* Chip’s Note: Jann is a very active member of our MEA alum community in Iowa. She’s a smart PhD and a great writer. Hope you enjoy today’s guest post. *
In 2004, Dr. Elmer Burack, my professional mentor at the University of Illinois-Chicago, mailed me the book From Aging to Sage-ing: A Revolutionary Approach to Growing Older by Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. “Read this book Jann,” Elmer told me. “Baby boomers are not going to know what to do with their lives. And you can help them.”
While reading the book, I underlined almost every word. From Aging to Sage-ing is the foundation of Sage-ing International, which defines Sage-ing® as a “spiritual practice that involves harvesting the wisdom of our lives and finding ways to transmit that wisdom as a legacy to future generations.” After I completed their training to become a certified Sage-ing Leader in 2008, I now read, watch, and hear everything through my Sage-ing lens.
Then I read Chip’s 2017 article in Harvard Business Review: “I Joined Airbnb at 52, and Here’s What I Learned About Age, Wisdom, and the Tech Industry.” Chip talked about “workers of a certain age are less like a carton of milk and more like a bottle of fine wine.” He was comparing milk that has an expiration date (retired) with wine that improves with age (wisdom).
After reading Chip’s Wisdom@Work: The Making of a Modern Elder, I interviewed Chip for my podcast “Becoming a Sage” where I interview thought leaders about life and work wisdom. As he shared his vision for the movement, I knew we were soul mates in helping people to keep learning and growing in this next phase of life. This was before he launched the Modern Elder Academy (MEA) in Baja, Mexico and started offering navigating midlife workshops.
Then the pandemic affected travel and in-person gatherings. When the first MEA course was offered online, I was the 10th person to register. In 2022, I attended a workshop in Baja and went to another workshop in Santa Fe this fall. I was honored that Chip wrote the Foreword to my latest book Breadcrumb Legacy: How Great Leaders Live a Life Worth Remembering (Routledge, 2023). Similar to thousands of people, I am in Chip’s fan club and committed to the movement of living the rest of life with meaning and on purpose.
Since I have been in the Sage-ing space for 20 years, I have watched the momentum grow and gain speed as baby boomers leave the workplace. I have observed MEA explode with offerings and evolve into a strong and devoted learning community with alumni chapters around the world. In fact, I am a co-lead of the Midwest Chapter to keep people connected and sharing best practices.
What I’ve learned from all of these experiences is summarized in my top ten tips which I share to help people successfully transition into life after their main careers:
- Aging positively isn’t about being smart or rich. It is about making intentional choices and decisions.
- Use your time while you are still working to seek out role models, make connections, and explore options.
- Be wise about how you spend your time and with whom because it affects attitudes and behaviors.
- Choose to be around positive people and people of all ages because it matters.
- Discover your purpose so you can live with meaning and on purpose.
- Develop a clear vision of where you (and your significant other) want to go and have continual conversations about this vision.
- Leave a legacy by sharing what matters most to you with those who matter most.
- Stay curious and become a Sage and Elder rather than age and older.
- Be interested and engaged so you stay relevant and curious.
- Continue to learn and to grow so that the rest of life can be the best of life.
Just as Elmer said, people need to learn how to navigate life after their main career. There is a need and MEA, Sage-ing International, and other organizations are making this their mission. Currently, I am getting certified in Navigating Transitions, along with many others, to be part of the movement—which is a journey with no finish line.