The Connection Between Retiring(riˈtīriNG) Early and Living Longer

Research shows a link, but it isn’t retirement(riˈtīrmənt) itself that leads to a longer life, but what you do in retirement.

By Austin(ˈôstən) Frakt

You may not need another reason to retire early, but I’ll give you one anyway: It could lengthen(ˈleNG(k)THən,ˈlen-) your life.

That’s the thrust(THrəst) from various(ˈve(ə)rēəs) research in recent years(yi(ə)r), and also from a 2017 study in the journal(ˈjərnl) Health Economics(ˌekəˈnämiks,ˌēkə-).

In that study, Hans Bloemen, Stefan Hochguertel and Jochem Zweerink — all economists from the Netherlands(ˈneT͟Hərlən(d)z) — looked at what happened when, in 2005, some Dutch(dəCH) civil(ˈsivəl) servants(ˈsərvənt) could temporarily(ˈtɛmpəˌrɛrəli) qualify(ˈkwäləˌfī) for early retirement.

Only those at least 55 years old and with at least 10 years of continuous service with contributions to the public sector(ˈsektər) pension fund were eligible(ˈeləjəbəl). Men responding to the early retirement offer were 2.6 percentage(pərˈsentij) points less likely to die over the next five years than those who did not retire early. (Too few women met the early retirement eligibility(ˈeləjəbəl) criteria(krīˈti(ə)rēə) to be included in the study.)

The Dutch study echoes(ˈekō) those from other countries. An analysis(əˈnaləsis) in the United States found about seven years of retirement can be as good for health as reducing the chance of getting a serious disease(diˈzēz) (like diabetes(-tis,ˌdīəˈbētēz) or heart conditions) by 20 percent. Positive health effects(iˈfekt) of retirement have also been found by studies using data from Israel(ˈizrēəl,ˈizˌrāl), England, Germany(ˈjərmənē) and other European(ˌyo͝orə-,ˌyərəˈpēən) countries.

That retirement promotes health and prolongs life isn’t obvious(ˈäbvēəs). After all, work provides income and, for some, health insurance(inˈSHo͝orəns) — both helpful for maintenance(ˈmānt(ə)nəns,ˈmāntn-əns) of well-being. It also can provide purpose and camaraderie(-ˈrad-,ˌkam-,ˌkäm(ə)ˈrädərē). Evidence(ˈevədəns) is mounting that loneliness(ˈlōnlēnis) and social isolation(ˌīsəˈlāSHən) are linked to illness(ˈilnis), cognitive(ˈkägnətiv) decline(diˈklīn) and death. One study(ˈstədē) of American(əˈmerikən) retirees(riˌtīˈrē) found them less likely to be lonely or depressed(diˈprest).

…
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/29/upshot/early-retirement-longevity-health-wellness.html

Education(ˌejəˈkāSHən) Kills Fear(fi(ə)r)

By Steve Pavlina

A great way to overcome fear is to educate your fear into oblivion(əˈblivēən).

Consider most people’s greatest fear — public speaking. Public speaking has a lot of variables(ˈve(ə)rēəbəl) — writing and organizing(ˈôrgəˌnīz) the speech, delivering(diˈlivər) it with confidence, vocal(ˈvōkəl) variety(vəˈrīətē), voice volume(-ˌyo͞om,ˈvälyəm) and pitch(piCH), gestures(ˈjesCHər), body language, eye contact, visual(ˈviZHo͞oəl) aids(ād), achieving the speech objectives, connecting with the audience, adapting to the audience’s response, etc.(et cetera.) If you don’t have specific knowledge of how to do these things, it will just look like a gaping(ˈgāpiNG) void of uncertainty and overwhelm(ˌōvərˈ(h)welm), and fear will be the natural(ˈnaCHərəl) response.

Watch any skilled actor or actress(ˈaktris), and everything they do seems so natural — they become their character(ˈkariktər). But what you don’t see is all the subtle(ˈsətl) baby steps that were taken over a period(ˈpi(ə)rēəd) of years to reach that level of proficiency(prəˈfiSHənsē). One reason people can be genuinely(ˈjenyo͞oin) confident instead of fearful in front of a camera(ˈkam(ə)rə) or up on a stage is that they took the time to learn exactly what to do.

If you progressively(prəˈgresiv) develop your skills by learning from others who have broken it down into bite(bīt)-sized learnable chunks(CHəNGk), then fear diminishes(diˈminiSH) greatly because you know what to do. This is one of the reasons we do impromptu(imˈpräm(p)ˌt(y)o͞o) speaking at every Toastmasters(ˈtōs(t)ˌmastər) meeting. You’re expected to do poorly at it initially(iˈniSHəlē). But when you do it over and over again, you eventually become comfortable with it, so if you suddenly find yourself faced with an unexpected impromptu speaking situation, you can relax(riˈlaks) because you know how to handle it.

