By Debbie Gardner
debbieg@thereminder.com
In her new book “Maturing with Moxie, A Woman’s Guide to Life After 60,” Dr. Jan Cannon, a veteran career consultant and author of “Now What Do I Do? The Woman’s Guide to a New Career,” examines the changes women confront as they enter their sixth decade – and provides powerful information to help them ask the right questions to navigate this stage of life.
Prime had the opportunity to chat with Cannon about writing her new book, and asked her to share a bit of wisdom readers can start using right now. Here’s what she had to say:
Q: There are numerous books about healthy aging. Why did you think it was important to write one specifically for women approaching age 60 and beyond?
“It’s often women who initiate the decisions about changes in the family and household, so it seemed the place you wanted to address this information. Women are often the initiators of discussions or the finders of information.
“Why 60? It’s a period of transition. Workwise you may be retiring or have lost a job and unlikely to find another one – or someone else in your household may have retired. You become eligible for Medicare soon after you turn 60, which changes your health profile – especially if you’ve had a disease diagnosis or are facing joint replacement. There are changes that happen in the family – you may become the caregiver to elders, the kids may have moved out of the house – or come back – because of a divorce or because their situation may have changed. Maybe there’s a new generation on the scene. You may have gotten a divorce.
“There’s a whole arena of changes, not necessarily at the same time, but often linked – health issues, housing issues, family issues. Sixty just seemed a good vantage point to look at these changes.
“Of course, it’s still good to look at these issues at 65 – or 70 – if you haven’t made these changes yet.”
Q: Your book covers so much – careers to volunteerism, healthcare to housing options, social connections to dating and sexuality – and everything in between. What was the most difficult topic to write about?
“I’m going to break this question down into two topics- the hardest to research and the hardest to write about.
“The hardest to research, that was finances, health and resources. The reason they were so difficult – there was so much information to go through and figure out what was important to include, as this is a book focused on getting readers to ask questions, not on giving answers. It was also a challenge to decide what to leave out, as the resource section was detailed to what was in the chapters, and there’s always more you can include!
“The hardest to write was the chapter on moxie, because it revealed so much of my personal life and I’m a private person. I thought it was essential to talk about myself to show the reader that they could believe in themselves and believe in their ability to change – I was no celebrity or sports star or important political person, I was just me.
“I wanted to show that the reader could rely on themselves. They didn’t need a special story, or pots of money, to make these changes.”
Q: If you could give just three pieces of advice to fellow women in their 60s – and beyond – what would that advice be?
“Number one – take risks. Try that art class you’ve always thought about. Be a beginner. Go on vacation by yourself. Say ‘no’ more frequently. Even if you don’t change, the world around you changes, so why not be in charge of the change?
“Number two – be kind to yourself. Focus on your achievements in life rather than your failures or missed opportunities. Appreciate the wrinkles; they represent experience.”
“Number three – be positive. No one wants to be around a complainer. Be cheerful, you’ll have more people around you. Attitude is a choice. Even if you’re in pain, the sun is shining, the birds are singing ¬ there is always something to be positive about. There’s enough ugliness in the world, don’t add to it.
“And I have a fourth piece of advice – have fun! – whatever that means to you!”
For more advice from Cannon – or to find out where to buy her book “Maturing with Moxie – A Woman’s Guide to Life After 60” visit her blog at http://maturingwithmoxie.com/
