The Needs of Baby Boomers
Article by Clarence Chan
There is a generation of people today who are special because of when they were born. It was after the Second World War. This generation is known as the Baby Boomers. The name depicts the sudden rise in number of babies born after the war. Besides the sheer number of them, this generation of people also had to grow up in a world devastated by the worst war ever experienced.
Today, most baby boomers are parents or grandparents. The world has changed drastically over the past sixty years. Black and white TV is now replaced with multiple channel cable color television. Record and cassette players are a thing of the past. Now it?s iPods, CD?s and music videos. Analogue has given way to digital. And who remembers those cumbersome mobile phones with briefcase-sized batteries? Those so-called good ol? days are gone for good!
In today?s world of continuous flux, it is easy for baby boomers to feel lost in many ways. This surfaces great needs in boomers today.
The Need for Meaningful Relationships
As people go about their fast-paced lives, the primary thing that suffers is relationships. In a culture of quick meals and fast foods, having family sit-down meals is getting rarer. As we become an increasingly mobile society, people live further away from their families and friends. We also move more often. This further weakens relationships.
The younger generation not only are more used to all this but can also adapt to this way of life much better than older ones. Thus for baby boomers (especially the older ones), it can be increasingly difficult to cope with. Hence, for boomers there is a need to find stability in relationships once again.
The Need for Significance
Many boomers would have reached the pinnacle of their careers by now. Gone are the days of changing jobs or taking up courses of study to improve oneself. If you have played your cards right, you would most probably be a baby boomer who is the Chairman of the Board or CEO of your company today. You would most likely be a family person with three children anywhere between ten to thirty years of age. You have experienced success in your career and stability in your family life. What is there to look forward to?
Success? Been there, done that. But significance? Not necessarily. People see significance in different ways. Generally, significance comes when you realize your life has meaning. Most people deem themselves significant when other people see them as important. You may be a tremendously wealthy and powerful person who may not have close friends and family members who love and respect you for who you are. You may be well-known and respected due to the position you hold but you lack people who see you as a friend or someone important to them. Such are those who have attained success without significance.
Baby boomers, especially those who have attained some level of success, may not feel they have attained a similar measure of significance.
The Need for a New Challenge
For boomers, one of the most important things to do is to keep mentally sharp. It is a known fact that a dull, sedentary and boring life would eventually curtail the energy to live. Such is the lifestyle of a person who has retired and looks forward to nothing more than his time to go. Senility (not to be confused with Alzheimer?s disease) is no longer seen to be an inevitable result of aging. Most medical experts believe that you either ?use it? or ?lose it? when it comes to mental abilities. Unfortunately many of the older baby boomers who approach their sixties allow their minds to grow fallow after retirement when suddenly they have so much time on their hands with so little to do.
Thus it is important to find new ways to stimulate the mind and explore new ventures. One of the most common things to do is start a business after or just before retirement. This provides boomers the motivation to carry on being active and the all-important sense of self-worth. Perhaps the most famous example of such a person is Colonel Sanders who started Kentucky Fried Chicken upon his retirement and quickly made millions through this franchise. His legacy lives on till today. Wouldn?t you like a similar sort of experience for yourself?
Conclusion
In this information age, there is an abundance of resources and knowledge available especially with the Internet. This medium of communication has opened up a host of possibilities for baby boomers to advance themselves and bring fulfillment to the three needs I mentioned above.
Through the Internet, boomers are able to remain in touch with loved ones and friends thus maintaining a level of depth in meaningful relationships. Likewise, the Internet gives boomers the opportunity to start an online business and gain significance by making a difference in other people?s lives. I speak from personal experience having started my own internet business a few years ago. How is it going now? Love it!
Finally, the Internet is also able to stimulate greater learning for boomers as there is so much new technology to grasp. But it?s not very difficult. Of course, there is a learning curve but I have found from my own experience that it?s quite easy if you are shown the right methods. And the best thing is that lots of the technical work can be automated so all you need to do is learn it once, put the system into place and it will work on autopilot. This augurs well for boomers who may have lots of other demands on their time.
If you are a baby boomer like me, you would have the needs I have stated above in one way or another. Consider re-inventing yourself as an online business owner. It will become a worthwhile venture that can provide a satisfying source of recurring income for your future.
About the Author
Clarence is a minister and internet marketer. He has a passion to help people, especially Baby Boomers, achieve financial independence and prepare for the future.
Financially challenged? Get a FREE podcast series you can either listen to or read entitled, ?The Almost Magical Recipe for Making Money Online? from http://www.beyourownonlineboss.com
Posted by Dan on Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 3:39 am?
Filed under Baby Boomer ? Tagged with Analogue, Baby Boomer, baby boomers, boomers, Briefcase, Cable Color Television, Cassette Players, Chairman Of The Board, Changing Jobs, Channel Cable, Clarence Chan, Continuous Flux, Good Ol Days, Meaningful Relationships, Mobile Society, Music Videos, Needs, Paced Lives, Quick Meals, Second World War, Sheer Number, Sixty Years, White Tv, Younger Generation
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