meaning for us. Story telling is part of human nature, we all love stories and we all would love to be able to tell stories well

I have been to a number of celebrations of life. Each one honored the person who had died. The friends and relatives, told stories about how the person who had died, had made an impact on their lives. There were many happy, poignant and heartfelt stories. People learned new aspects of the friend they had lost. Yet some people struggled to tell their story about the loved one meaningful for the audience.

I am always amazed by how we all tell stories naturally, yet so many people struggle to tell stories that really work. When I say really work, I mean that they do what stories do best --‐ engage your audience, create connections.

So here are some ideas on how to make your story meaningful.

First, Tell Your Own Story Don’t make it up. Don’t borrow someone else’s story that inspired you. Don’t think that you don’t have any interesting stories—everyone does. Everyday stories are what you should be sharing, because we can all relate these stories are the real thing. The trick is to make sure that you include something that MOVES you. If it moves you it will resonate with the audience, it’s that simple. You see, when it’s true, it’s easy to tell. No stress, no pressure,

Here are some questions to ask yourself as you think about or write down the story:

1.    Where were you? When you recall the moment, what do you see? Describe the moment with all your senses. Set the scene

2.    When did you notice something that made you feel different to how you felt before?

3.    Why was this event special? Why does it move you?

4.    What is it’s meaning in relation those around you?

Acknowledge yourself. Give yourself the benefit of the doubt, we’re too quick to judge ourselves (and others) negatively. Be proud of your story, it’s more powerful than you can imagine. The importance of acknowledgment is vastly underestimated. The practice of acknowledgement is often sorely lacking.

1.    How often do you acknowledge the people around you; partner, family, friends, colleagues?

2.    How do you feel when your efforts are not acknowledged?

3.    How can you create a practice of acknowledgement?

4.    What self--‐acknowledgement have you been lacking?

To start your story, list 10 achievements that you want to congratulate yourself for.

As we live longer, Agism can be a problem for society

As we progress into the twenty-first century, ageing has become increasingly recognised as an important issue facing individuals, families, communities and nations. Increasing age is related to long-term health conditions, higher rates of disability and poorer reported health status.

In 1960 the UN estimated that there were just 225 million people aged 60 years and over worldwide, while 30 years later in 1990 that figure had doubled to 450 million. Globally, the proportion of the population aged 65 years and over is projected to reach 25 percent in the more developed regions, 14 percent in the less developed regions and 8 percent in the least developed countries of the world by the year 2051. The worldwide population aged 80 years and over is also expected to experience a more than fivefold increase by 2020 (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2004).

The ageing of the world’s population is primarily a result of the high fertility levels reached after World War II combined with reduced death rates at all ages. Along with the significant increase in the proportion of the world’s population that is elderly will come a need for further understanding of older populations and their specific requirements around the world, with an aim to anticipating and meeting the changing needs of an ageing international community

Ageism does not discriminate. It comes in many forms and from

many different sources. In Canada:

•      Age discrimination towards seniors 66 and older comes primarily from younger people (56%).

•      More than one-in-four (27%) seniors say they’ve experienced age discrimination from government

•      More than one-third (34%) comes from healthcare professionals and the healthcare system

•      Nearly nine-in-ten seniors 66 and older who encountered ageism from the government, attribute it to programs and policies that do not take into account the needs of older people

•      Nearly eight-in-ten seniors 66 and older who reported age discrimination in healthcare, said a healthcare professional had dismissed their complaints as an inevitable sign of aging

•      The three most common forms of age discrimination faced by Canadian seniors include:

o  being ignored or treated as though they are invisible (41%)

o  being treated like they have nothing to contribute (38%)

o  The assumption that they are incompetent (27%)

o  Two Unique Views on Aging Older Canadians are much more positive about aging than younger generations, underscoring the need to challenge ageist attitudes.

Canadians overall have a negative perception of aging:

•      89 per cent of Canadians associate aging with something negative like not being able to get around easily, losing independence or being alone

•      Gen Y and Gen X are the most likely to hold a negative perception of aging; they are the least likely to think people 75 and older are pleasant, independent or healthy, yet the most likely to describe them as grumpy. A further one-in-three describe them as dependent, sick or frail

We are living longer and as we learn more about aging, this trend will continue. We know that there are very specific risks to avoid if we want to age in good health. A report from Australia on the study of Aging, shows some of the things we need to do to live longer are:

•      Eat well and eat healthy

•      Exercise: people who did not exercise were found to be at high risk of mortality over the first 2 years of the study. Those who reported exercising more, survived longer, were more likely to be male and have better self reported health.

•      Stay involved in Social networks; Social Networks comprising discretionary relationships were protective against mortality

•      in a ten year follow up. This was found for participants living in both the community and residential care facilities.

•      Psychological factors including intact cognitive functioning, higher expectancy of control over life, and for women, better morale, were linked to better survival odds over 8 years, independent of health and physical functioning.

•      Try not to get depressed. Depressive symptoms present a greater risk of mortality for men than women, with incident depression in old age representing a greater risk for m

Society around the world is aging and it is clear that if we don’t address ageism as a societal issue now, it will compound and become more entrenched as our population ages. Change however, won’t happen overnight, and it is not the exclusive responsibility of any one group. In collaboration and consultation with older people, individuals, organizations and policy makers all have a role to play in building an age-inclusive society.

As individuals and as a society, we must shine a light on the issue of ageism. We need to recognize, call out and challenge the negative stereotypes and assumptions about aging and older people. Rather than make assumptions about an individual’s abilities or quality of life based on their age, we need to be open-minded, view aging with optimism and reach out to older adults as vibrant, important and valued contributors to society.

Organizations need to raise awareness of ageism and be active contributors to ending it. As employers, the value and significant contributions older workers can and do make should not be overlooked. We also need to better understand and meet the diverse needs of older consumers – after all, they encompass a broad age range, and the needs of a 65-year-old may be quite different to those of an 85-year-old.

Policy makers, both government and non-governmental agencies, need to collaborate and plan for an age-inclusive Canada. Building on the work that governments are already doing, there needs to be continued focus on developing policies that enable people of all ages to have the choices they need to live their lives to the fullest.