Skills of Positive Ageing


Finding ways to revive your life skills as you grow older


Regarding the major stages of your life, consider the following. For the first two decades you are busy and occupied with basic skills, such as speaking, and secondary skills that formal education provides. The so-called middle years you devote to using those skills and enhance those skills relevant to your life at this point. For example, you may have chosen a professional career in accounting based on the success you had with your tertiary studies. Then traditionally, people just stopped work, retired and died. No new skills or application of new skills required. Few demands are made on older people and slowly these skills disappear, due to under-use.

Not only is this a depressing picture; the facts are quite misleading. Rather, growing older is a major period of development. Rewards and perhaps challenges may exceed any earlier stages of your life. If you regard ageing as a positive period of growth, new and important skills are required.

What new skills are required?


There are two types of skills; generally these are skills of expansion which expand your potential of living and those which enable you to live with loss. In terms of expansion, think about a child’s skills development. They learn to walk, then ride a bicycle (usually with training wheels first and then without), and read and manage their pocket money. Each of these skills opens up the possibility of new skills, new horizons and new influences. Expansion offers an enriched life. In terms of loss, think about the same child and the skills or activities they give up as they grow. Children must learn to give up their mother’s breast, the freedom of bowel movements at will, emotional outbursts or the leisure of those years before kindergarten and school. And these experiences of expansion and loss continue into your adult years and as you grow older.

What is suggested here that you open new spaces of meaningful engagement through gaining new skills and confront and abandon those skills that must be left in the past.



Skills of expansion


Especially for those of you living with a long-term spouse or partner, the skills of re-discovery may be of interest. The increasing rate of divorce for couples over the age of 60 reflects perhaps a growing dissatisfaction with the long-term relationship. Obviously each person in the relationship is not the same person they were before nor are the activities and relationships with family and friends the same as at the start of the relationship. What are the hidden possibilities of each of the couple to re-discover the joy in each other and blossom? Here a few steps for many older couples who are on the path of re-discovery, of skills expansion.
  • Seek out new contexts of relating; travel, sports, hiking or theatre.
  • Explore new relational activities; massage, cooking or gardening.
  • Expand personal hobbies to include the other partner; golf, bridge or fishing.
  • Allow one’s partner time and space for individual development and exploration. Imagine the time when you both come together to discuss and share the individual experiences.




Skills of re-engagement with the workforce


What if you want to continue to work? What are your options in being hired as an older person particularly in the work environment where you may be considered too old? There are some positive signs emerging for older workers, with some organisations discovering the hidden potential in mature workers.   For example, Woolworths note that the more mature workforce (over 55) is not only a very reliable workforce but there are plenty of opportunities for them. Older workers provide a valuable mentoring and development role for younger workers at Woolworths. Many workers are tied of doing the work they have done for a long time. They don’t want to give up work full time but want to use their interests to pursue other work opportunities. What are your interests or ideas for changing your career and work? Here are some ideas to consider what skills you need.
  • Find what interests you and what skills you need to make those interests work for you.
  • Make a list of your existing skills that will serve you in a new career or job.
  • Target what you don’t know for when you make a change.
  • Consider your risk profile; how much are you prepared to make the change. How will you to not be as successful as you might like



Can you work through these steps on your own?

Are you ready to start with exploring these skills of expansion? What is the first thing you will do? What if you need some help?

Contact us for a complimentary consultation to focus on your building your skills for positive ageing. We work with you to discover what you want for your life as you grow and develop. It will be the best 30 minutes you spend to get started on taking your inward journey.

What about your planning for your transition to retirement? Need some ideas to help your thinking and planning?   Sign up for our 52 weekly tips about your transition to retirement. The tips provide regular reminders of what you can do to make your transition inspirational and practical.


References

Gergan, K & Gergan, M 2010, ‘2010 September/October newsletter’, Taos Institute, retrieved 11 January 2011, <htttp://www.taosinstitute.net/.

Vijayan, M 2011, ‘Older, wiser and back in the job market’, The Weekend Australian Professional Section, November 13-14, 2010, p. 1.


© 2011 Helene Strawbridge, All rights reserved. You are free to use material from the Second Half Success material in whole or in part, as long as you include complete attribution, including live web site link. Please also notify me where the material will appear. The attribution should read: By Helene Strawbridge of Second Half Success. Please visit Helene’s web site at www.secondhalfsuccess.com.au for additional articles and resources. (Make sure the link is live if placed in an newsletter or in a web site.)