Darwin, on who survives

I don't know anyone who hasn't been affected by the events of the past year. I find this quote pertinent, especially because Darwin has so often been MISquoted.

It is not the strongest of the species that survive,

nor the most intelligent,
but the one most responsive to change.
~ Charles Darwin

Emotional Intelligence includes the capacity to be resilient, flexible and creative. When you have these tools, you can react positively to change -- and change is always stressful.

If things in your life have changed drastically, you may find yourself feeling like a dinosaur in the age of mammals. It's time to "adapt." Positive action and changing to meet the changing time are part of being "responsive to change."

Any major life event ushers in a "transition" - retirement, career or job loss, change in marital status, kids leaving home, loss of retirement fund and having to go back to work ...

Let me know if I can help you with coaching.

Quote from No Country for Old Men

Went to see NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN yesterday. Have you seen it yet?

Of course the line "You cain't stop what's comin'" is good, but maybe because I'm a coach, this is my favorite line:

"Well all the time ya spend trying to get back what's been took from ya, more is going out the door. After a while you just have to try to get a tourniquet on it."

A good reminder to stay in the present, to move ahead, to come to some resolution about losses, and that "there is life after ...". An ending/loss can be seen as a transition. Some are monumental, and even then, we find that life goes on. I have seen people get stuck in the stage of the loss, and then 'more does go out the door.' It matters how you are able to handle the losses, disappointments and failures in life. I enjoy coaching people to minimize that sort of thing.

Clip from movie NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN:

The subplot, if you will, is about the effect the changing times are having on the sheriff, played by Tommie Lee Jones.

In one scene, the younger sheriff tells Jones what he has just said is "linear," and Jones replies that age flattens a man.

Does it? Is it a choice? What is "the tourniquet" for the slings and arrows of fortune?

Gallup Poll says 80 years olds doing well

I COACH EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, DATING, RETIREMENT AND HAPPY TRANSITIONS

40 and 50 years olds with Alzheimer's? Well, you see, health doesn't relate to age as much as you think.

I just got a call from my friend in San Antonio. She wants me to drive down for a concert, and wonders if I'd like to do a cruise after the first of the year. She jots down my new address, for Christmas cards, and then has to "run" because she's gotta cook dinner.

Unusual? Only if you know that she's 91!

Most of my clients are in life transitions, and about half are over 50. From what I see, and what I know, 80 is the new 60, and 60 is the new 40. In fact I trained and certified an 80 year old gentleman as an Emotional Intelligence Coach, and he was dynamite.

Need another example? Look at how the latest Gallup Poll on "America's Elders" frames it: Life After 80 ...

And they find it may be better than you think.

This latest poll got responses from people with relatives 80 and older. They found that nearly half, 47%, were in excellent or good physical and mental health.

Why get coaching and age well?

• US life expectancy is nearly 78 years, an all-time high
• 85+ group will double by 2030, from 5 million to 10 million
• Women still live longer

About 41% can walk on their own just fine, and more than 2/3rds live alone in their own home. There is a decline in the 90s, but by the time YOU'RE 90, who knows?

One of the best things you can learn through coaching is how to recreate yourself, gracefully and creatively. If you're approaching your sixth decade, feeling uneasy, and getting depressing advice, call me for coaching: 817-741-7223.

I practice and teach the statistically proven and research-affirmed skills that make for resilient aging. Start now and you'll be ahead of the game. What you do with your brain now is what matters. It's all about Emotional Intelligence. www.susandunn.cc