This is the first article in our series about The Wiser Way – a methodology to manage all of the “What ifs” that go along with aging.
A Fable: The Anticipating Ant
In a bustling ant colony, there was an older ant who noticed that it was becoming harder for it to keep up with the other ants. The ant didn’t necessarily think of themself as “old” per se, but the ant’s body certainly wasn’t as agile as it used to be, and it was finding it challenging to gather enough food to sustain itself while working alone.
The older ant knew it needed to prepare for the challenges of aging before it was too late. It began to collect and store extra food and also taught the younger ants about the importance of planning and preparation for the future.
The other ants were impressed by the older ant’s proactive attitude and perspective. They started to work together to build a more supportive colony that could cater to ants of all ages. They shared their resources and supported those who needed it most.
Over time, the colony became stronger and more resilient. The ants realized that by being proactive and working together, they could overcome any obstacle that came their way.
Moral of the story: Being proactive and planning ahead can help us age gracefully, and working together can make us stronger and more resilient.
Anticipation – What Does It Mean?
In the simplest of terms, when it comes to managing all of the “what ifs” that come along with getting older, it’s never too early to prepare, but it is often too late.
Anticipation lies at the core of The Wiser Way.
Here at WayWiser, we often explain the need for anticipating the ebbs and flows of aging by comparing it to obtaining fire insurance for your home. We can hem and haw about making the purchase, but ultimately, if we keep on procrastinating, and our house catches fire, all we can do is wish that we had acted sooner.
Getting older will be different for everyone. But everyone gets older.
Some of us will be extremely lucky and live well into our 80s, 90s, or even reach 100 years old and still be relatively self sufficient.
Some of us have a spouse who can help us with little tasks that become harder as we age, yet some of us don’t.
Some of us have adult children who live nearby, yet some of us don’t.
Plenty of us will see a slow decline in our physical or mental capacities as we age and many of us will see a sudden decline sparked by a fall, a stroke, or any number of unexpected events that can change our lives on a dime.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to aging, but there is nobody on earth who shouldn’t be planning for it, because we all do it. Everyone gets older.
Invest Today to Protect Tomorrow
To bring back the insurance analogy, it’s important to invest some time today in order to protect your tomorrow. This is going to save you and your family countless headaches down the line and allow you to live life with a bit more ease and security.
Whatever your personal situation may be, there are a number of things you’ll want to consider when anticipating the future — your finances, your health, and your family likely being the top 3 groups to focus on.
There are plenty of tools that you can cobble together to manage each of your individual needs, but we’ve built WayWiser to make it all a bit easier for you and your family to prepare and manage the future all in one place.
