Aging Is About Living in the Moment

Just as we39ve established that the Boomers have an irrational expectation of a future of ageless living they39re also demonstrating a penchant for living in the momentamp160 How is it that the generation with a notoriously longterm view of life is simultaneously fixated on the shortterm of lifeWhile we have defined aging as the future of living it39s also true that the plan for the future begins todayamp160 Viewed in this context aging is a series of todays and one39s outlook for a life well lived thus becomes numerous todays lived to their fullest potentialamp160 Albert Einstein summed this up brilliantly quotLife is a preparation for the future and the best preparation for the future is to live as if there were nonequotThe duality of the Boomers39 life view is a real conundrum if you39re a marketeramp160 Think of a financial services firm that39s selling longterm retirement products to Boomersamp160 Why notamp160 This is the generation that plans to live forever and to live well so naturally they would be smart to set more money aside for the future rightamp160 Well not so fastamp160 These are the same people who are living for the day with a quotbuy now pay laterquot mentalityamp160 For all of the businesses that are wrestling with this same challenge here39s some perspective to help make sense of itLife Acceleratesamp160amp160Ask any aging person and they will tell you that time goes by faster as we get olderamp160 Growing up in the 3960s and 3970s schools would empty each summer to the sounds of Alice Cooper39s quotSchool39s Outquot and our lazy carefree days of summer felt like weeks almost as if we were living our own version of Hollywood39s Endless Summeramp160 Now summer feels like a rushed span of four weeks between Memorial Day and Labor Day remembered more for the things we regret not doing than the things we didThere are many explanations as to why life seems to accelerate as we age the most popular being mathematical ie the more days you have lived the less each new day represents as a percentage of your total lifeamp160 Regardless of the explanation as it becomes ever more obvious that life is accelerating and that we can do little to slow it down we39re responding in the only way we know howamp160 We39re putting more into every day to get the most out of lifeIf you39re a marketer you need to do the same thingamp160 Look for the ways that your product or service can improve the Boomers39 sense of daily productivity and the personal satisfaction that comes along with itamp160 An easy one is to help simplify an aspect of their lives that39s getting in the way of more time spent on quality timeHedonismamp160amp160The Boomers39 hedonistic tendencies remember disco are now manifesting themselves in more selfcentric waysamp160 They39ve worked hard to get to this point in their lives and with the newfound freedom that comes with ageamp160the pursuit of pleasure is taking on a much higher priority With it is coming a sense of entitlement that has them putting their own needs ahead of others39amp160 Estate planners are on the front lines of this with many of their clients opting to spend the money they earned on themselves instead of leaving it for othersamp160 The prevailing attitude is one of quotit39s my life and I39ll live it the way I want toquotamp160 You probably have a pointofview about this narcissistic outlook on life but put it asideamp160 If you want to win with Boomers you39ve got to play into their handsamp160 Help them with their pursuit of pleasure and acknowledge that they39ve earned the privilege to enjoy themselves at their ageamp160 A brand that demonstrates that they truly understand Boomers will always earn their admirationNew Materialism amp160After a lifetime measured by financial success and the accumulation of material things the Boomers39 priorities are shifting and they39re now opting for experiential materialismamp160 Travel is a great example of thisamp160 Now that the Boomers have more time on their hands and they39re largely free of job and family responsibilities they39re finally able to take the dream trips that have been on their minds for yearsamp160 True at a certain point in life experiences bring more joy and satisfaction than possessions but there39s something else at work hereamp160 The Boomers are keen on new experiences but they also want to discover them before others doamp160 Discovery has social currency to it and with that comes materialismamp160 Why not be the first in your circle of friends to travel the Ring Road in Icelandamp160 As a marketer your goal is to get them to try new things for the first time but to also help them believe that they39re the first ones to discover themamp160 Personalization and exclusivity go a long way hereIf the Boomers39 penchant for living in the now feels a bit like a generational carpe diem then consider what the Roman poetamp160Horaceamp160intended when he originally wrote those words as part of a longer phrase quotcarpe diem quam minimum credula posteroquotamp160amp160Translated this means quotseize the day put very little trust in tomorrowquotamp160 By viewing aging as the future of living they are bringing positivity to a future that is uncertain and prone to be unpleasantamp160 By living in the now they are hedging their bet on the futureThe generation that has shown no intention of slowing down is living life in fastforward and going places that other generations never dreamed possibleamp160 Even though they39re still unpredictable one thing is for sure amp160their lives are getting more interesting by the dayPhoto credit BoomAgersClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Aging Is About Living in the Moment

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Peter Hubbell

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Aging Is About Living in the Moment

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