Refine Your Purpose

Expert Insight

"To have a sense that your life has purpose you must believe that your later years are just as valuable as your earlier years. This doesn’t mean that you deny the inevitable struggles that come with aging; it just means that you choose to see aging as a new chapter of potential. Your purpose will be different at different stages in your life, and it may take some time and effort to uncover it in your ‘golden years’. As C.S. Lewis stated, 'You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream.'" - Angela Lunde, M.A., Associate in Neurology, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minnesota.

Take Action Now

• Choose your attitude. Make the decision that you are going to take a positive view of growing older. Then act on it through participating in activities that provide you with meaning and purpose.
• Think outside yourself. Take the focus off yourself and your troubles. Share a skill or your time to care for someone else, help out a neighbor, or volunteer in your community.
• Leave a legacy. Pass along what you want to others to know about you or the significant memories you have, or the life lessons you’ve acquired. Express these in a letter, series of short stories, video, photo-journal, audio-recording or through art.