Contemporary Retirement

I like September. It always feels like a fresh start - almost as if you're getting a sneaky second chance at New Year. Maybe it's because I was a teacher for so long that September feels like a time of new beginnings and second chances. I always feel like I should be signing up for a course, learning something new and buying new books and school shoes!

So, how will you be taking advantage of the new academic year? One of the things that makes successful people stand out from the rest is a willingness to learn and keep on learning. Do you know that the majority of people never read a book once they leave school? (I bet you're not one of them though.) An added bonus of a commitment to reading (and learning in general) is that it 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 are YOU going to do with your second chance at New Year?

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?
What could you do to make sure you learn something new every day?

Take some action now. Track down that course you've always wanted to take. Sign on the dotted line. Turn up for the first class and enjoy learning something new.

Just don't scuff your new school shoes!

posted by Annie Harrison  # 7:49 AM