It seems like an obvious question doesn’t it?  If I were to ask a hundred people on the street they would all say their best years are ahead of them.  But would they really feel that way or would that just be the politically correct thing to say?

I was doing my annual New Year’s cards for my daughters. One daughter is 18 while the other is low 30’s. I believe the future is so bright for that generation that they should feel blessed — they have some many great years in front of them.

I actually believe that although most people do not.

And as I wrote their cards, I wondered aloud whether I felt that way about myself at 55 years old.  Can I honestly look in the mirror and say that my best days are ahead of me when I’ve had 55 years of a great life?

I have some rather long lifelines in my family (my dad lived to be ninety-seven and his mother ninety-five) and when people ask me when I’m going to retire I tell them retirement for me would be certain death.

So, for those of us that are in our 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, how do we ensure that in fact the best days are in front of us?

Here is a list:

1. Stay current.  As we get older it becomes harder to stay current with the new technology/social media/web world but we must.  I know several people who have not been able to figure it out on their own but they have hired technology coaches.  Great idea.
2. Get productive.  Remember I am talking to myself here.  Sometimes I can slip into sleepwalking through my day without taking the time at the beginning to plan out what I want to accomplish.  The very act of being conscious of productivity which includes goal setting, project planning, casts lists, to-do lists, and project lists are a great way to get re-engaged of the business of a productive life.
3. Start a business.  For me this does not mean actually start a brand new business as much as it means create a product that can act like a business.  As soon as I wrote this down I began to think of three or four products that I have always wanted to create that do not take a lot of time to sell on the web; quite simply inexpensively.  The same thing goes that, “Everyone’s got a book in them.” But my saying is, “Everyone has a product in them.”  Figure out what it is, invest the $200 for a web site, and get it up so people can have access to your value.
4. Set some goals.  No I don’t mean 27 goals to accomplish by year-end but at least have some sense of what you want to accomplish in the next three to five years.  And make these about yourself.  What do you want to accomplish?  What do you want to see and achieve?  What do you want for yourself?  It is said that only three percent of our population sets goals.  That is pathetic.  That is the reason that a lot of people end up in dead end jobs, underemployed, or unemployed for two years because there is no sense of the future. Perhaps we could end our unemployment problem with some good lessons on goal setting.
5. Read one book each month.  Someone once said that wherever we are in life we are a product of the people we have met, the experiences we have had, and the books we have read.  Books expand what is possible for us regardless of our age or state of life.  Make it a goal to read a book per month and make it a professional development/self-help book.  There are hundreds of those that are worthy and the price has come down on e-books to $9.99 so “I can’t afford it”  is not an excuse.

So as you look at this list above, I hope you’ll find something in there that speaks to you. And I hope you can agree with me that regardless of what age we are, our best years actually might be in front of us but we must take some action to make it that way.

I would be interested in your comments below.  Agree?  Disagree?  I am anxious for your thoughts.

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