…

You’re unlikely to fear what you’re good at, so a great way to conquer(ˈkäNGkər) a fear is to make the commitment(kəˈmitmənt) to studying and mastering whatever it is you fear. This way you take control of the object of your fear by facing it in baby-sized confrontations(ˌkänfrənˈtāSHən). If you’re afraid of public speaking, learn to speak. If you’re afraid(əˈfrād) of not knowing what to do in a medical emergency(iˈmərjənsē), learn CPR and first aid. If you’re one of those people who can’t merge when getting on the freeway, get someone who can merge to teach you how to do it.

https://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/03/education-kills-fear/

Detailed(diˈtāl,ˈdēˌtāl) dreams(drēm) blind(blīnd) you to new means(mēnz)

By Derek Sivers

There’s a fable(ˈfābəl) of a man stuck in a flood(fləd). Convinced(kənˈvinst) that God is going to save him, he says no to a passing canoe(kəˈno͞o), boat(bōt), and helicopter(ˈheliˌkäptər) that offer to help. He dies, and in heaven(ˈhevən) asks God why He didn’t save him. God says, “I sent you a canoe, a boat, and a helicopter!”

We all have vivid(ˈvivid) imaginations(iˌmajəˈnāSHən). We get a goal in our mind, and picture the path so clearly(ˈkli(ə)rlē). Then it’s hard to stop focusing on that vivid image(ˈimij), to see what else could work.

New technologies make old things easier, and new things possible. That’s why you need to re-evaluate(iˈvalyo͞oˌāt) your old dreams to see if new means have come along(əˈläNG,əˈlôNG).

Some actors move to Hollywood(ˈhälēˌwo͝od) hoping to get noticed. Others use every new outlet(ˈoutˌlet) to make themselves unavoidable(ˌənəˈvoidəbəl).

Some authors are just waiting for a publisher to sign(sīn) them. Others are getting rich just self-publishing.

You need to distinguish(disˈtiNGgwiSH) between what is your real goal, and what are the unnecessary(ˌənˈnesəˌserē) details. Don’t let the details distract(disˈtrakt) you from your goal.

For each of your dreams, occasionally(əˈkāZHənl-ē) ask yourself what was the real point. Then look for a better way to get to that point.

Let go of out-dated(ˈdātid) dreams that keep you from noticing what’s here now.

https://sivers.org/details

Thoreau and the Pencil(ˈpensəl)

The Pencil and The Word

By Henry(ˈhenrē) H. Walker

Henry David Thoreau
found experience(ikˈspi(ə)rēəns) and words
to move us all forward,
if we but have the wit(wit) to move,

I think of him
as my pen misses some
of the sureness(SHo͝or) of ink to paper
we usually assume(əˈso͞om) must be how things are,

Thoreau and family ran a small factory
that made excellent(ˈeksələnt) pencils in early New England,
the cheap and easy writing implement(lə) of that time,

for me, our technology has moved past pencils,
yet, as I think of Thoreau,
I want to know the pencil:
cheap, democratic(ˌdeməˈkratik),
a way for the Word
to express(ikˈspres) itself.

http://henryspoetry.blogspot.sg/2018/03/thoreau-and-pencil.html

Today, Do That One Thing You’ve Been Putting Off

By Tim Herrera

Like any modern office worker, my inbox every so often becomes an unwieldy(ˌənˈwēldē) mess(mes) of unanswered(ˌənˈansərd) emails, half-written messages that need to be sent and more “Sorry I’m so late getting back to you!” notes than I ever thought I’d write. It’s usually(ˈyo͞oZHo͞oəlē) fine, we all manage(ˈmanij), that’s life.

But every so often, I have that one email I need to write but that I just can’t force myself to take care of. You know the type: It’s something you have anxiety(aNGˈzī-itē) about even after leaving the office, and you know you’re making it worse the longer you put it off. Maybe it’s not even an email. Maybe it’s a memo(ˈmemō) you have to write, a phone call you have to make, a meeting you have to set up, or whatever else.

I’m taking a wild(wīld) guess here, but you probably(ˈpräblē,ˈpräbəblē
) thought(THôt) of one specific thing on your to-do list while reading that last paragraph(ˈparəˌgraf), right?

Psychologists(sīˈkäləjist) call this kind of avoidance(əˈvoid) self-sabotage(ˈsabəˌtäZH): It’s when we put off or ignore(igˈnôr) a situation or task to our own detriment(ˈdetrəmənt) because doing it would force us to confront(kənˈfrənt) our fears(fi(ə)r) or anxieties(aNGˈzī-itē). This often manifests(ˈmanəˌfest) itself in extreme(ikˈstrēm) procrastination(prō-,prəˌkrastəˈnāSHən) (not that I’ve ever had problems with that), and there are many reasons we fall into these patterns(ˈpatərn).

