INTENTIONAL AGING
A Practical Guide for Excellence in the Next Stage
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
The point is and has been this: we have some additional time and years - healthy years- beyond retirement. The longevity boom happened. It added years and value to many lives.We must change our perspectives on retirement to match the current worldview and movement. The notion of self-awareness as we now know it, was not available sixty years ago, so we now must redefine and reassert who we are in the healthiest ways against the grains of an ageist society. By now, we can accept that we need others and that they need us. We can even acknowledge that giving is healthier than getting in most instances. We live in a more diverse world; people are more openly different and still bear this need. Relationships are a part of the human condition, and great relations help us thrive. I believe that no one is created without gifts and talents to share. By the end of a career job or two and the retirement stage, we know where our happy place is and how to get there. In this next stage, we have time to identify our life purpose and set new heights as we pursue it. We make plans and set goals with greater clarity and conviction; understanding that the only certain time to act is now. We understand that dreams without goals are like trains without tracks. Finally, it's time to disassemble the notion that we have earned the privilege to take a long break, relax, and move to a leisurely landscape while our families and communities fall apart. I’m all for the fabulous screen saver; but only if the work is being done. What we do today and tomorrow will make a difference in the lives of countless others who, like ourselves at a younger stage, need the wisdom and direction of those who went before us.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
If you’re nearing or even past retirement, the next stage can be the best. Not planning can turn into a bitter experience. Learn how to make it great! We have more energy and skills than our predecessors. After the proverbial smoke settles on your best days after retirement or that long-awaited vacation is in the rear-view mirror, you can develop plans to make a difference and be the change you seek. Intentional Aging presents an interactive conversation and serves as an essential tool for people who meant to have a conversation about life after the formal job ended but didn’t get around to it. It’s for people who have thought about developing a plan but didn’t know where to start. It’s about self-identity, self-assessment, and self-motivation at a time when the world is still overwhelmingly ageist. This guide can demystify fears and fantasies and replace them with knowledge, skills, and talents. It provides a process for decision-making and action planning to help you transition into the next and best stage of life, giving you a jump start to living life with purpose, passion, and a plan. This guide offers a dynamic series of activities and discussions on how to achieve productive, meaningful, and successful longevity following retirement.
About the Author
For over five decades, Brenda Hunter has been an advocate and a facilitator for adult development across all stages of life. She has encouraged pre-retirees and post-retirees to reject the outdated attitudes and ageist norms for life beyond retirement. Her interactive workshops began in 1982 with her custom programs: Creative Retirement: Five Steps to Successful Living, Success Achievement for Senior Citizens (SASC) and The Best of the Rest: Achieving Success in the Next Stage. Brenda has a master’s degree in Adult Education and Psychology. She has authored two books: Answering the Call: Six Steps to Leadership and Service, and Essential Conversations across Generations. She is an active facilitator, trainer, and coach in her spiritual and civic communities.