As part of my ongoing learnings, I attended a presentation about generational wealth recently and its importance to society. Generational wealth means passing financial assets to the next generation of your family, giving them a leg up and closing the widening wealth gap in North America. Financial assets include cash, investments like stocks and bonds, real estate and family business.

Ellen Langer challenges the idea that the limits we put on ourselves, as we age, are real. Opening our minds to what’s possible, instead of presuming impossible, can lead to better well-being, at any age. We need to realize that our perspective on aging is often based on old assumptions about aging and that we can cast them aside for real possibilities.

Thanks to MEA alum Amy Beilharz for these five quotes that will remind you that aging and growing are not mutually exclusive.

I recently read this excerpt from Brett and Kay McKay that was such a valuable reminder that our best years may be ahead of us. On page 172 of Jean Edward Smith’s biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ike is almost 52 years old, an age at which many a man feels his life has largely run its course.

To our surprise and delight, over the past year, we’ve seen a huge interest in private MEA retreats, often from alums who want to share the MEA curriculum and experience with others. It’s so encouraging to see that our wisdom academy has relevance beyond just our personal worlds, and that there is a hunger to bring MEA's tools and practices to the world of business.

In honor of Kevin Kelly’s new book which has the same name as today’s blog post, I wanted to tell you why this intrepid soul has been a role model for me.

In mid-February, I told y’all about my cancer spreading to my lymphs. I’ve been on hormone depletion therapy since that time which has all of the side effects of a woman’s menopause experience: hot flashes, night sweats, brain fog, testy emotions, fatigue, weight gain, and - for me - occasional anxiety attacks.

Five years ago, I made my first pilgrimage to MEA in Baja. I call it a pilgrimage because I looked up the word and found that it meant a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about themselves, others, nature, or a higher good through the experience. It can lead to personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life.

"How do you create the magic that is sometimes called collective effervescence in a group? How do you do that so that people come away from it feeling like: Wow, MEA just created an event that made me feel like I love life more?" - Chip Conley

According to a study published this year by a pair of British researchers, sunsets are unmatched in their ability to inspire awe among people. They surpass the majesty of storms, the beauty of rainbows, clear blue skies, and even breathtaking nightscapes.