I had lunch yesterday with a great friend of mine who is about my age and one of the ‘most alive’, talented and eclectic people I know. She is interested in everything and everyone and is as passionate about life as one can be. As a cancer survivor, she has been through a lot in terms of health challenges, yet is clear that she is not her body. She has never been more enthusiastic about her future and is an inspiration to all that know her.

We were talking about this blog site and my vision for building an online community of boomers that want to make a difference and transforming the conversations in our society about aging. She has a black belt in marketing and said to me, “Jim, give people what they want in order to attract them before you can show them a bigger possibility”. This got me thinking about what do people really want as they become middle-aged and retire from their conventional working roles?

I know what I want. I want to be valued, I want to participate, I want to have friends and love and be loved and to have abundant energy and enthusiasm about the future. I don’t want to be bored or be marginalized because of my age. I want to be of service and continue to be ‘in demand’ for what I have to offer. I want to contribute what I have learned in my life to others, especially my children. I want leave the world, at least my world, a bit better than I found it and be remembered as someone who was a good and hopefully wise man who cared about life and people. I want to have as much possibility on the last day of my life as the first.

I would love to hear from you. What do you want? What is your vision for the rest of your life? Please share it with our readers by adding a comment to this post.