How To Make Aging Work
I added to my hero list this week.
During another boring 24-Hour Fitness workout this week, my aging I-pod Classic served up a James Altucher podcast interview with William Shatner of Startrek, Boston Legal, and Priceline fame.
Now 87, Shatner looks 20-years younger and is living like his hair is on fire (yes, he still has plenty) – writing books; doing a country-western album, a blues album, and a Christmas album; touring internationally; producing, directing and performing on NYC Broadway stage; speaking.
It’s obvious Shatner doesn’t spend much time thinking about his endpoint. He’s too busy.
He subscribes to George Burn’s viewpoint on dying:
“How can I die? I’m booked”
And
“As long as you’re working, you stay young.”
One of Shatner’s opening comments was that “all the 87 year-olds I know are dead. They didn’t follow my advice – I told them ‘don’t die’, but they died. Why did they die? Because they changed their mind about living”.
No mystery to him about it. “They decided they were through.”
He’s far from through.
Try the schedule described above and see if you could make it happen, at any age, let alone 87.
It strikes me that Shatner epitomizes the merits of refusing to retire and of continuing to work. He validates what we need more of to sustain – in fact, build – our vigor and vitality as we enter and move through the third stage of life.
For example:
- Doing something we’ve never done before. Just a few Shatner examples: c&w, blues and Christmas album; interview and dinner with Stephen Hawkings shortly before Hawking’s death; writing a book.
- Staying physically active e.g. touring globally. I’m sure he does more physically – he appears to be in better shape than the loose-cannon, Denny Crane, in Boston Legal.
- Challenging ourselves mentally. Shatner is no slouch here. Honestly, I bailed on the podcast when Altucher added world-renowned theoretical physicist, Dr. Michio Kaku, to the conversation and the three of them went off into “woo-woo” land talking about quantum physics, string field theory, hyperspace and the “physics of the impossible.” Shatner’s mental acuity and ability to not only engage in this type of dialog but to lead it, was amazing. What happened to the myth about declining brain-power as we age? (BTW, Kaku is no spring chicken – he’s 71).
- Always having something that isn’t complete. It’s apparent from Shatner’s conversation that he doesn’t hesitate to start something new while he has other things going. He’s not concerned about each activity being perfect – in fact, admits to a number of stinkers in his prolific list of projects. For him, it’s just constant forward movement. No living from the rear-view mirror for him.
On this last point, I’m reminded of one of the principles espoused by world-renowned entrepreneurial/business coach Dan Sullivan, founder of Strategic Coach. Sullivan opposes completing one’s life. He argues persuasively that our culturally-infused notion that it’s important to “wrap up one’s life” and “leave a legacy” is like planning for a funeral and is counter-productive and life-shortening.
This leave-a-legacy mindset is a product of what Sullivan calls one of the many “general narratives” that our culture instills in us that rob us of the potential we can bring forward into this third stage of life. It’s a general narrative that says “I’ve only got 70 or 80 years on this mudball so I should start winding down as I approach that period of my life.”
That’s giving up on one’s uniqueness and on one’s self as a creator. It’s apparent that Shatner and Sullivan don’t buy into that general narrative.
At 74, Sullivan’s whole idea for his future– and for the professional and personal lives of his coaching students – is an “ever-expanding incompleteness” as opposed to bringing life to some sort of legacy. He teaches “always expanding one’s present into a bigger future” with “each tomorrow starting at a higher level.” Any legacy – if it were important – will take care of itself.
We waste energy worrying about when the end is coming. It’s not for us to determine – nature owns that and has her own unpredictable timetable.
Sullivan intends to leave a total mess of in-process creative projects for his team to straighten out or complete when he checks out – a rather refreshing new spin on the concept of a legacy. I suspect this is a concept that resonates with Shatner as well.
Shatner, Sullivan and probably hundreds or thousands of other third-act participants are busting several myths (or “general narratives”) that need busting. To name a few:
- That creativity dies as we age.
- That brainpower deteriorates as we age and senescence is automatic.
- That “labor-to-leisure” retirement is good for the body and the soul.
- That unhappiness accompanies growing old. (NOTE: the nadir of unhappiness is age 47 – see this article.)
Fascination and motivation lie available for the taking for all of us by creating every day; by striving to make our future bigger than our past regardless of age. It starts with rediscovering what we are uniquely gifted to be able to do and linking that with a vision and sense of purpose for this third act.
I’ll wrap by adding to the overuse of an overused but important cliché:
It’s never too late to start, but always too early to quit.
Do you have a unique giftedness deep inside that cultural expectations/general narratives have stolen or covered over – one that you can resurrect and apply against a vision for your future that is bigger than your past? Does the concept of an “incomplete life” versus a “legacy” resonate with you? Your thoughts on either or both are welcome – scroll down and give us your thoughts.
Good article with sound advice!
Thanks for your comment!
Thanks for your comment.
Absolutely great! Thank you, Gary, I needed this!
Thanks Pat. Glad it was helpful.
Hi Gary,
Thank you for sharing this wisdom. I like the idea of leaving a “legacy” by showing others how to live a full and generative life. That would be the best thing I would love to be known for.
Keep on trucking brother!
Well said, Bro! Thanks for your comment, Matt.
Great blog this week Gary. I didn’t know that Shatner was 87 and so active. It inspired me to listen to the Altucher podcast. Both he and Michio Kaku both sound so vibrant on that podcast. You can feel their energy come through.
Hey Bryan, thanks for the comment. We should all be so fortunate to have that much energy and mental acuity at that age. Wait a minute! We can! It’s a choice, not an accident.
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