A volatile situation is about to erupt…in the office, the parking lot, a dining room or anywhere emotions are high.  Who is more likely to turn down the volume and find a peaceful compromise:  the young savvy techie, or the gray-haired retired businessman?

“It turns out that managing emotions is a skill in itself, one that takes many of us decades to master. For a study published this year, German researchers had people play a gambling game meant to induce regret. Unlike 20-somethings, those in their 60s didn’t agonize over losing, and they were less likely to try to redeem their loss by later taking big risks.”  (Smithsonian.com)

Isn’t that great news?  Science is revealing that, unlike our younger cohorts, as we boomers continue to age, we become better at handling conflict.  We consider different points of view and know how to compromise.

That probably isn’t a big surprise to you if you are 50+.  You’ve probably been in situations where younger men and women are angry or frustrated about something that you also find disturbing, but you’re a bit slower to stamp your foot. Sure, sometimes we’re worn out because let’s face it, chances are we’ve seen it before.

But most of the time, it’s because we’ve earned our patience right along with our wrinkles.

What’s really great about all this is how much happier we are, for the most part, after the age of 50. We start to actually enjoy each day for what it is.  We let mistakes go and don’t obsess as much about what we’ll do next. 

And there’s more to celebrate about aging.  Outsideonline.com offers this:

“A study conducted by MIT in conjunction with the U.S. Census Bureau, analyzed 2.7 million people who started companies between 2007 and 2014 and found that among the fastest growing tech companies, the average founder was 45 years-old at the time of founding.  They also found that a 50-year-old is twice as likely to have a massive success than a 30-year-old.”

Woohoo!

Think of sports.  Sure, a young, nimble, strong body is invaluable in any sport.  But so is wisdom.  Patience.  Knowing how to use the clock.  Reading a team’s defense.  Understanding how to psych out your opponent. Being able to come back after falling behind.  It’s why so many world-class athletes truly hit their stride well-past what some might consider their “prime” time.

Chances are, you’ve experienced that feeling…where your years of experience and knowledge come together and you know how to solve the problem—to “win” the situation.

Getting older is good on many levels.  And of course, so is being young. And what’s ironic is how we all tend to look at each other in ways that aren’t quite correct.  Young people fear aging (memory loss, illness, no sexual interest).  Then they age, and realize that not everyone goes through that, yet they also discover that aging doesn’t necessarily mean you have the time and resources to travel, volunteer or start new hobbies. And how many people really get that gold watch when they retire?

Everyone ages in his or her own unique way. But we can celebrate that we have skills and talents that have to be earned over time. 

Let’s use our power to do good in the world. Because it sure could use it.   

“The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.”

           Frank Lloyd Wright