Beyond the binary options of work versus play, every life stage provides challenges and opportunities. The beauty of the duration of the typical human lifespan is that it takes eight or nine decades to truly master most skills. With all due respect to the ’10,000 repetitions’ adage, the journey to competence only ends when you decide you’re done learning.
- Most of us who have adult children are still learning how to be good parents. The addition of grandchildren adds a wonderful layer of complexity to that growth. It’s hard to live enough days to get really good at it.
- Most healthcare clinicians begin to feel like they know what they’re doing at about the mid-career mark. Sure, they’re licensed and qualified for independent practice before that stage, but the level of competence most medical patients seek happens during late career.
- Most musicians spend a lifetime trying to grasp the nuances of music theory, even though they can skillfully perform the basics with ease. All you have to do is sit in the audience of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to understand how a decades-long commitment to music can make listeners cry tears of awe.
- Most athletes augment their natural talent with countless hours of repetition-based practice. In addition to the brain-strengthening ‘muscle memory’ neurological gains, they are adapting to the challenges of aging. It’s not unusual to see a pro basketball player develop a fall-away jump shot when their vertical leap begins to decline.
The same story can be told of teachers, policemen, cooks, engineers, accountants, sales professionals, cartoonists, ministers, pilots, and authors. There is a continuous improvement lesson in every endeavor. The consequences of turning the ‘old’ corner are ignited at whatever stage of life you decide you’re finished learning and growing.
Okay boomer.