What Are You Going to Do When You Grow Up?

By Rhonda Caudell −

Many may have read the stats:

“The number of Americans 55 and over will grow to 112 million in 2030, according to U.S. Census figures…Americans are living longer.”

But what does this mean to you? Many say, I will never be able to retire….I must work until I die…I have too much debt…I have too much responsibility and need my income…I am too old and too tired to do anything new…I am not educated and only know one thing.

Yet others are retiring from their career in their fifties or sixties, wanting to pursue new passions, new careers, wanting to make a difference, wanting to share their decades of experience for the greater good and have a different income.

What makes up the difference between these two groups of people and their opposing answers and views of themselves and their futures? I have contemplated this for some time.

I recently read about Encore, founded by Marc Freedman. Some quotes from Marc resonate with me in my own current venture:

“At a time when there are so many critical problems in our education and health care systems, in our government, in our environment and on our streets, we can’t afford to let experience go to waste.“

“Our real dream is to produce, together, a windfall of talent to help solve society’s greatest challenges, from education to the environment, health care to homelessness. Thanks to the experience dividend now being realized around the world, we have the time and energy to live a legacy, instead of just leaving one. “

One of many great initiatives by Encore is the Purpose Prize. For the last eight years Encore has awarded individual boomers who have engaged in encore careers that have combined personal meaning, social impact, and income in the second half of their life. Thus they have proved that they are not done yet and still have a lot to give.

The 2013 Purpose Prize winners were honored on December 5th at an Encore.org awards ceremony in Sausalito, Calif., part of an event bringing together hundreds of the nation’s Encore leaders.You can read all about the 2013 seven prize winners. They come from all walks of life and each are changing the world in their own way.

More importantly, each winner is changing the perceptions about what is possible when the power of social innovation is joined with the unique value of experience. If you are a boomer wondering if you are done yet, Be inspired with these stories…Stay inspired…Start a new journey of your own!


Originally posted on Endless Legacy.