Key takeaways

• Fake news, especially when we believe it as truth, can have a very negative effect on our outlook on life.
• Fake news isn’t only on the Internet and TV news stations, it can also occur in our thought processes, which can reduce our joy and happiness in everyday life.
• I call old age fake news and dwelling on it and the challenges that come with it can create a toxic cycle in your life that is almost impossible to break.
• Maintaining a positive outlook on life, in spite of any struggles, can make you feel much younger than your actual age and can result in a much more fulfilling retirement.

Recently, the town I live in experienced a little flooding. I stood there watching the water and it rose a bit, but not much. A reporter asked me a question about what I thought might happen with hurricane Florence coming through and I talked with her for a minute. But she immediately latched on to and reported on the evening news with video the part where I suggested Florence could imminently hurt businesses, which was completely out of context. That’s an example of this fake news problem and I actually found out firsthand how it starts and then gets spread around.

There’s another thing that could be considered fake news: old age. Old age is fake news. What I mean by this is that the effect aging has on us depends on how we feel about old age for ourselves. A recent study conducted by Pew Research Center found that of those over the age of 65, 60 percent of them felt younger than their actual age. Feeling younger than one’s actual age has a lot to do with how a person approaches life going forward.

Since people are retiring later — many times, not until age 65 or 70 — it really matters how you view old age; because, having a negative attitude about it can be very toxic. We’ve all come across people talking constantly about the woes of old age — about all of their aches and pains. They’re constantly focusing on all the things that are going wrong relative to their age. They focus on what they can’t do rather than what they can do and the litany of negative complaints goes on.

It doesn’t matter how much money you have. You can have an abundance of money and still be very negative about old age. Likewise, you can have very little money and maintain a positive outlook. I’ve seen the entire spectrum across the board in people I’ve met. One thing I’ve noticed that seems to be consistent in those who feel their age is that they almost always talk about this fact and constantly look at the challenges of old age as a huge detriment. It’s this negative focus that brings this toxicity into their lives. And no amount of money can alleviate that. In fact, Walt Disney (obviously, extremely wealthy) asked to be put in a cryogenic state when he died back in 1966 because he wants to come back when and if technology is able to do that in the future.

Old age is a funny thing. Many times, people ask me about my thoughts on old age. What I’m doing, where I’m going, etc., when I get to that stage. My reply is always that I don’t feel my age. I fall in that 60 percent with a positive attitude. I’m always looking forward to a better year the next year than the prior year. This makes a big difference in my outlook on life and most people around me. And, it’s not about the money. Certainly, the money is there to support those things I do and my family does, but that’s it.

Think about this when you consider the approach of old age, which I believe is fake news anyway. Dwelling on old age and the challenges associated with it can generate that toxicity in your life, so give it a little bit of thought. Until next time, enjoy.

Gary

Gary Klaben is in our Glenview, IL office and serves our clients who are now located all over the country.  He has over 30 years of experience and is the author of Changing the Conversation, Wealth of Everything and co-author of The Business Battlefield.  Whether advising his clients, mentoring his team, or coaching entrepreneurs, he is always simplifying complexity and motivating others to take the next action that’s right for them.

Learn more about TransformingWealth™ , our proprietary approach, designed to get your arms around the big picture so you can make informed financial decisions. Ask Gary about Coyle’s TransformingWealth Preview Meeting, and schedule a complimentary consultation and start living the Good Life Managed Well™.

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