Chapter 89

Passion, grit, and a positive mindset, three key traits for success, begin to fall off in our 50s, according to a new study from Norway. You and I are gonna lose those three key tools as we get older, and many already have. Especially the positive mindset one! I feel that 65% of my conversations with people are about this one piece alone. And its not just grumpy old men. It’s across the board for the plus 50 crowd. Is grumpy old women a category?? And some of this loss comes from worry about other things you are losing in your 50’s, that the passion grit and positivity get pushed aside.

But I honestly think you gain other things in your 50’s that counter these losses to a great extent. The first thing you gain is an unflappable calmness. Mind you not everyone in their 50’s gets this, but more do than don’t. There is less of that edgy excitability that can make life so tense. And then there is perspective. If you aren’t gaining perspective in your 50’s then you are a lost cause. You can see the past and present and potential future more clearly. And finally you get compassion, and realization that all of us are human and make mistakes and are prone to be our own worst enemies. You are more tolerant and understanding of less than perfect outcomes and results.

I think these are three positive gains you make in your 50’s that can can lead to other kinds of success. Of course you just as easily can get grumpier, more negative and caustic, and more fragile rather than tougher in a good sense. But you can make these choices with your eyes wide open. You are in your 50’s after all.