Sharing your stories is both “healing” for you and a way to pass on your “wisdom” to others.

Sometimes people say they don’t want to look back at their past, because they are ashamed of all the mistakes they made, but actually it is possible to release ourselves from the “tyranny of the past,” if we realize that we are no longer that “self” who made those mistakes.

To many older people, the idea of “slowing down” is anathema, but people who choose to “sage” (or to “consciously age”) can take advantage of this new mindset to spend more time exploring who they are and who they may want to become in this new life stage.

Are you starting to question the idea that a life well-lived is a “productive” life? Are you thinking you might want to spend your time differently than you did when you were middle-aged and always busy?

Do you ever say that you don’t feel “old”? Have you ever stopped to think about what you actually mean when you say this?

Have you ever heard or used the phrase “That’s just the way it is” to express resignation about what it means to age? Have you ever questioned it?

Does it make you happy when someone says, “You look good for your age”? Has it ever occurred to you that this might not actually be a compliment?

When it comes to your view of aging, are you a “Denialist,” a “Realist,” or an “Enthusiast’? Does it matter which you are?

Community is an important part of anyone’s life, but it is crucial for aging well. Did you know there is a rapidly growing special community just for elders called Sage-ing International?

Have you read the book “From Age-ing to Sage-ing: A Profound New Vision of Growing Older” by Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, the book that introduced the world to a new, more empowering way to look at aging?