…
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/05/smarter-living/today-do-that-one-thing-youve-been-putting-off.html

A Calm Motto(ˈmätō)

By Leo Babauta

I recently offered this motto to my 18-year-old daughter, when she was stressing out about a situation(ˌsiCHo͞oˈāSHən) she was facing:

“No big deal(dēl).”

I told her, “Just remember NBD. No Big Deal.”

Remind(riˈmīnd) yourself of this motto whenever things are going wrong, or someone is frustrating(ˈfrəsˌtrāt) you, or you aren’t getting what you want. No big deal.

Of course, there are some things that are a big deal:

Life & death or emergency(iˈmərjənsē) situations
When a loved one really needs your help
I’m sure there are other situations that are a big deal, but most of the time, it’s not as big a deal as we imagine(iˈmajən). We add stress(stres) unnecessarily(ˌnesəˈse(ə)rəlē) to the situation.

You have a million things to do an not enough time to do it all? Not a big deal: pick the things you can do, and get to work. That’s all you can do anyway, so it’s not worth adding some stress to the already difficult situation.

Have a huge task to do that is going to be very difficult? No big deal. Just take the first step. Just get moving. You’ll deal with the difficulty.

Plans fall apart? No big deal. Figure(ˈfigyər) out a new alternative(ôlˈtərnətiv).

Someone unhappy with you? No big deal. See their pain(pān), give them some compassion(kəmˈpaSHən), take the appropriate(əˈproʊpriət) action to help fix(fiks) things or go on about your business if it can’t be fixed.

There’s another way to look at it, of course: everything is a big deal. What we do matters. And in this way, instead of just letting ourselves be distracted(disˈtraktəd) or taking things for granted(ˈgrantid), we can give the act in front of us our full attention(əˈtenCHən) and love.

That doesn’t mean we need to get upset or stressed out about our situation though: while the act in front of us is a big deal, the situation is not a big deal. Life goes on. And it is delightfully(diˈlītfəl) beautiful(ˈbyo͞otəfəl).

https://zenhabits.net/becalm/

Best
BEST

INT: A SMALL ROOM IN A NURSING(ˈnərsiNG) HOME

HEATHER(ˈheT͟Hər), an unhappy woman in her eighties, is being visited by her middle-aged daughter(ˈdä-,ˈdôtər).

HEATHER

(sourly(ˈsou(ə)r), in response)

And just what the hell is that supposed to mean, “It’ll get better?” What the hell would you know? You know, they said that to me when Frank divorced(diˈvôrs) me thirty years ago. “Oh, it’ll get better, Heather. The best years of your life are still ahead of you!” That’s what they said to me, a grown woman of fifty-three with four children. Ridiculous(riˈdikyələs).

And of course, they weren’t ahead of me. Nothing was, except this. And ooh, isn’t this place exciting(ikˈsītiNG). Managers telling you you can’t dance to the music and nurses(nərs) talking to you like you’re four years old.

I shouldn’t blame(blām) you, Sarah(ˈse(ə)rə). You got that insipid(inˈsipid) phrase(frāz) straight(strāt) from me. Lord, I saw you bawling your eyes out when you were thirteen over some idiot(ˈidēət) boy, and I gave you that meaningless(ˈmēniNGlis) drivel(ˈdrivəl)—“It gets better—the best years of your life are ahead of you.” Well, it’s true enough in the broadest sense(sens), but no one talks comparatives(kəmˈparətiv). Yes, your twenties are comparatively better than your teens, but your teens are worse than anything else that ever happens to you.

Except this. There is no coming back from a place like this. If by “best years” they meant “most pudding(ˈpo͝odiNG) cups,” then I guess, yes, these are the best years of my life.

https://www.instantmonologues.com/preview/Best

The Rules of Fight(fīt) Club(kləb)

Welcome to Fight Club. The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is: you DO NOT talk about Fight Club! Third rule of Fight Club: if someone yells(yel) “stop!”, goes limp, or taps out, the fight is over. Fourth rule: only two guys to a fight. Fifth rule: one fight at a time, fellas(ˈfelə). Sixth rule: the fights are bare(be(ə)r) knuckle(ˈnəkəl). No shirt, no shoes(SHo͞o), no weapons(ˈwepən). Seventh rule: fights will go on as long as they have to. And the eighth(ā(t)TH) and final rule: if this is your first time at Fight Club, you have to fight.

