Contemporary Retirement
Retirement is changing. The type of retirement that their parents enjoyed is no longer enough for the baby boomer generation. Today’s retirees are younger, richer, fitter, healthier and better educated than previous generations of retirees. They also have much higher expectations. The aim of this blog is to help you get the vital, healthy, prosperous, productive and fulfilling retirement that you really want (and deserve).Monday, April 24, 2006
Are you a lifelong learner?
Would you consider yourself to be a lifelong learner? Do you make an effort to get out there and learn something new on a regular basis? Do you constantly try to develop your skills and knowledge? I was thinking about this as I worked out this morning – I’ve noticed that I usually have a ‘thought theme’ for my workout and, by the time my workout ends, I often have a blog entry ‘written’ in my head just ready and waiting to be typed out.
One of the things that makes successful people stand out from the rest is a willingness to learn and keep on learning. Did you know that the majority of people never read a book once they leave school? Readers are leaders. Why not stop watching TV (or, at least, watch less of it) and commit to spending at least half an hour a day reading books that will develop your skills and knowledge? An added bonus of this is that a commitment to reading (and learning in general) could have a knock-on effect on your health and wellbeing in later years.
In his book, 'Aging with Grace', Dr David Snowden writes about a study he carried out which involved a group of 678 nuns. Many of the nuns were over 90 years of age and 6 of them were over 100 years of age, yet very few of them showed any signs of losing their faculties or developing Alzheimer's disease. Although the nuns had lead healthy lives - they were physically active and none of them drank or smoked - the researchers felt that their mental acuity was attributable to something more than this. Most of the nuns were teachers and they all shared a love of learning which meant that they were constantly reading and exposing themselves to stimulating new subjects and ideas. The nuns agreed to donate their brains to medical science after their death so that the study could be continued. Half of the brains analyzed were found to have fully-blown Alzheimer's disease in advanced stages - yet the nuns had never shown any signs or symptoms of this. A good advert for lifelong learning if ever you needed one!
So, what would you like to learn?
What interests you?
What would you like to know more about?
What skills would you like to develop?
What skills would be useful to you?
In which subject would you like to be known as an expert?
Take some action now. Track down that course you’ve always wanted to take. Sign up for a teleclass. Take yourself off to the local library...
What could you do to ensure that you continue to learn something new every day?
One of the things that makes successful people stand out from the rest is a willingness to learn and keep on learning. Did you know that the majority of people never read a book once they leave school? Readers are leaders. Why not stop watching TV (or, at least, watch less of it) and commit to spending at least half an hour a day reading books that will develop your skills and knowledge? An added bonus of this is that a commitment to reading (and learning in general) could have a knock-on effect on your health and wellbeing in later years.
In his book, 'Aging with Grace', Dr David Snowden writes about a study he carried out which involved a group of 678 nuns. Many of the nuns were over 90 years of age and 6 of them were over 100 years of age, yet very few of them showed any signs of losing their faculties or developing Alzheimer's disease. Although the nuns had lead healthy lives - they were physically active and none of them drank or smoked - the researchers felt that their mental acuity was attributable to something more than this. Most of the nuns were teachers and they all shared a love of learning which meant that they were constantly reading and exposing themselves to stimulating new subjects and ideas. The nuns agreed to donate their brains to medical science after their death so that the study could be continued. Half of the brains analyzed were found to have fully-blown Alzheimer's disease in advanced stages - yet the nuns had never shown any signs or symptoms of this. A good advert for lifelong learning if ever you needed one!
So, what would you like to learn?
What interests you?
What would you like to know more about?
What skills would you like to develop?
What skills would be useful to you?
In which subject would you like to be known as an expert?
Take some action now. Track down that course you’ve always wanted to take. Sign up for a teleclass. Take yourself off to the local library...
What could you do to ensure that you continue to learn something new every day?
posted by Annie Harrison # 9:40 AM 
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