The Hourglass Solution

The Hourglass Solution What’s Next for Baby Boomers? Jeff Johnson, PhD., and Paula Forman, PhD. Wrote The Hourglass Solution, a e-book that gives Baby Boomers “a information to the remainder of your life.” Baby Boomers have struggled during this economic downturn; they were deeper in debt than other generations, and are having a tricky time finding replacements for the excessive earnings jobs they misplaced. Many are facing major way of life changes, moving in with members of the family, downsizing to small properties, or changing into one-earner households for the first time in a generation. Even Baby Boomers who're working are going via a crisis, based on the authors. This era (full disclosure: this is my technology) resides longer and in better well being than any previous era. We are defined by our intense optimism (in some circumstances, bordering on denial) that will have been based on the truth that we felt we had full management over the alternatives in our lives. This was the first era that might select to get married or select nearly any other life-style: cohabitation, staying single without stigma, and a hundred variations in between. We could choose when or whether to have youngsters. Women could select to have a demanding profession and raise a family; it used to be an both / or choice. All this selection gave us a sense of limitless prospects when we had been younger. But we’re no longer young (on the surface, no less than.) We’re in our fifties and sixties, and feeling that the world has changed dramatically. Some of the social bonds that gave meaning to life are breaking down or altering forever. During this recession, many people lost jobs, which is usually one of the defining roles in our lives. Marriages are strained underneath harsh financial situations, and childrearing duties are winding down. In this digital age, community organizations like golf equipment and even churches are seeing sharply decrease attendance and struggling to compete for considera tion and members. We are feeling less related than previous generations. According to Johnson and Forman, feeling trapped in our choices is likely one of the leading causes of depression in Baby Boomers. The MacArthur Foundation performed a long run research they known as Midlife in America. The examine asked center-aged Americans about their health, habits and outlook as they face the second half of their lives. One college graduate gave this response to the question: “What are your hopes for the long run?” She mentioned, “To be capable of make selections… Not to be ready the place you must do something because you don't have any choice.” Many of us can relate. Johnson and Forman use the hourglass metaphor to explain this pinched feeling for Boomers. They say that we’re experiencing a high degree of angst, feeling trapped by our choices up to now and seeing restricted options for our future. We are trapped between aging mother and father who are having health issues and increasingly dependent kids hit exhausting by the recession. We are going through the prospect of elevating our grandchildren. We’re unable to downsize or move because our homes are underwater or in a market the place gross sales are very low. Yuck. After reading that paragraph, you’d be depressed too, even if you weren’t before. The good news is that Johns and Forman have recommendation to help Boomers discover their options for creating a new life. “They can do it; they’ve done it at every stage of their lives,” they write. We don’t need to really feel caught; we will slip through to what the authors name “Greater Adulthood,” the place we have selections about how we wish to reside. And the very act of choosing, they are saying, will invigorate us and encourage us. If you’re a Baby Boomer, what do you think? Published by candacemoody Candace’s background includes Human Resources, recruiting, training and evaluation. She spent a number of years with a nationa l staffing company, serving employers on both coasts. Her writing on enterprise, profession and employment issues has appeared in the Florida Times Union, the Jacksonville Business Journal, the Atlanta Journal Constitution and 904 Magazine, as well as a number of nationwide publications and websites. Candace is often quoted in the media on local labor market and employment issues.