Growing old has more to do with one's mental attitude rather than the physical deterioration of the body. Therefore, staying forever young is all in our minds. Let me put that another way - you will never be old unless you think you are old. That's right - you have a choice to live a life that is filled with energy, vivaciousness and activity, or you may simply move on to the great pasture known as rest and relaxation. The decision for your retirement style is upon you as more articles and books appear in the media aimed at the large generation of future retirees. The major focus is on the financial aspect; how to save more, how to invest wisely, and how to diversify your retirement funds. There is little emphasis, however, on what retirement actually means. The best way to associate a word is to look for its description in the thesaurus and the dictionary. The following is a list of words that describe retirement: departure, withdrawal, retreat, sequestration, seclusion, privacy, removal, solitude. Do these words have a positive ring to them? One might concur that perhaps this style of living is detrimental.

A youthful outlook is often stimulated by our connection to the larger world around us. The innate desire to intermingle with our fellow citizens -- to interact on a daily basis in some form of productive work is the key to good health and longevity. Today's retirees often find that leisure can be a poor replacement for the invigorating environment of problem-solving and team effort. This natural tendency to be connected to our work is a means for development, no matter what our physical age might be. There is truth in the old adage keep growing or die. To be cut off from the surroundings that make growth possible is the reason a majority of retirees find themselves isolated and depressed. To fight this isolation, many decide to flock together with other retirees.

What happens when older Americans create their own communities, and become residents in an environment specifically for their age group? Perhaps there is security in uniformity -- the familiarity of other retirees can be a safe haven against the outside world - but these retirement communities do not solve the problem of personal growth, which is the most important factor that keeps us forever young. The only environment that is conducive to individual development is found in general society, which provides diversity, vitality, and dynamism. And the connection to this world is often through employment.

Why do we choose retirement? We often underestimate our talents and abilities due to social conditioning. Today there is an imaginary cut-off date when individuals are no longer needed. Most of us are familiar with the number sixty-five because that is the year our Social Security benefits become available. But in reality, this is all an illusion. Social Security is a government-run system, created in 1935 to placate the population after the financial crash of 1929. The life span during those years was pretty close to sixty-five, and therefore the payout was pegged to that number. If we go back into the history of this country, the concept of retirement just didn't exist. Why? Perhaps this is because we were all WORKING, and being productive members of SOCIETY. For example, in 1880 the majority of men over age 64 were WORKING - today, the majority of men over 64 are RETIRED. The life expectancy for males in 1880 was 50 years old. Looks like the working man in 1880 outlived his life expectancy.

Today, our generation is bombarded with reports written by financial advisors for the soon-to- be retiree; we worry about our 401ks, IRAs, Social Security, and home equity. This is all happening even before we have reached the half-century milestone. Perhaps it is time to stop concentrating on retirement and place our thoughts into what makes us old in the first place. If all our time is spent thinking of growing old, then we will become old. If we constantly focus on the "end" days, with expectations of fear and deprivation, then our lives will be filled with these things. This generation has the opportunity to literally "change the world". But first, we must change our thoughts away from security and toward individual freedom. When you change your thinking, you never grow old.