The average 65-year old living in the U.S. today can expect to live for about 18 more years, according to the Social Security Administration.
Think about what’s happened in the past 18 years:
- You likely heard of a crazy thing called Facebook for the first time.
- Ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft made transportation more accessible.
- You changed the way you bought many things, from books to clothes to… just about everything.
- Streaming services dramatically changed your home entertainment experience.
As I think about my own initial reactions to those changes:
- Facebook — Who on earth is going to share all their personal information for the world to see?
- Uber — Taxi companies are never going to be replaced by someone picking you up in their own vehicle!
- Amazon — I can’t buy clothes online; how would I know if they fit?
- Netflix — How is anything going to be more convenient than popping into Blockbuster to pick from hundreds of movies?
Damn, was I wrong. I’d be willing to bet that you were, too.
A LOT can happen in 18 years, which is why if you are 50, 60, or older, you need to develop a mindset of adaptation. If you’re going to be living on this planet for another two decades, then you might as well make the best of it.
Change Can Be Scary, But It’s Coming Whether You Like It or Not
There’s no denying that change can be scary. But if you don’t embrace it, you risk being left behind and missing the many great things that come with change.
Take Artificial Intelligence, for example. You’ve most likely heard about ChatGPT, the AI that’s been all over the news for the past few months.
Whether you are completely in the dark about what it is or you’re living in fear of the machines taking over the world, you should know that AI is here to stay — and that it could make your life better.
Consider this: According to research from the University of Oxford and Ochanomizu University in Japan, in the next 10 years, 40%+ of the time that we spend on chores like cooking, cleaning, and housework could be automated. No need to spend your time on mundane tasks; do something you’ll enjoy!
Here are a few other ways that AI can add (and in some cases already is adding) value to your life:
- AI can be used to predict health risks and personalize care.
- AI-powered search engines could give you one exact answer to a fact-based query rather than pages of possibilities.
- AI suggests products on Amazon based on the preferences of people with similar interests and recommends movies on Netflix based on your past viewing habits.
- Thermostats can “learn” your habits and make automatic adjustments that reduce energy usage in your home.
- On a deeper level, AI could be used to provide social interaction and emotional support for individuals who may be living alone or experiencing social isolation.
Pretty great stuff.
But…
All this might sound scary or silly to a lot of people, especially if you are over the age of 50. (A little too reminiscent of the Jetsons perhaps?)
It’s pretty commonly accepted that people become more resistant to change as they get older. Things like a decrease in brain plasticity or the idea that the older we get the more fixed our identity and values become.
But…
While it may be true that you don’t have complete control over the aging of your physical brain or body, you do have control over how you view the world.
- You don’t have to be fearful of changes just because they’re unfamiliar.
- You don’t have to feel like you’ll “never understand.”
- You don’t have to worry about being embarrassed to admit you don’t know how QR codes work, or how to use Venmo, or what the heck ChatGPT even is.
You can accept that the world is changing (sometimes for the better!) and have an open mind when it comes to your willingness to adapt along with it.
There is nothing permanent except change.
-Heraclitus
Adapting to technological change can feel daunting, but not doing so isn’t really an option. And why not take advantage of those positive benefits that come from change?
Think about what it was like when telephones became commonplace in people’s homes. Phones opened up an incredible new line of communication, yet some people were reluctant and fearful to have one.
It’s not hard to imagine a few of their concerns. What if it catches fire? What if people can hear what I’m saying all the time? Why would I want to pay just to be able to talk to someone?
Think about the great benefits they would have missed out on had they never gotten that magic box installed on their wall!
My Personal Outlook on Adapting to Change
As a 61-year old male, my remaining life expectancy is 19.74 years; that’s almost 1/3 of the number of years I’ve already lived. That’s a good, long time, and I want to be able to fully participate and engage with the world around me for as long as I can.
That means I’m going to have to make the effort to learn about technological changes, assess their usefulness to me, and go about learning how to incorporate them into my life.
Give it a shot!
p.s. ChatGPT helped with some of the research for this piece. ;)
