Are You a “Modern Elder?” Take This Test and Find Out.

By now, you know I’m a big fan of Chip Conley, author, entrepreneur, and founder of the Modern Elder Academy. 

His book “Wisdom @ Work: The Making of a Modern Elder” was a top read for me in 2019 and led me to write about the Modern Elder concept a few times:

Chip has a daily newsletter that I follow. He recently sent out a “quiz” to test how we stack up against the Modern Elder criteria. I’m sharing it here so you can take it and test yourself to see where you fall.

Straight from his weekly newsletter:

Here are 10 affirmative statements. Rate yourself as a 0 if the statement doesn’t resonate with you. Give yourself a half-point if it feels right to you, but it’s not an enthusiastic “yes.” And give yourself 1 point per statement if you feel a full-body yes. 
  1. Outside of my family, I am often in environments where I am the oldest or one of the oldest, and I don’t hide my age.
  2. I am both a lifelong learner and a “long-life learner,” someone who wants to live a life that’s as deep and meaningful as it is long.
  3. I enjoy growing older, and I believe my best work and life are ahead of me.
  4. I feel like my ego is no longer my primary operating system, and I have a growing stirring in my soul. 
  5. I have developed an active practice of cultivating and harvesting wisdom based on metabolizing my life experiences, and I can teach others to do the same.
  6. I love becoming a new beginner at something and am endlessly curious.
  7. I believe my emotional intelligence has grown, and I’m less reactive than I was ten years ago. 
  8. I have moved from the accumulation stage of my life to the editing stage. I am good at ending projects, relationships, mindsets, and distractions that don’t feel nourishing or allow me to serve others effectively. 
  9. People tell me that I’m a great mentor and a conduit for wisdom. I would be honored to be called a “wisdom worker” instead of a “knowledge worker.” 
  10. I no longer define myself based on my achievements, image, status, or power, as I’m more focused on my purpose and legacy. The sentence “I am what survives me” defines my life today. 
Of course, depending on the day, your answers may differ. Your tabulated score will run from 0 to 10. 
If you scored from 0 to 5, you’re probably not a modern elder yet, so you might focus on those statements in which you scored yourself a 0 and ask, “How might I develop habits or practices that allow me to feel more affirmative about this characteristic?” 
If you scored above a 5 and below an 8, you’re a budding modern elder, and you might find MEA’s programming perfectly timed for where you are in your life as a prep school for modern elderhood.
If you scored an 8 or above, who knows, you might be teaching at MEA someday. If you haven’t experienced our in-person or online programs, start with that and begin documenting the ways you’re developing your curiosity and wisdom. 

I gave myself a 9. Not sure my roommate would agree, but I felt pretty good with it.

How did you rate yourself? What areas do you feel strongest about? Where do you need the most work? Let us know with a comment below.

 

7 replies
    • Pattie says:

      I gave myself a 8.5
      The one I didn’t answer bc I didn’t know how but I’m not what I was 10 yrs ago and I definitely not what I was a year ago I have improved

      Reply
  5. Bobbi Baker says:

    I scored a 7, which seems about right for where I am today. Never heard the term Modern Elder before…very intrigued to check out MEA and work on these listed perspectives. For me the most meaningful question and the one I feel most focused on is 10. It’s the shining star of aging.

    Reply

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