Marc Freedman, author of Encore, wrote a provocative, timely post about Steve Jobs’s advice to baby boomers. Read his post here. Like so many leaders today, Steve Jobs sounds more like a life coach than seasoned business executive.

Job said: “…[F]or the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ … Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”

Freedman writes:

“Time matters at 50 or 55 or 60 in a way that it doesn’t when you are sitting at college commencement assuming an endless expanse ahead, even if some wise person is telling you otherwise. There’s no more dress rehearsal. You’re on.”

Freedman adds:
“[The] longevity tables tell us [life] is likely to go on for quite a while, for a period that could easily approximate or exceed midlife. This simultaneous expansion and compression of time is a unique feature of the new stage of life opening up between the middle years and anything resembling old age.”

So far, so good. Freedman goes on to propose a mantra “as we prepare to storm the barricades of age: mortality, longevity, urgency. Add demography and we might be poised to witness something transformative, the emergence of an entirely new stage of life and a new segment of the population, neither young nor old. 60 is neither the new 30 or the old 80. It is the new 60.”

That’s also very good advice. but it’s a lot more problematic than Freedman suggests here. Longevity and urgency seem to be contradictory and the challenge of mid-life is to deal with this contradiction. When you are 50 and you’re enjoying good health, chances are you’ll still be around in 10 years, able to continue what you are doing now. But when you are 60 and in good health, there’s a long tail to the probability curve. The *average* 60-something will still be enjoying life. More will be experiencing health problems, some for the first time, and some will be enjoying an even higher quality of life as they shed their careers and enjoy retirement.

The truth is: Life coaching gets harder as your life gets longer.

Traditional wisdom doesn’t apply. How do you plan for the post-60 life? If you live each day as though you’ve got a year to live, you won’t defer gratification to work so you can preserve your nest egg and life style. But if you bet wrong and the clock ticks more slowly, you’re in trouble.

In the best of both worlds, you have a career you enjoy so you don’t have an either/or decision. That’s usually possible – but requires some creativity, planning and a large amount of luck.

Reading over Jobs’s commencement address on the day of his obituary, there’s no denying the sadness that Jobs himself won’t be around to help blaze this new territory himself. He was just beginning to navigate the terrain between ages 55 and 75 – an age was once a wasteland, yet has all the ingredients to be the new crown of life.

Life coaching calls for a life design with built-in breaks along a much longer trajectory, that is fitted to the new lifespans of the 21st century. You can’t run a marathon the way you run a spring. We’re going to need to coach ourselves or get coached to this new view of life. Half the children born since 2000 in the developed world are projected to see their 100th birthdays. Let’s pass on to them a life trajectory that’s sustaining and sustainable, that pays off on the promise of the longevity revolution, for now and for generations to come.

As a life coach, Steve Jobs wasn’t bad. Life just gets harder to coach with every year.

Most of us have heard the term “mid-life crisis” and maybe we’ve even used it more than once. We’re programed to believe that we – especially men – will experience some bizarre turn of events somewhere between ages 35 and 55.

Now an article in Scientific American Magazine questions the whole idea. Author Jesse Bering notes that scientific evidence shows no more likely of crisis during this age than any other time. In fact, teens often get so frustrated they envy the old, he says. And the elderly often pick middle age as the best time in their lives – the age they’d choose if they could turn the clock back.

My own view is that the ages of 35-55 are ideal for a wake-up call. You realize time is finite and you have to get busy and accomplish those bucket goals. If you feel too comfortable and fail to develop a sense of urgency at that age, you can coast into your sixties and seventies … and then realize your options are more limited.

Recently I asked subscribers to my career guide, “What is the biggest challenge to your career?”

Over half were related to age and age discrimination.

A publisher once told me, “I’d love to see someone write a book on getting a job after 60 … easily.” Yeah, right.

Here is the reality.

(1) Age discrimination exists. People don’t even try to hide it. I’ve heard managers say, “If you haven’t reached this level by age 40 you won’t go higher.”

