Why Seniors Should Be Writing Their Best Chapter Yet

As time whizzes by while people approach their sixth decade, there’s a natural tendency to take a broad look at life and wonder what’s been accomplished, what’s next, and what matters most. Author and inspirational speaker Ron Stotts is a “transformational therapist” in Santa Barbara who encourages those who’ve reached this stage of live to embrace that mentality and make this chapter of life your best yet.

“Perspective makes all the difference in life, and this is certainly the case as we age,” explained Stotts, whose books include Overscheduled by Success: A Guide for Influential Leaders Too Busy to Create Their Next Dream and Leadership on the Leading Edge: Shift Your Life and Work Up to the Highest Levels. “Rather than look back with regret at the ‘woulda, coulda, shouldas,’ ask yourself what you’d really love to create in your life. You can either choose a ‘last chapter’ perspective or a ‘best chapter’ vision.”

One way to embark on such a chapter is to settle on a new goal. “With a little bit of guidance, you can find a goal that excites you ​— ​one that is worthy of pursuing,” Stotts said. “And when you are living from your ‘best chapter’ vision, old limitations serve as the stepping stones that result in discovering and expressing the very best of who you are.”

Stotts also encourages seniors to look at this stage of life as another part of the hero’s journey, a notion he takes from renowned philosopher Joseph Campbell, who was one of his early mentors. “If you’re at all like me, then with each of your hero’s journeys, you have probably first initially struggled or resisted ​— ​fighting with your demons and dragons, only to later find out that they were actually allies and, in truth, a core part of yourself that you are rediscovering,” writes Stotts in Overscheduled by Success. “And as you discover and reintegrate those disparate parts of yourself, you find yourself returning home, feeling and being more whole and renewed. Each adventure is another stage of your personal evolution, where you are becoming more and more your whole and authentic self again.”

If these words resonate with you, call Stotts at 845-3881 or see ronstotts.com. Seniors seeking confidential counseling who are facing the challenges of aging can also call the Center for Successful Aging’s Peer Counselor Program at 898-8080.