Member-only story
Motivation for the AARP Generation
Lessons from Sir Paul McCartney
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. 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!).
