Chip Conley

Definition: "the societal worship of success in a manner that is damaging to the well-being and dignity of many citizens; most modern elders wake up to the fact that neither consumerism nor successism will buy them happiness and it’s around midlife that they choose to rewrite their 'success script.'"

What’s the wisest gift anyone has ever given you?

"Everyone knows conventional wisdom about metabolism: People put pounds on year after year from their 20s onward because their metabolisms slow down, especially around middle age. Women have slower metabolisms than men. That’s why they have a harder time controlling their weight. Menopause only makes things worse, slowing women’s metabolisms even more. All wrong, according to a paper published Thursday in Science."

If the question above has you stumped, you might try this: if someone made a movie about you, what would the name of it be? Or better yet, if you wrote a book about your life, what would the title be?

This Saturday, Sept. 18th from 9-10:30 am PT, MEA is offering a free online event that seems perfectly-suited to the times we’re living in. Are you feeling a little weary and perhaps a little less resilient with so much change coming without respite? How do we continue to regenerate our mindset towards positivity, growth and wisdom?

Definition: "When a modern elder, who is as curious as they are wise, creates a catalytic effect on a team full of smart, focused, occasionally EQ-challenged young leaders."

"Usually sometime around midlife, we come to a point where we’ve seen enough of our own tricks and we come to feel that my shadow self is who I am. We face ourselves in our raw, unvarnished, and uncivilized state...

Oh, how I loved Roald Dahl’s book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” as a kid. Yes, it was a story about how avarice, gluttony, envy, and all kinds of other deadly sins proved to be, well, deadly. And, of course, Charlie was the perfect little boy to which I aspired. But it was really the chocolate I was after!

The New York Times has created a new series focused on mid-lifers and beyond pursuing their dreams. The first story was about a woman who learned how to swim at age 68. It’s an encouraging story about resourcefulness and resilience. In the interview she says, “Finally I decided if I don’t try, it’s never going to happen.”

As entrepreneurs, we tend to focus on our wins and greatest successes. But what about our greatest failures? After all, it is these lessons that lead to much of our wisdom.