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What are Baby Boomers?
In all my articles and on my website, I refer to the fabulous@50 demographic as “baby boomers”. But what are baby boomers? Where have our values and beliefs come from?
In Ontario, one influential attempt to define the boom came from David Foot, author of Boom, Bust and Echo: Profiting from the Demographic Shift in the 21st Century, published in 1997 and 2000. He defines a Canadian boomer as someone born from 1947 to 1966, the years that more than 400,000 babies were born.
In my last blog post I talked about baby boomers retiring, we are getting ready to go on to the next opportunity or experience. We may have worked for many years and are ready to retire from that profession, but ready to move on to another. Maybe it is time to listen to our hearts and do that thing that has been nipping at our heels waiting for us to have the time. Learning new skills, keeping our mind expanding is what will keep us young and happier.
Baby Boomers Raised by Media & TV
We are the generation that was raised by the television and the media right in our faces all the time. People say the world is more dangerous and not as nice a place to live as in the 50’s for example. But I look around at people like Steve Jobs and see amazing people that have made incredible differences in our world. It is our nature to focus on the negative and be afraid of the future. But I believe that the world has more good than bad and I choose to live that way.
Steve Jobs did the Stanford Commencement Address and said:
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
Steve Jobs, a boomer himself, influenced an entire generation with his products.
But what has influenced us the most? Music, books, school, media, church…well probably all of the those. And it is so easy to just say, well that is the way I was raised and then to continue doing what we think we should be doing. But what is the measure of happiness in your life, are you happy just doing what you have always done? Do you have something in your heart to share with your community or the world?
We all get to make choices to create a better world, city, neighbourhood's, home life, it may seem like you are touching only a few people and you may wonder if you are making a difference. You are or can be. There are so many ways to fill your own cup by helping other. Our favourite charity, Suit Yourself, is in need of volunteers. If helping others is something that makes you feel good, then here is a great opportunity supporting a charity to empower women going back into the workplace.
The Purpose of This Boomer Blog
When I started Fabulous@50 my intention was to bring women together, to inspire, educate and empower them. I started with a handful of women and now between my meet-up group and my e-newsletter I reach over 1,000 women. It is hard to measure this work, but it certainly is my intention to make a difference. Occasionally I have a member tell me a success story and all it takes is a little feedback to keep me going.
I was out riding my bike one day and started chatting with a friendly lady having a coffee in front of Second Cup. She started to tell me about a fun trade show for baby boomer women that I should go to, called the Fabulous@50 Experience. I couldn't help but chuckle, she made me feel like Oprah….lol. She was my little boast that I needed to keep moving forward. She told me that she was a subscriber to my newsletter, and that she really related to the story on "Going with the Flow". At least I know one person is reading my blog.
The boomer generation has been influenced by many things, what has influenced you?
Dianna