Social commentator speaks out
Posts tagged Life Change Blogs
Armchair Activists
Mar 26th
March 27
I WATCHED the manager of a prestigious beauty salon handle a client who fronted up with a six-month gift voucher that was about to expire. She wanted to make an appointment. At such short notice, there was “no way” the salon could squeeze her in before the expiry date. And no, they wouldn’t extend the gift voucher a week or two. It was policy. It was written in the fine print. The woman had her reasons for not coming during the six months. The manager would have none of it. More >
Grandparents on Facebook
Mar 25th
Recently my mother, a true Life Changer, started sending me emails. In her latter years (I am sworn not to reveal her age) she has gone back to study computer skills, and she and her older sister send all manner of unwanted spam emails to members of the family who write back begging them not to pass on any more bad jokes or warnings about the danger of drinking from plastic bottles. My mother has rediscovered a large family back in her native city of London who she talks and sends photos to regularly. She and my aunt aren’t alone in their embracing of the Internet.
Photo: ‘Older Life Changers Embracing the Internet’
The fastest growing users of Facebook are not tweenagers but people over the age of 74 according to social media expert Laurel Papworth. The number of such users has almost quadrupled in two years. These true Life Changers are not sitting at home and knitting, or playing golf following retirement, they are out reinventing themselves, using their brains, growing synapses by getting their grandkids to teach them the art of social networking. They are blogging, tweeting and writing reviews, they are on Facebook and all sorts of social networking sites keeping in touch with family and friends.
Papworth says, “Retirees and residence of nursing homes are not watching sport or playing bingo any more. Across the USA nursing homes are installing computers. And the trend is coming here.” More >
The Ultimate Life Changer
Mar 8th
Went to see my friend, and colleague Brian Sherman this week; founder of Voiceless animal rights activist group; former Director of Channel Ten and still a hot shot business identity. I interviewed him in the 80s when I was a finance journalist at the Financial Review. He was a young finance high flyer; I was an eager ambitious reporter. Both of us were obsessed with money, career and ego. 25 years later we meet again in Byron Bay and we have lunch. He was by then a staunch animal rights advocate, having moved from earthly concerns to a deeply spiritual position on the ecology of life; at the time I lived in a rainforest and had embraced Buddhism, preaching in my weekly column: “First do no harm!”
Time Management for Life Changers
Mar 7th
It’s been a wild few days. Bought an Apple Mac because so much of the University course I am doing is based on using it. Another change after twenty years of being a PC user. Such a sad and funny sight, me squinting over the keyboard, losing the page and my place every other minute. A metaphor for this new world I find myself in. The main focus for me is getting a handle on time management: What to do and when? My homework, helping my daughter with her HSC homework, getting my column in each week? Eating? What should take priority? Trying to read time management guru Tim Ferriss’ best seller and Blog, The 4 Hour WorkWeek but who has time?? More >
Reinventing ourselves
Mar 3rd
Life Change
My first day back at University since I was a girl, thinking about the day that was.
There’s a new phenomenon that I’m witnessing around me; it transgresses race, gender, and social status. I call it RSS Reinventing Self Syndrome. Almost all of my friends are doing it. Getting to a certain age, and deciding they’re uninspired with themselves or their chosen path in life. And going back to university or tech to retrain. Changing careers mid-stream.
It’s not uncommon to see women whose kids have left home going back to study so they can develop that career, or artistic talent. But this is far broader and far more staggering. It’s a 40-something thing. I know a business leader who left to become a working artist; a successful businesswoman who’s just returned to university to become a clinical psychologist; a lawyer who’s recently added TV producer to his bow. My boyfriend left engineering work – handling timber and steel — to work with the mechanics of the human body, as a physical therapist at a leading health spa. I recently met a meteorologist turned journalist, poor thing.
It’s never too late to embrace one’s passions. As one RSS friend said: “I realised that I couldn’t do the same thing my whole life. Getting up each morning to the same routine seemed more terrifying than gritting my teeth and taking the plunge.” My favourite story is from New York where I’ve just studied Media arts for a semester; praying that it was not too late in my life to expand my horizons.
Photographer and Video Maker Rosalind Solomon, came to lecture us. She is in her 80s, and a leading light in her field.
A distinguished, grey-haired woman she’d embarked on gruelling world trips to dangerous regions; and her latest exhibition on Ritual was getting rave reviews.
But she wasn’t the grand ol’ dame of her craft. Trained as a political scientist, it wasn’t until later in life that she decided become a professional photographer and has only recently found commercial success through “this wonderful new internet” thing.
I too have discovered that my next passion is working with images; moving and still. Sitting at my university admissions lecture last week, surrounded by bright young things, I felt like a mangy old dog. And then I remembered Rosalind, who revealed her wrinkled skin and age spots in merciless self-portraits for a study on mortality. Such bravery has earned her critical acclaim and helped catapult her to a darling of the New York Arts scene in her twilight years.
As one critic recently wrote of Rosalind’s exhibition: “This youthful octogenarian…. let’s us know she’s just getting warmed up.” The perfect RSS Life Changer catch-cry.
Balancing Act
Mar 22nd
Posted by Ruth Ostrow in All Posts
1 comment
The Australian
BALANCING ACT
I WAS at an appointment the other day with a person from whom I required graphics work.
I asked if I could have a discount as I’d only allocated a certain amount of money to the job and at her rates, we were going to run over budget. “No,” she replied, simply and without emotion. “I don’t do discounts.”
She went on to explain why. I found it a most interesting observation. “People tell you they need a discount because they’re short of cash, or they haven’t budgeted on such an amount. But here’s the truth. Most people have some spare cash lying around, it’s just that they prioritise how they’re going to spend it. You might say you only have $50 an hour to give me, then go and spend $200 on a new dress. More >