(2) Expect advice to downsize expectations. A lot of books on aging contain this cheery advice: “You probably don’t need a job that requires responsibility. Get a job at Wal-Mart as a greeter.” You don’t need to buy a book for that. And if you do buy a book, that’s probably the kind of advice you will get.

(3) News stories are exaggerated and even deceptive. You’ll hear stories like, “Companies may be forced to hire aging workers as the boomers retire.” Um…it’s these boomers who want to get the jobs! Hello! And if companies really have trouble filling vacancies, they have lots of options, including overseas outsourcing.

I recommend that you stop forcing the issue. Sure, go ahead and send out resumes. Work your contacts. And start something on your own.

A dog walker can earn $60,000 or more in a large city. Not an executive salary but you don’t need an executive wardrobe either.

Concierges are becoming more popular as more of us get busier.

Want to go online? Start as a virtual assistant.

I’m happy to talk with you about possibilities. Go here for a list of my services.

A Canadian CEO, Brian Levy, returned to medical school after his corporate job wet sour. To be sure, he enjoyed a number of advantages. He’d left corporate life with a package of $11 million. He drives to the hospital in a Lexus. But his profs say he works harder and he’s the most prepared for any medical presentation. He has real empathy with the patients.

Inspirational to a point: it helps if you’ve got the money and family support. But if you’re worried about having energy and brainpower for this kind of career change, read about it here.

Several readers asked for additional tips for getting started on the Internet (see previous post).

First, before you spend hundreds (or thousands) of dollars on web design or development, I recommend considering WordPress as a platform for your website as well as your blog. Many people figure out WordPress on their own (with the help of some online advice). If you’re in a position to invest in training, you can speed up the process. You can also identify some sneaky (but legal) tips and some ways to get the most from your website and blog.

Start with the free stuff…and this is the perfect time. Christina Hills put together some good videos to introduce her forthcoming workshop:

Start here to get some good background on WordPress websites: http://budurl.com/createwpsite

Christina also made a couple of hilarious videos that get you started.
http://budurl.com/juliac

and
http://budurl.com/cookpost

Christina is one of the most conscientious, ethical marketers on the Internet. I’ve been in her shopping cart club for years and still maintan my memberhsip. So if you can comfortable afford to sign up for this workshop, you would be off to a great start for creating a business on the Internet.

I am also a big fan of Jeannette Cates. She’s not one of the flashy names you’ll see around the Internet, but she’s also very ethical with some excellent tools for newbies. http://budurl.com/jcates

And from time to time I offer free and affordable resources. Sign up for the Copy Cat Ezine.

http://budurl.com/jcates

The New York Times ran a fascinating and thought-provoking article on the way nuns achieve the elusive goal of a “good death.” Acccording to the author, the nuns often turn down intensive end-of-life care that adds to pain and expense but achieves nothing. Because they have a place that’s comfortable and welcoming, they are spared the indignities of hospitals and nursing homes. Read it here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/health/09sisters.html?_r=1&em

Mid-life career strategy calls for sensitivity to stereotypes about aging. One stereotype is that we take longer to learn and resist learning new things.

A recent New York Times article supports a theory I’ve held for years. As we get older, our brain holds more and more data. So we just have more to process. Thats why we may forget more easily.

I used to remember phone numbers of just about everyone I know. Now I just know a lot more people. I call them a lot less frequently (due to email). And of course I use speed dials and auto-dials.

But, says the Times, aging brains also have a broader context to place new information. We remember parallel events that took place years ago. We process information more thoroughly, so we appear to be reading and taking in new information more slowly.

Possibly.

My own view is: When you look at a group of 14-year-olds of a certain socioeconomic class, you’ll find many similarities. They’ll be in school. They’ll have certain physical capabilities

But a group of 54-year-olds and 64-year olds will have enormous variation. Just look around your local fitness center. Some folks are walking around in a little circle, moving slowly to the music. Others are running marathons.

That’s why I think we have to take charge of our own destinies as we get older, not depending on external forces for solutions to jobs and other challenges.

At my last college reunion, one of my classmates urged me, “Bring copies of your e-books and distribute them!” That was someone Unclear on the Concept. And that was also my last class reunion.