Over-50 and Taking on the New World

"Accept what you cannot change, retain your vision, keep your dreams alive, and rebel against that which is restraining your true freedom."

-Alexander Becker, blogger

That is a powerful statement and I argue that today (vs. the 60's for example) that statement holds more meaning with regards to us rebelling against ourselves than it is about rebelling against the world around us.  Which brings us to the topic at hand: Acceptance vs. Resistance

This post was meant to be all about acceptance as opposed to resistance when we are faced with ever-changing professional environments.  However, upon writing the very first sentence it became abundantly clear that you really can't have acceptance without resistance.  Throughout the post I will tell you to embrace the fact that the world is changing, adapt, and then make it work for you.  In order to do this you have to resist the human urge to stubbornly fight change.

Embrace or Resist: New Technology

EMBRACE  Cell phones are so much a part of our lives now that it can be hard to imagine leaving home without it.  To take it a step further, ten years ago do you think that it would be commonly accepted that we'd all agree to pay over $100/month for this convenience.  Remember the days when if your car broke down, you had to walk along the highway to the nearest pay phone to call AAA.  Cell phones are critical in the event of an emergency, but are also a must for modern professionals.  The fact is that cell phones have offered us more freedom than potentially any innovation since the automobile.  I think that most of us can agree that cell phones have presented a positive change in our lives, just like email, fax machines, the personal computer.  Keep this in mind the next time you're presented with the opportunity to be a first-adopter of a new technology or service.  Be the person who becomes the expert, rather than the last one to get on board.

Embrace or Resist: Online Social Networks

EMBRACE  For the unbelievable amount of buzz around social networking, there are many who still have not embraced it.  Admittedly, I was late to join Facebook, but it is important to remember that these tools allow us to have more friends and contacts than ever before.  Twenty years ago any one person would be capped at 50 sustainable friendships max.  Today that number is in the hundreds, thanks to social networking.  I can envision maintaining friendships with some of my high school classmates who I may never see in-person again in my lifetime.  That doesn't necessarily make the friendship any less meaningful, just different.  That's the key--different.  Just because it is new and has not been done before doesn't make it unsustainable, it just makes it different.  And in this case, I believe it to be good.  And as far as starting a new business is concerned, there may be no more powerful tool than social networking to get the word out and drive new business.

As an over-50 entrepreneur your network is your prime advantage in business.  You have spent a lifetime building and maintaining it, now put it to good use.  If you know 50 people well, then they likely know 50 people, and so on.  The power of online social networks is that there is no more efficient way to utilize your relationships and spread a message than to do so via social networking platforms.  It is easier and far-less intrusive to push the send button to spread a friend's message than it is to call everyone you know.  Figure out what you want to accomplish with social networking, who you want to connect with, choose a provider, and go for it!

*Top Recommendations: Facebook, LinkedIn, and Subscribing to Blogs in Your Field of Interest to Begin Getting Involved & Exercising Your Influence (Hint: Start by subscribing to this blog... See the huge orange RSS symbol at the top of th page)

Embrace or Resist: Continued Learning

EMBRACE  Continued Learning...

RESIST  ‘If it ain't broke, don't fix it'.

Are we ever really done learning?  The answer is an obvious and resounding ‘no', I'm sure, but is that reflected in the way we live our lives?  This goes for 18 year olds graduating from high school to 90 year olds golfing in Palm Springs.  Just like the argument for technology, the possibility of a better way always exists.  I think that the question to ask here isn't ‘Why', but ‘Why not'.  We've never had so much information so accessible, as we do today.  Use it!  If there is something that you want to change in your life or in the world around you, you only have yourself to blame if you don't.

Embrace or Resist: Excuses

RESIST  Clearly, this is stating the obvious, but it is also the very bottom line of this whole post.  Perhaps the most commonly used excuse is that of old age (Note: this is used by people of all ages).  Our traditional associations with age no longer persist, yet many of our attitudes have failed to catch-up.  To be invigorated at any age is to live with purpose, and if you can find that aspiration that is truly important to you right now you'll have boundless energy to achieve it.  And in business terms, if you want to explore a new business over-50, you can't go into it casually.  As Ron Dervin, founder of the startup resource site www.start-a-business-faq.com, says "To survive and prosper, us over-50 types need to drop the attitude and somehow get reenergized for the new world we face. That may be the most important thing we can do."

Age is far from the only excuse.  Have you heard these ones? "American' (Imagine me doing air-quotes here) jobs are being shipped overseas", "the economy is bad", "I'm not a ‘techie", blah, blah.  I'm tired of it and you should be too!  Those things may be true, but we also have more resources than we've ever had to find success-on our own terms, and I guarantee that can't be said for many of those foreign countries "stealing" our "American" jobs.  Think outside the box and find a way to leverage these new opportunities, rather than dwelling on the archaic opportunities that no longer exist.  The world is changing and it isn't necessarily for the bad.

Careers Without Limits for Educators was conceptualized with the over-50 post-retirement education professional in mind.  CWL for Educators is set to launch later this summer and will be an excellent tool for rejuvenated retirees or nearing-retirement educators to find a second career that they love and will afford the lifestyle that you desire, both professionally and personally.