Life is continually moving forward... from one Life Stage to another...
And, as we age, we gradually, or sometimes suddenly, become more aware of life's transitions... or "Life Stages." And each transition brings new challenges, new experiences, new emotions, new opportunities.
Aging is about not just dealing with these transitions. It's about anticipating them, planning for them, getting informed to deal more effectively with them and optimizing the opportunities that they may present.
The more that we understand about the Life Stages that impact us as we age, the better our chance to find the comfort, strength, resilience, inspiration or joy that each Life Stage offers. That understanding does not come automatically or easily. Like most things of value, it comes from diligent work and focus.
Let's start with listing The Most Life-Changing Events that trigger movement into different Life Stages:
Top 22 Most Life-Changing Events/Life Stages
1. Kids moving out – college, marriage, independence
2. Paying for college – and completion of responsibility
3. Paying for weddings – and completion of responsibility
4. Marriage (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.)
5. Birth or adoption of children
6. Becoming a caregiver to parent(s) or other family member
7. Losing a family member
8. Losing job
9. Going back to school
10. Re-entering workforce
11. New career or changing job
12. Major promotion - responsibility/time/travel/income
13. Starting a business
14. Selling or closing a business
15. Birth of grandchildren
16. Major illness, accident or other trauma
17. Retirement
18. Inheritance or other financial windfall
19. Dramatic rise or fall of investment value
20. Dramatic change in income
21. Inspiration
22. Moving into a new home, apartment or care facility
Transitions are a way of life as we age. Some we control and have time to plan for. Many are thrust upon us... suddenly and without any time to prepare or adjust.
Think of agelessness as the lubricant of life... smoothing out these transitions that often are a source of friction and slowing us down as we try to move forward. Sometimes this engine needs a mixture of oil and gasoline to create the energy that moves us forward in life toward our goals.
Agelessness and aspiration are the oil and gas of a meaningful and fulfilling life.
An ageless life is not confined or bound by the realities of aging that slows our movement forward through these Life Stages... and aspiration fuels us with the energy that continually drives us forward toward fulfilling our goals.
To be Ever Ageless and Aspiring is to live our life with the joy and the peace that grows from striving to be all that we can be... every day... without the boundaries or resistance that aging can present as we move from one Life Stage to another.
Each new Life Stage can be unsettling, even traumatic. But each Stage also provides an opportunity to grow IF we can muster the fortitude, the resilience, the flexibility and the optimism to always be looking forward.
We must not let Life Stage transitions control us.
We must proactively exert control. That means planning, aggressive research, careful thought and discussions will pay huge dividends in smoothing out those transitions.
Be proactive in converting each new Life Stage to positive movement FORWARD toward finding the ever-aspiring, ever-ageless life we seek.