success

In 2012, AARP released a study titled “Beyond Happiness: Thriving,” which explored what happiness means to adults and what it takes to thrive as they age. AARP surveyed more than 4,000 Americans ages 35-80, including African Americans/blacks. Regardless of age, relationships were found to be universally important and key drivers of happiness.

Part of the promise of the American Dream is that each generation will do better than the last. Has that happened with our adult children, the millennials? Well, “yes and no,” reports the U.S. Census Bureau. Our children are better educated as a generation, yet more are living in poverty and they have lower rates of employment.

Kevin Spacey and Julia Louis-Dreyfus play ruthless, narcissistic U.S. presidents on TV. But as they opened the general session at AARP’s Ideas@50+ event in San Diego Friday, the actors were charming Hollywood celebrities, sharing not only the secrets of making their shows but life lessons gleaned from their own successful careers.

As your typical husband, I sometimes find myself asking, "I wonder why my wife does it that way?  It would be a lot more efficient if..."  As if the value I bring to our marriage is to help her be more efficient.  What a mistake.  That is not it (and the subject of an entirely different blog), and I often have to remind myself, efficiency is not always the most important or end goal.