When Are You Planning to "Get Old"?

Written by Susan Dunn, The EQ Coach


When are you planning to get old? According to a recent study, you'd better moverepparttar date back.

"Contrary to common belief, many people can live well into their 90s without becoming cognitively impaired, study findings indicate." - Neurology 2003; 60: 477-480

But statistics are statistics.

Let me give you some examples from my own coaching practice.

*I have a client who is 72 who's a real estate coach. One of his coaching clients just made her goal, doubling her income to $100,000 this year. She's a real estate agent and she plans to do it again next year with his help. Her age? She's 80.

*I have a client who says she's havingrepparttar 123635 best sex of her life. Her age? She's 78. Her lover? He's 80.

*I have someone who designs websites for my marketing clients. She'srepparttar 123636 best web designer I've found. Her age? 58.

*I have another client who went from ground zero to fluent in German inrepparttar 123637 last 3 years. Her age? She's 59.

Most of my clients are overrepparttar 123638 age of 55 and they are all busy learning new things. The layperson best atrepparttar 123639 computer I know is 58 and learned it all inrepparttar 123640 past two years. She keyboards at 100 wpm.

And what'srepparttar 123641 secret to all this? Al Siebert, Ph.D., has studied resilient seniors for 30 years and has defined some ofrepparttar 123642 characteristics. Among them are:

*Retain a childlike curiosity *Keep learning *If you have a victim mentality, replace it with something better that gets you what you want. (Try my Optimism course ( http://www.susandunn.cc/courses.htm ). *Learn to tell your 'survivor' stories so they inspire others (don't whine) *Find meaning in your adversity. If Victor Frankl did, you can. *Stay connected. The single worst thing for your health, mental and physical, is isolation, and you can be isolated in a room-full of people if you aren't connecting. Isolation is worse for your health than obesity, smoking or high blood pressure. *Have a sense of humor, remain playful.

Things I Learned from Mister Rogers

Written by Susan Dunn, The EQ Coach


Fred Rogers is one of my heroes. He was 'gentle before gentle was cool.'

1. You can never go down, never go down, never go downrepparttar drain.

When life can involve divorce, layoffs, losing a child, moving 2 weeks before your baby's due and you have a toddler and a dog with a new litter of puppies, working full-time and being a single-parent, or starting a new career at 55, it's good to know you can never go downrepparttar 123634 drain!

2. You can stop when you want to, stop when you wish.

Ever say to yourself-stoprepparttar 123635 madness? Mister Rogers reminds us that we can stop when we want to. Makerepparttar 123636 carousel slow down so you can enjoyrepparttar 123637 ride. You're in control. Stoprepparttar 123638 roller coaster and get off. End a relationship that isn't working. Change a career whenrepparttar 123639 passion's gone. Eliminaterepparttar 123640 tolerations in your life! You can stop when you want to, stop when you wish.

3. It's great to be able to stop when you've planned a thing that's wrong and to be able to do something else instead.

Problem-solving! When you're working at a problem andrepparttar 123641 answer isn't forthcoming, try something new. The solution isn't doubling your efforts at a failing proposition. If you're havingrepparttar 123642 same things happen over and over again in your relationships, stop what you're doing and do something else. Try something new! If you keep doing' what you've been doin', you're gonna keep gettin' what you been gettin'.

4. There's something deep inside that helps us become what we can.

Develop your intuition and pay attention to what it tells you. It's repparttar 123643 best guide to what's best for you and what will work for you. Listen to that still, small voice inside and let it be your guide ... it's an EQ competency.

5. Whenrepparttar 123644 whole wide world seems oh so wrong and nothing you do seems very right, you can punch a bag, pound some clay or some dough, or round up friends for a game of tag or see how fast you can go.

Change what you can, and those things you can't ... go chop some wood, or take a bike ride, or call your coach and talkrepparttar 123645 feelings out. You might as well learn to manage those feelings constructively now, becauserepparttar 123646 stakes are just going to get higher in life, sorepparttar 123647 feelings will too. It's a lifelong mission changing what you can, and finding some play-doh when you can't!

Cont'd on page 2 ==>
 
ImproveHomeLife.com © 2005
Terms of Use