Man, I see in fight club the strongest and smartest men who’ve ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see squandering(ˈskwändər). God damn(dam) it, an entire(enˈtīr) generation pumping(pəmp) gas, waiting tables; slaves(slāv) with white collars(ˈkälər). Advertising(ˈadvərˌtīziNG) has us chasing(CHās) cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need. We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual(ˈspiriCHo͞oəl) war… our Great Depression is our lives. We’ve all been raised(rāzd) on television(ˈteləˌviZHən) to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie(ˈmo͞ovē) gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very(ˈverē), very pissed(pist) off.

http://www.monologuedb.com/dramatic-male-monologues/fight-club-tyler-durden/

How to Gain(gān) Power(ˈpou(-ə)r) at Work When You Have None

Networking across your company, cultivating(ˈkəltəˌvāt) charisma(kəˈrizmə) and developing expertise(-ˈtēs,ˌekspərˈtēz) in an emerging(iˈmərj) area are keys to success—and can be learned

By Sue Shellenbarger

Many young employees(emˈploi-ē,ˌemploiˈē) are frustrated(ˈfrəsˌtrātid) when their first jobs land them in powerless positions at the bottom of the organization chart after years of leadership(ˈlēdərˌSHip) roles in school, leading some to jump ship far sooner than employers would like.

How do you gain power when you have none?

More employers are opening new paths to leadership by encouraging employees to develop spheres(sfi(ə)r) of influence that have nothing to do with the org(ôrg) chart.

Such informal(inˈfôrməl) power is increasingly(iNG-,inˈkrēsiNGlē) important—and valued—in today’s flatter(ˈflatər) organizations, where more jobs confer(kənˈfər) responsibility(riˌspänsəˈbilətē) for teammates’(ˈtē(m)ˌmāt) performance without the authority(ôˈTHär-,əˈTHôritē) to give orders or dish out rewards or punishment(ˈpəniSHmənt), says corporate(ˈkôrp(ə)rət) trainer Dana Brownlee, of Atlanta(at-,ətˈlantə).

Specific behaviors can predict informal power, and many of them can be learned, she says. Networking across departments, building expertise in new areas and cultivating charisma are all ways to gain power, and make you a go-to person for colleagues(ˈkälˌēg).

People who build strong networks ask lots of questions of colleagues, show respect for co-workers’ roles and accomplishments(əˈkämpliSHmənt), and look for openings to help with projects that excite them, according to a 2017 study of 20 employers and 160 managers co-written by Robert Cross, a professor(prəˈfesər) of global leadership at Babson College in Massachusetts(ˌmasəˈCHo͞osits). “These people create enthusiasm(enˈTHo͞ozēˌazəm) in the networks around them,” making colleagues more likely to offer them new opportunities, says Dr. Cross, who heads a 70-employer consortium(-ˈsôrtēəm,kənˈsôrSH(ē)əm) studying collaboration(kəˌlabəˈrāSHən). “I call them energizers.”

…
https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/how-to-gain-power-at-work-when-you-have-none-1520353800

Get specific(spəˈsifik)!

By Derek Sivers

This is one of the most useful lessons I’ve learned in life.

When you don’t know your next step…
When you’re feeling unmotivated(ˌənˈmōtəˌvātid)…
When asking someone to help you…
When you’re ready to make a dream come true…
Get more specific about what’s needed.

There are two ways to do it:

#1: Write down every detail you know.

Inside your head, there is more than you’ve said. Take the time to write it all down.

When you have a vague(vāg) or distant(ˈdistənt) goal — like “be a great singer” or “make a million from my music” — break it down into specific ingredients(iNG-,inˈgrēdēənt). Describe concrete(kän) milestones(ˈmīlˌstōn), and exactly(igˈzak(t)lē) how to reach them. Then break those down into actions that you can start doing today.

When you’re feeling stuck or un-motivated, figure out your next step. Even something as simple as finishing a song is helped by realizing(ˈrē(ə)ˌlīz) exactly what’s wrong.

When you’re hiring(hīr) someone to help you, write down absolutely(ˌabsəˈlo͞otlē) everything you need them to do. Include every detail of every step, and your philosophy(fəˈläsəfē) too.

#2: Research what you don’t know.

Most people know what they want, but don’t know how to get it. When you don’t know the next step, you procrastinate(prō-,prəˈkrastəˌnāt) or feel lost(läst,lôst
). But a little research can turn a vague desire into specific actions.

For example: When musicians say, “I need a booking agent”, I ask, “Which one? What’s their name?”

You can’t act on a vague desire. But with an hour of research you could find the names of ten booking agents that work with ten artists you admire. Then you’ve got a list of the next ten people you need to contact.

A life coach(kōCH) told me that most of his job is just helping people get specific. Once they turn a vague goal into a list of specific steps, it’s easy to take action.

It also makes you realize if something was a bad idea. Many things only sound nice in theory(ˈTHi(ə)rē,ˈTHēərē).

So do this for yourself. Take the time to get specific. It helps you and others to take action, and beats procrastination(prō-,prəˌkrastəˈnāSHən).

https://sivers.org/get-specific