As we age, we have more data on which to make decisions. And we make decisions for different reasons than we did twenty years ago.
A 60-year-old man sees the tapering down of his worklife, the reduction of his income-producing capability, looming in front of him, and that colors his decisions. He sees something he wants, be it a Rolex watch or a wonderful woman, and he has to decide whether he will make the necessary changes in his life to be able to afford that watch or that woman. If procuring or acquiring that asset will cost him half of his previously-acquired assets or seriously impact the course he's laid to navigate the next ten years, he will—probably wisely—choose to forego the acquisition. He may realize he'll be sorry later, and he may realize he'll be passing up something he would enjoy enormously, but he will still make the hard decision to stay the course.
Others in our age group may not have the financial concerns, but may desire to live out the rest of their days with the utmost of personal integrity. For example, I have children and grandchildren who adore me. I am one of the most blessed people on the face of the earth. I choose to make decisions that will follow the moral high road. I don't wish to make any decisions that would set a poor example for my children. I didn't always do that in the past, but now's the time to grow a backbone. When faced with a difficult decision in the future, I would want my children to be able to say "What would Mom do" and choose wisely, with an outcome that would preserve their own integrity.
In my opinion, life does not get easier as we age. It gets much more complex.
1 comment:
I am 60 and alone. I would rather be poor and sitting on a park bench cuddlling with the woman I love, watching the sunset much better than sitting on a Caribbean resort beach by myself watching the same sunset.
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