Your next step: sneakers to speed you up, a school to find your midlife path, and expert decision-making tips.
One Foot in Front of T’other
Nike did it.
“’If you have a body, you're an athlete,’” says Nike’s Mike Yonker, whose team is developing a new bionic sneaker. Expected in 2028, the swift sneaks feature carbon fiber plates in the soles, titanium leg shells and “complex motors, sensors and circuitry.” The promising techno-shoes may call to mind “The Wrong Trousers,” and yes, you may look peculiar wearing them. But they’re likely to give you everything you need to “go further, to go faster, with greater levels of confidence,” and are expected to be as beneficial to walking and running as e-bikes have been to mountain biking. Full Story >>
Midlife fresh starts.
“’I think of midlife not as a crisis, but as a chrysalis,’” says Chip Conley, founder of the Modern Elder Academy.
The Academy is among “the new crop of courses and workshops — including at universities and community colleges — that promise to help people navigate life’s big shifts.” Those longing to start something new in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond “’… need practices and tools and a community to support you during this time.’” Among other resources, the Academy offers its Pathfinder Quiz, which tells you how you align with eight archetypes — and based on which your path of discovery, growth and purpose can be established. And purpose, by the way, is good for longevity. Full Story >>
You decide.
Tough choices are those where neither option is clearly better or worse than the other — and your neat list of pros and cons comes out even: “Should you take an exciting promotion that will consume your weekends? Should you have a child, which would reshape your identity and daily life, or remain childfree and preserve your autonomy?” What to do? Experts weigh in with five tips.
Emotions are valid. The rational model often dominates decision-making, but feelings matter, too. So, flip a coin on your choice and, as the coin falls, note which option you wish for.
Imagine ahead. Picture your future both ways — with and without — and consider how each future aligns with your sense of self.
Start smaller. Try your choice briefly. See whether it feels like interesting growth or what could become an increasingly unpalatable path.
Identify what you control. Focusing on what you can change is empowering, which is the power you need when you determine that “’the discomfort of staying the same is worse than the discomfort of changing.’”
Brave the unknown. Uncertainty is not the enemy, and taking time to consider a decision — and map your path — is a marker of maturity.
Fan mail.
Dear Mr. Dimly,
I came across this story, and my gramma thought you would find it useful for your blog: “The National Gallery of Art's New Viral Star Is a Curator with Serious Gen Z Rizz.” It concerns the art curator and deputy head of sculpture at The National Gallery of Art, whose name is Allison Luchs, and the gallery’s latest campaign. The gallery invites proposals for a short-form video reinterpreting artwork from the gallery’s collection. You’ll need Instagram to watch the video. Do you know what Instagram is, Mr. Dimly?
Signed,
A devoted reader
Elsewhere, Punch, the seven-month-old Japanese macaque abandoned by his mother and family, found comfort with his DJUNGELSKOG orangutan, an Ikea plush toy. If you, from time to time, feel lonely in your marketing efforts and need wise, supportive, professional friendship to get to the top of your world, call Rally.