OMG, Here We Are in Our 60s or 70s, with Maybe 40 or At Least 30 More Years to Go
"We Are So Not Ready for a
Society Where Living to 100 Is Common" - Bloomberg,
December 20, 2023
"We Are So Not Ready for a
Society Where Living to 100 Is Common" - Bloomberg,
December 20, 2023
As an
intuitive career coach, I have a front-row seat on how unprepared our society
is for such a long life.
Initially a professional will come to me to sort out the adjustment to retirement. Soon enough, though, they return with the realization that they can't handle three or more decades of not doing what is considered "of value."
We then focus on how to create lifestyles which "matter." Given the many years possibly ahead those plans could include laboring for income. As they tell me, "It's so scary to dip into savings for daily expenses." The fear of running out of money is real. Homelessness among the aging is increasing.
Meanwhile, the 100-year life is putting new kinds of pressure on aging leaders.
Instead of tapping the brakes in the 60s they are expected to conjure up breakthrough strategies and, yes, implement them. Voted in for another term by the partners at law firm Paul, Weiss, early-60s chair Brad Karp has launched an aggressive growth campaign. That has already succeeded in London and it could reconfigure the Houston, Texas legal market for energy dealmaking.
Prominent lawyer John Tarantino, who will be 69 in March, has gone one better than that. Although he still practices law, he had added on two roles: Chief Executive Officer of an oncology firm and philanthropist. There's more. He also has become a motivational speaker. His first Ted Talk "Redemption Stories" has about 20 million views. That's only in the first five months.
Interestingly, no slack is being cut for those in their 70s. The performance of Boomerang CEO at Disney Bob Iger, who is 72, is being hammered by myriad constituencies.
But some, even in their 90s, maintain their branding for outstanding work. At Berkshire Hathaway, 99-year-old Charlie Munger was still guiding investors days before his death. Two years before his death at 100, Henry Kissinger published “The Age of AI.”
This development of 100-year lifespans as common is unique in the history of mankind. We are pioneers. When I tell clients that they can make progress on forgiving themselves for living their earlier lives assuming they probably wouldn't make it beyond age 70.
Self-forgiveness is emerging as a major challenge for the Silent, Boomer and X generations. Hopefully, Millennials already are learning to plan for longevity and will have fewer regrets about supposed spilled milk. My message on this is: There are no mistakes. Only lessons being learned.
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