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Motivation for the AARP Generation

Lessons from Sir Paul McCartney

By David WyldPublished 5 years ago 6 min read
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Sir Paul McCartney - 2018

Those of us of "a certain age"—meaning that we get a lot of mail from AARP each week—are repeatedly told one message. In their commercials, on their website, in their magazine, in their mailings, etc., those of us in the 50-plus age range are repeatedly told that it's never too late to do great things—and to reinvent yourself and your career.

As if to really reinforce that message, AARP has even taken on the simple, four-letter acronym as the organization's formal moniker, so as to remove the word "retired" from its name. No doubt, this is a great branding and marketing move, strategically repositioning the AARP "brand" from being just for those who have retired to those who happen to be in their target age range—a range that sadly, one cannot drop-out of until, well, the end! In the two decades since AARP took on the new name, the non-profit has grown to approximately 38 million members as of 2018. With an increasingly aging American population that is forecast to continue growing over the next few decades—and likely beyond, more and more of us each day turn the "Big 5-0," joining an age range—if not an actual club—that many dread being in (witness the many traditions of 50th birthday "celebrations," what with black balloons and references to impending death!).

It is one thing to be bombarded with marketed images and stories of your fellow senior discount eligible AARP-mates seeking to reinvent themselves, seeking to do great things in their careers, and seeking out new adventures later in life. However, it is quite another to see one of the most recognizable people on the planet demonstrate—at 76—that these things are possible with the right attitude—especially when he has no need to do so for reasons of money and fame!

Sir Paul McCartney is certainly one of the greatest and most influential musicians of the past 50 years. He helped form a little band from Liverpool—the Beatles—that had just a little bit of notoriety and influence in the 1960s. McCartney then had great success with his own band, Wings, in the 1970s and has went on to become one of the great solo acts ever. In fact, he is one of the few individuals to actually be inducted into the the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, once as a member of the Beatles in 1988, and then again as a solo artist in 1999.

All of this, along with some shrewd investments, has led to McCartney amassing a great amount of wealth—by any standard or estimate. There has been a debate over whether McCartney is the first billionaire musician, with Forbes concluding that he's just shy of that mark (still, a very good place to be!), but the site Celebrity Net Worth estimated his fortune to be approximately $1.2 billion! Even at 76, in an era dominated by rappers, DJs, and far, far younger acts, McCartney stood at number 13 spot in 2017 on Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid musicians, earning $54 million last year.

And so, at that stage of life, whether we had $900 million or a billion dollars, 99.5 percent of us would likely be content to simply enjoy the fruits of our past labors—and our very, very good fortune! Most of us could only imagine days spent picking out the interior colors and trims for our new mega-yacht, figuring out which five star beach resort we wanted to go to next, and maybe making darn sure that our sizable nest egg was being managed properly. In short, most of us—well, almost every one of us—would live on our laurels, not seek out new ones.

However, Sir Paul McCartney does not take that approach. In fact, in a recent 60 Minutes interview with Sharyn Alfonsi, the rock and roll legend sounds more like an "everyman" depicted in one of those oft-annoying AARP-commercials, rather than one of the richest and most influential people, let alone musicians, on the planet. His take on his future should be inspirational to us all!

What was so revealing—and meaningful—to us 50-plussers—about this 60 Minutes profile of Sir Paul McCartney as he releases yet another album, Egypt Station, which debuted as the best-selling album of the day? Imagine that you are him, regarded as a music icon, having the courage to admit that you can't write—or even read—music! Imagine that you could have the mindset that you were still looking to impress people not with your "greatest hits," but with new creations. Imagine that even with a list of achievements that would far overshadow not just your contemporaries, but stand as a mark of success for the ages, you still felt the hunger, the need to create and to achieve. Even more remarkable, imagine actually being able to respond—in Sir Paul's shoes—as he did to the final questions of the interview:

Sharyn Alfonsi: What's the biggest misconception about you?

Paul McCartney: I don't know really. I don't—I don't hear about them. I don't know what people think about me. I can—I can try and guess. I'll—I'll—I'll tell you what, 'You must have no insecurities.' Just like anyone else, you have insecurities. 'Cause everyone has them. And no matter how high and great and wonderful you get, there's still something will make you worry.

Alfonsi: Were you ever just gonna go, 'I'm good, I did it all?'

McCartney: I would like to think I could do that. But I think it would be boring and I think I'd sort of give up trying. And I quite like that I don't think I've done—good enough yet. (From interview transcript)

Paul McCartney...Then and Now

And so what is the takeaway for us mere mortals who find ourselves much closer to Sir Paul McCartney's age range today than Justin Bieber's? How should—how can—we apply a "McCartneyish attitude" toward our own lives and careers? This writer sees a clear career lesson here for all of us men—and women—of a certain age.

McCartney's message is that we must continually seek out new challenges and new ways of finding motivation in what we do! No matter how successful we may have been in the past. No matter how easy it might be to say: "That's it! I'm done! I can't top that!" We may have a great and unassailable track record of success. Yet, in today's economy, while it may sound like the ultimate cliché, you truly are only as valuable as your last work. In the minds of your next potential client, your next potential employer, you next potential investor for your business venture, what you did 2, 5, 10, 20, or more years ago pales in comparison to the value that you can provide moving forward.

It's a sad thing for many of us who can point to a laundry list of achievements—real achievements—and expect to find success based on our record, rather than our outlook. Our achievements may not be gold records, best-selling albums, and sold-out stadium tours like McCartney's, and yet, we may regard them with far, far more importance than he certainly seems to (remember, he admits to not even knowing the words to some of his own legendary songs!).

Thus, the motivational message for those of us in the "AARP Generation" is quite clear. We must strive to stay humble, stay hungry, stay creative, and seek out new challenges if we want to grow ourselves and our career prospects. The alternative is stark—and dark. And while we might enjoy sipping piña coladas on a pristine beach, counting our money and recounting our successes, the truth of the matter is that having that attitude means we have retired our motivation and our ambition, settling in life for what we have done, rather than what we can still yet do!

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About the Creator

David Wyld

Professor, Consultant, Doer. Founder/Publisher of The IDEA Publishing (http://www.theideapublishing.com/) & Modern Business Press (http://www.modernbusinesspress.com)

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