Chip Conley

Death, you strike with unpredictable disrespect. You take the ones we never expected to leave.

Ah, to live in a world of awe instead of judgment. It would be nice, wouldn’t it? Well, contrary to what cynics may say, I believe it’s possible. But only if we create the conditions for it to occur, which is precisely what we aim to create at MEA—a space where awe becomes our default response to life.

Retirement as a concept may be in the process of retiring. Take a look at this graph that shows how much retirement is mentioned in books from 1800 till the present. Prior to the 20th century, retirement was often something you did because your body couldn’t keep up anymore.

It’s no coincidence that MEA’s first campus is on the beach and that I’ve written my last three books in homes on the beach. I love water, especially when there aren’t a lot of people around. I also love surfing, even though I haven’t been out for the longest time, along with the fact that I’m not very good.

We often do an exercise at MEA in which our "compadres" (our cohort participants in a week-long workshop) don name tags that define mindsets or identities that aren't serving them.

I’m a big fan of MEA alum Elizabeth White’s idea of Resilience Circles. As we all know, it’s easy to feel alone when we’re faced with challenges in midlife and beyond. We need tools and resources to navigate this minefield (and hopefully turn it into a field of daisies).

Excuse the expression, but I’m a "metaphor whore." You probably already knew that. I love and use metaphors shamelessly, whether it’s the caterpillar to butterfly journey to describe the three stages of transition or how the fine art of rock balancing is an MEA experiential leadership lesson, or what we call "mentoring stones."

Okay, let’s be clear—ageism is real and serious. And there are relatively-toothless age discrimination laws in the United States. So, it may feel in bad taste to share this New Yorker magazine humorous questionnaire, but, hey, sometimes levity is a welcome way to highlight a problem.

Wisdom Well doesn't offer a lot of blog posts on our bodies and physical wellness. I feel that we're barraged enough with anti-aging messages, many of which can be exclamatory—take this or take that if you don't want to be a goner! I'm tired of those hyperbolic messages.

Following up from yesterday, today's title offers a simple, provocative question that challenges the typical societal narrative that says: You can't grow and age at the same time.