A 100-Year Life! How to Live Happily!?
For those nearing retirement or considering starting their own business...
I turned 73 in 2024, and in June, I received consulting proposals from two clients. I am very grateful for this.
This is a bit of a boast, but what I want to convey is that "living a happy life means working until you die".
[Conclusion] How to live happily
✅ Assuming a 100-year life, being happy until you die means staying "healthy" without needing nursing care
✅ To stay healthy, you must "work" until you die
✅ Please think of "working" broadly as "being useful to the world"
✅ Having continuous "opportunities to work" until you die
[Reference] Haruaki Deguchi: "Abolition of Retirement Age"
Please watch the 3 minutes from 13:00 to 16:00 in the YouTube video below.
Arguments by Haruaki Deguchi (at the time of this YouTube lecture: President of Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU))
What is nursing care? = Average life expectancy - Healthy life expectancy
Some say that because Japan has the most advanced aging population and the baby boomer generation is becoming late-stage elderly, the nursing care situation is beyond help
The result of Haruaki Deguchi asking about 50 doctors: The best way to extend healthy life expectancy is to "work"
The policy that the Japanese government should implement is the "abolition of retirement age", which kills five birds with one stone
✅1 Become healthy and reduce nursing care
✅2 Medical and pension finances will improve
because people will shift from being recipients to contributors ✅3 The seniority-based mindset will disappear: Forget about having been an executive or department manager in the past, and think about "what can I do now?" to contribute to society, which is the ideal for an aging society ✅4 Once seniority is abandoned,
middle-aged and older people will become energetic. Thinking foolishly at 50 or 60 that "it's all over" only happens because you are conscious of retirement ✅5 Japan is an incredibly blessed country. Since there is a labor shortage, it is consistent for the elderly to work
The reason I was able to go independent in 2012 and continue working for 12 years
When I went independent in 2012, I was 61. An example of receiving consulting work even after turning 70
June 2024: I was contacted via Facebook by S-san, a young ace client I was in charge of 24 years ago, asking me to support the management reform of the company they moved to
June 2024: A former IBM colleague asked me to support business analysis and the consideration/formulation of issues and solutions for a client they are in charge of at their new IT company, for the purpose of renewing "aging systems"
2022-2023: I received a request to be a lecturer for the Kyoto Women's University recurrent education program from Mr./Ms. K, a client in Kyoto I worked with during my time at IBM.
August-December 2021: A former IBM colleague told me that Company K had spun off six months prior but had no plan, and asked me to support the development of a spin-off plan.
Summary
To live a healthy and happy life, you must 'work' until you die.
To work, three conditions are necessary.
What can I do now? It must be something that contributes to society.
Staying healthy.
Building a network of people who 'trust me' while I am young and capable.
Considering the time when such people are no longer around, sharing what I can do, and gaining credibility (I have been challenging myself on note since 2024).