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.

There's nothing like going back to work to improve our retirement years. I recently accepted a part-time gig at a brand-new Assisted Living facility close to home.

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).

Enlightenment is nothing but a series of continual awakenings, the releasing of our own conditioning, layer upon layer, inching ourselves closer and closer to the truth. As we cultivate the courage to go beyond all our fears and doubts and take that first step into the vast infinite world of "not knowing" we will need something reliable to help guide us.

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.

What if I have become all that I am meant to be? When this question wormed into my subconscious, I pretended not to notice. I put a little more effort into my omelet. I have countless strategies to stop the tape from looping in my head.