A few thousand years ago, helping others wasn’t optional. From the moment we could walk, we played an essential role in helping our tribe to grow and thrive.

Modern society, on the other hand, seems to do everything that it can to isolate us from our fellow man. We lock ourselves away in concrete boxes, travel in metal bubbles and replace real hugs with Facebook likes.

For most of our lives, our family nurtures our need to be needed. While we are raising our children, it’s easy to imagine that the world outside of our home doesn’t exist.

Then, as we reach our 60s, we suddenly find ourselves alone once again. We continue to love our children and support them in whatever way we can. But, we know in our hearts that our world has changed. We needed to find new people who need us.

Being Needed After 60 is a Choice

The saddest thing is that most of us don’t realize that we need to be needed. Companies spend billions of dollars trying to convince us that buying their product will make us happy. Technology tells us that a virtual hug is the same as a real hug. Movies tell us that “greed is good.”

Our hearts tell a different story – if we are willing to listen. They beg us to make the world a better place. They encourage us to find the meaning of our own lives by meaning something to others. They remind us, in a voice so soft that we need to strain to hear it, that we need to be needed.

Being needed after 60 is a choice. No-one needs us while we are locked in our concrete castle. We need to get out into the world and find places to apply our unique talents. We need to take emotional risks. We need to look for opportunities to be needed.

How Will You Explore Your Need to Be Needed?

We are all unique. We have special talents. We value different things. That’s ok. The world would be a pretty boring place if we were all the same! Choosing how you want to be needed is a deeply personal decision. In fact, it gets to the very heart of who you are.

What do you value most? Do you want to make a difference in the lives of young people? If so, maybe becoming a part-time councilor or mentor would be a great option.

Do you believe that the Earth needs to be protected? Perhaps joining a group that takes care of a local park or forest would be a great idea.

Do you believe that the best way to create value in the world is to start a business? There are thousands of younger entrepreneurs that could benefit from your experience and wisdom.

No-one can tell you how to be needed. The only mistake is pretending that you are on an island.

So, reach out and make a difference in the lives of others. Embrace your need to be needed. It is not a weakness. It is a sign of strength.

Do you agree or disagree that we all need to be needed? Why? How do you personally give back to the world? Please join the conversation going.

While technology can cause stress and
anxiety in our lives, it also can bring us more joy. Many devices and apps were
explicitly created to entertain us.

Joy Through Meditation and Reflection

Everything around us seems to be
getting more hectic and stressful. If we aren’t worried about getting the
Coronavirus, it’s a volatile political climate we are immersed in.

Mobile devices have been a boon to
discovering mindfulness. Learning about meditation is easier than ever.
Download an app like Headspace, Gaia, or Calm, which guide you step-by-step
into the world of introspection.

These apps are all highly rated and
have their own flavor or approach to meditation. Pick one that matches your
style.

The meditation app Happier encourages
users to reflect upon and share pleasant moments in their daily lives. It’s
geared towards beginners and offers “Grateful” prompts each day with
questions like, “What made you smile today?” and “What made today awesome?”

The beauty of using technology for
something like this is the ease of use – your phone is in your hand every day. It makes it easier to take the
time to focus on the good you see every day.

Joy Through Helping Others

It is no secret that one of the easiest
ways to bring happiness to our own life is to help others. Fortunately,
technology also provides an easy pathway to find community service
opportunities or volunteer organizations.

Platforms like GoVolunteer connect
nonprofits with individuals who are looking to use their abilities to help
those in need.

Another one is GoFundMe, which allows
people to give back through donations to people or organizations. There are
GoFundMe accounts set up for everything from helping pay medical bills to assisting
people to recover from natural disasters.

Joy Through Healthier Habits

Getting started with healthier habits
is hard. We all know the benefits but putting regular exercise or better nutrition
into our daily lives can be tricky. Luckily, some apps are designed to help you
create and follow through on new habits or set goals.

Streaks or Tally help you set goals
and then allow you to easily track your progress, as well as give you reminders
and notifications to keep you going.

Joy Through Music

Music is good for the soul. Smart
speakers and smartphones give us access to music that fits our mood at any
given point and time.

Platforms like Apple Music, Spotify,
and Pandora allow us various options for regular access to any music genre you
want. Each service has its own unique character.

You decide: do you want to pay a
monthly fee to get whatever you want, explore new and old music, and download
it to your device? Or, do you want to listen to music from your phone for free,
and commercials are no big deal?

How do you use technology to bring
you joy? What are your favorite apps that make you smile or ease your anxiety?
We would love to hear about your favorites, so please share them with the
community!

I have written several articles and given presentations on the importance of getting your affairs in order for your loved ones prior to your death. In fact, I created a flash drive called My Affairs in Order that allows you to record financial and personal information for your family.

Pretty much all my articles and discussions have focused on the important procedures that need to be undertaken prior to your passing, such as creating a will, implementing a trust and preparing powers of attorney and medical directives.

One area of significance in the planning phase that I believe is often forgotten or over-looked is what is to become of our collectibles and heirlooms?

De-Clutter and Downsize

As Baby Boomers begin the process of de-cluttering and down-sizing, they are attempting to give their prized possessions to their offspring. What they are finding is that the younger generation is not interested. Millennials, in general, do not want lifestyle trappings. They are more disposal and transient, living in cities instead of suburbs or rural areas and rent small apartments instead of buying homes. They want to be able to move easily from city to city to find their perfect job, which means having fussy collectibles and large clunky furniture is not their thing.

The younger generation lives their lives digitally through social media. They store their memories on a computer and don’t need to hoard boxes of pictures, greeting cards, baby clothes, etc. Most don’t even want the school memorabilia that you have so carefully boxed and saved for them.

Discuss Disposal of Collectibles with Family

Even though priorities of the generations have changed, there may still be family members who want specific heirlooms and/or collectibles. Be sure to discuss the disposal of any items you value with your family members to determine if there is an interest.

Don’t be offended if no one wants those Hummel porcelain figurines you spent years and hundreds of dollars collecting. Rejection can be tough, but remember you don’t want to burden your children with items they don’t want. Everyone has different tastes and your children should be allowed to decide what they want, just as you were able to decide that you wanted to collect those Hummel figurines.

Consider Selling Options When Downsizing

Once you know what items other family members want, take an inventory of what is left and divide the remainder into groups of items that you could offer to friends, donate, throw away or attempt to sell. For those items you decide to sell, be aware that your precious heirlooms and collectibles may sell at a much lower price than what you think they are worth, or not at all.

Collectibles, such as those Hummel figurines mentioned earlier, used to be worth $300 to $400 each, but now sell in groups of four or five for $50. The antique market (items over 100 years old) has also been hit hard since the recession. Antique stores are inundated with Baby Boomer’s castaways and the generation that is buying and/or collecting antiques, is also the one that is selling them.

Plan Now for the Disposal of Precious Items

The one thing I try to emphasize to people is that it’s important to be as prepared as possible for your death so that you don’t leave a burden for your loved ones. Having everything in order will makes things easier for loved ones in an already trying time.

Most individuals understand the concept, but stop the planning process at the large assets and forget about all those small items collecting dust. So, as part of your planning process, start now in disposing of all unwanted collectibles so that your family won’t have to deal with them when you are gone.

Do you have collectibles or heirloom items that your younger family members do not want to be given? How have you planned to handle these items? Have you put all your personal and financial affairs in order prior to your death? Please share in the comments.