Healthy aging requires adaptability. To age well, you need the capability to cope with inevitable changes of direction, speed, and focus in your personal and private life. That might mean running a slower 10k pace or finally giving in to the need for those reader-type glasses. Or it might mean moving to a house without stairs, or taking on the parenting responsibility for a grandchild.

Resilience – the ability to recover quickly – and re-invention – to re-make oneself – are two key components of healthy aging.

No matter the specifics of the twists and turns of your life, cultivating both a resilient spirit and a practical mindset will help you make your way with greater ease. Two books published by Dudley Court Press offer help and support. While both are written with a primary focus on career issues, the lessons and wisdom in these books are applicable to the personal side of life as well – because we are, after all, people first.

Unexpected career jolts and even a yearned-for retirement require resilience and re-invention.

Martha Johnson was thriving as the head of the General Services Administration of the U.S. Government when she was unexpectedly compelled to resign her position. She wrote about her experiences – and particularly the role resilience plays in recovering from the shocks of life – in her book, On My Watch: Leadership, Innovation & Personal Resilience. (Purchase here.) You can also keep up with the very resilient, and down-to-earth, Martha on her blog. Check out her posts about resilience here: Martha Johnson’s blog – articles about resilience.

 

Reinventing oneself can be a frightening thought, but with resources like I Want a New Career …Now What D I Do? by Donna Rippley, (available here) the process can become creative and enjoyable. Listen to Donna as she talks about reinvention on Florida’s Talk Back Radio. (She’s featured in the first hour of the broadcast.) Donna Rippley on Florida’s Talk Back Radio

 

How are you looking at resilience and reinvention in your life?  Are you ready?