Chip Conley

One of the signs of wisdom is the ability to straddle contradictory beliefs and understand the logic of both. Being able to "split the ambivalence" is what relationships are all about. "Not knowing" is a form of wisdom.

“How do we know when to speak up and when to withdraw? As a privileged person, how do I not turn a blind eye to the cause of justice but also not lose myself in a fog of screens, noise and distraction?

Is there any more American mantra than this (spoken or unspoken)? I know this “worn-out axiom” has been central to my self-concept for most of my adult life. Someone asks me how I’m doing, and I immediately talk about how my company is fairing— Joie de Vivre, Airbnb, MEA

This quote has been attributed to Michelangelo, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Norman Rockwell, who all exhibited some of their greatest mastery later in life. However, these four words were first uttered by Seneca, the Roman philosopher, and are a perfect mantra for why people come to MEA.

Your career will likely last fifty years or more. That’s a life sentence without much punctuation. Who knows, your mid-50s could even be your mid-career?

Suzanne Watkins is a two-time MEA alum who credits her experience in Baja as the catalyst for her next chapter: becoming an international flight attendant at age 60. Here’s her story:

‘Tis the season to shop ‘till you drop. Here’s 10 books to read ‘till you’re freed (I didn’t include sacred texts like the Bible or Koran because I wanted to focus primarily on secular options that could work for virtually any reader).

I’ll never forget when I was interviewing the famous film and sports entrepreneur/investor Peter Guber on stage in LA and he told me of his excitement for meeting Senator Barack Obama for the first time, who was fifteen years younger than him. It made me realize that being a “fanboy” or “fangirl” keeps us humble and curious, no matter what our age.

My friend Ken Dychtwald has been one of the leading thinkers on aging and retirement. His company AgeWave has published all kinds of insightful studies that are well worth your time.

I recently made the pilgrimage to southern Albuquerque and, more specifically, to Christian mystic Richard Rohr’s Center for Action and Contemplation. Richard has become a modern elder to me as he’s grown his movement for the past fifty years.