What does it mean to age consciously?

A good question since most of us age unconsciously.

We enter into those later years filled with misunderstanding, half truths, flat out lies, and old wives’ tales about what it means to grow old. And we end up living out our lives just so.

That’s why Wayne Lehrer wrote The Art of Conscious Aging.

Wayne also speaks to older adults living in retirement communities. Together, they explore conscious aging and Wayne tries to help them shatter the illusions about becoming old.

This week on The Art 2 Aging, Wayne talks about the attitudes he’s encountered during these discussions.

Some of them are going to surprise you.

Recently, the Global Wellness Institute commissioned three studies to determine what aging well means in different countries.

More than 20 experts working in the aging field on retirement, health, and market research were asked for their views (that study can be found here).

Over 25 creative directors from ad and marketing agencies were surveyed to determine what makes good advertising for an aging well message and why agencies continue to miss the advertising mark.

A thousand people in each of five countries were asked a series of questions about how they view getting older, what they want out of older age and what they fear the most. When that study is released in August, The Art 2 Aging will update you.

With five countries and nearly 50 experts surveyed, you wouldn’t be wrong in assuming a wide variety of views was expressed. Or would you?

Veteran marketing and advertising executive, Dave McCaughan, headed several of the studies for the Institute.

He joins The Art 2 Aging this week to discuss what he and his teams discovered.

Who are the rich and powerful? The tech bros? Nope.

According to a 54 year old Yale professor whose income is north of $250 thousand a year, it’s older adults like you and me!

You didn’t know how influential and affluent you are, did you (in Canada, one of the major banks has an ad slogan that goes, “You’re richer than you think”)?

Back in April, the New York Times ran an opinion piece by Professor Samuel Moyn entitled, “Older Americans Are Hoarding America’s Potential” in which he argues for things like restricted voting for older adults, mandatory retirement, taxes on the homes of older people and other “creative” solutions to counter what he refers to as “gerontocracy” in the United States today.

Needless to say, the op ed has stirred things up. Janine Vanderburg, founder of Encore Roadmap, and a fearless opponent of ageism, has angrily opposed Moyn’s arguments in her writings.

She is our esteemed guest this week on The Art 2 Aging.

Kathie Donovan is a frequent contributor and guest on The Art 2 Aging and for good reason.

She walks her talk.

What we love about Kathie is that we learn from her every time we listen to her. You just can’t help but be inspired.

Now, Kathie has written a book called, You Look Great For Your Age (And Other Things We Should Never Say Again), about how we have bought into ageism, how we’ve internalized it and how we can rid ourselves of it. It’s worth the read!

In today’s video message on Body and Soul, Kathie offers a way to release old, self-limiting stories we have carried inside for years…

What’s the difference between an elder and someone who is just older?

Well, if you think about the word, ‘elder,’ you’ll likely have an image of an indigenous person in your mind. Or, perhaps, a medicine man, a swami, or maybe a shaman.

Fair enough. But the truth is that, according to Dr. Marc Cooper, an elder is simply someone who is older AND enlightened.

At the age of 81, Marc puts himself squarely into that category. While turning 81 was automatic, becoming enlightened certainly was not.

However, the former dentist believes it is possible for anyone to reach an enlightened state of mind, so much so that he has established the Contemporary Elder Institute to provide the guidance needed to discover the path to happiness and satisfaction.

Dr. Marc Cooper is our guest this week.

When I had my quadruple bypass last summer, it wasn’t because I’d had a heart attack, demonstrated a wonky ECG, or had angina. In fact, I had no symptoms at all.

Several months earlier, I had my GP refer me to a cardiologist so I could proactively determine my heart health. Of course, I assumed my heart was perfect in all respects.

Turns out that wasn’t the case.

I had decided to take the high road after an interview with an Australian cardiologist named Warrick Bishop. What he said about the critical importance of imaging resonated with me.

And it’s probably what has allowed me to be writing this today.

Anyway, here is that interview, part of our Encore Experience series.

Wayne Lehrer is back with another of his popular “Fortune Cookies” - spoonfuls of wisdom that contribute to making each of our lives more meaningful and rich on a daily basis. Today, on Body and Soul, Wayne talks about why giving can be such a powerful two-way street.