Reading: Joan Lunden on How to Pivot to Your Next Life

“It’s been 20 years since I left Good Morning America,” says Joan Lunden, author of the new book, Why Did I Come Into This Room? A Candid Conversation About Aging. “I have an incredibly robust career in health. This is my new reinvention.” Lunden speaks with Lesley Jane Seymour about her three keys to happiness.

Joan’s Three Keys to Happiness
People need to understand what it is that will make them deteriorate, and what it is that will help them retain their cognitive thinking and remain engaged in life. And getting older, the important thing is not so much how much money you have or how many vacation houses you have. The three things at the top of the list that will predict how well you age are:

1. Staying engaged in life, not being alone.

2. Keep social connections well beyond the family.
That means outside friends. It means people you’re going to get up and think about, you’re going to talk to, that you’re going to do things with.

3. Cultivating a sense of purpose.
And it doesn’t have to be as big as starting a business or a non-profit. It can be as simple as planting a garden or being part of a book club. But it’s something that will help you get up in the morning, get dressed, and be excited about something. Lunden believes that with 76 million Boomers at this pivot point we need to have open discussions about reinventing.