Living longer brings encouragement to my soul.
On August 22, 2024, I received an email from a board member of Harcum College in Coatesville, PA. He expressed appreciation for our counseling center’s work in the community and graciously explained why he enjoyed watching me as a leader. Then he wrote, “Harcum College has never had a counseling department, but we are ready to advance in this important endeavor. Mr. Henley, please prayerfully consider starting and developing a counseling program and being the Director of Counseling at Harcum…”
My body responded by leaning back in my chair as I whispered, “Whooaaa.” For the next 30 minutes, my mind could not stop racing about who to hire, getting the proper accreditation, being creative, and training students in trauma, psychoneuroimmunology, somatic therapy, and equine therapy. After two hours, I basically responded that I would speak with trusted friends and my family, pray, and get back to him. My racing thoughts of educating and training men and women to bring healing to my community, state, and country were off the charts!
After three weeks of praying, talking with friends who understand the process of starting a counseling program at a university, and listening to my family, I kindly but painfully declined because I needed to focus on completing my doctoral studies this year.
Then, two weeks later, I read “The 100-Year Life” by Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott. In the book, the authors make a compelling argument for reimagining the traditional life stages and the linear life plan that includes education, work, and retirement, especially in light of longer lifespans. They introduce the concept of a multi-staged life, which involves embracing diverse careers, taking breaks for learning, and making transitions between full and part-time work. This model promotes a more adaptable approach to careers and personal growth, acknowledging that an extended work life necessitates ongoing learning and flexibility. And once again, the wheels started spinning about starting a counseling program at Harcum College.
What if, at around age 65, there is still no counseling department at Harcum? Could I do it then? “We are in the midst of an extraordinary transition that few of us are prepared for. If we get it right it will be a real gift; to ignore and fail to prepare will be a curse.”1 Did God want to plant this seed in me now, so it could germinate later? I can definitely see how being a CEO of counseling centers and a Director of Counseling in a college go hand in hand. I thought about:
- Moses who was called at age 40 but did not begin his calling until age 80.2
- David was anointed king as a young shepherd boy but did not become king for years.3
- God called Samuel as a little boy but waited years to use him as a prophet4
- God had his hand open Esther her entire life as a young girl and she fulfilled her calling as an older teenager.5
As I read this book and pondered the four biblical characters, I began reimagining my life by living longer. “For most of the last two hundred years, there has been a steady increase in life expectancy.”6 Since life expectancy has steadily increased, the authors demonstrate how we can best plan for it. Chapter 6 helped me process living longer and spoke to me about the stages of life and how to use them to order my life. Two of the stages were quite meaningful for me:
BECOMING AN EXPLORER
“When we think about the exploration stage, we imagine excitement, curiosity, adventure, investigation, and anxiety.”7 Since this is a discovery stage, I will journey for the next few years to discover and learn about what it means to be a Director of Counseling at a college.
“Transformational leaders are those who stimulate intrinsic motivation within their followers, which results in their producing extraordinary outcomes.”8 As my leadership heart, passion, and knowledge develop, I will be forever, as in the words of Annabel Beerel, “Rethinking Leadership,” to change my society by pushing the boundaries.
BEING AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCER
“These are job creators rather than job seekers.”9 I can see myself from ages 65 to 75 creating a new kind of counseling department at a college by utilizing the culture, my past experience, creativity, and leadership style to implement a program that I have never seen or experienced in my life. Just like in my own counseling center, I have created areas for my therapists to flourish by helping them obtain certifications in Equine, Message, Play, Art, Yoga, and, soon, Nature Therapy. Most likely, around age 60, which is in 2 years, I will begin to dream about this possibility.
CONCLUSION
The 100-Year Life is brimming with fascinating statistics, captivating real-life stories, and relatable scenarios that really bring the concept of living to 100 to life. It inspires readers to rethink their financial planning, career paths, and personal connections as we embrace the possibilities of a longer life ahead. The authors emphasize how vital it is to invest in our health, education, and relationships, which are essential for experiencing a fulfilling and vibrant extended life. With all this in mind, I have also decided to seriously emphasize my mental and physical health. My cycling has become sporadic, but I have set goals to train and enter some tough races over the next five years. I am also spending more time in nature and connecting with God in the woods. This has encouraged me to start a photo journal. Basically, I take pictures in nature, tape them to a page in my journal, and connect with God by observing the pictures. The 100-Year Life has really challenged me to think way beyond what I was already considering about the end of my life. My goal has never been to retire, but I did think around 70 would be a time to slow down considerably. But if I can stay in shape, keep praying, reading, and connecting, I will be able to make a difference in this world for longer than I had previously imagined.
- The 100-Year Life. Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott. 1.
- Exodus 3:7-4:18. NIV.
- I Samuel 16:1-17:4. NIV.
- I Samuel 3:21
- Esther 4:1-17; 9:1
- The 100-Year Life. Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott. 16.
- The 100-Year Life. Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott. 132
- Rethinking Leadership. Annabel Beerel. 295.
- The 100-Year Life. Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott. 139.
About the Author
Todd E Henley
Todd is an avid cyclist who loves watching NASCAR, photography, and playing Madden football. He is addicted to reading, eating fruits and vegetables, and drinking H2O. His passion is talking about trauma, epigenetics, chromosomes, and the brain. He has been blessed with a sensationally sweet wife and four fun creative children (one of which resides in heaven). In his free time he teaches at Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary and is the Founder/Executive Director of Restore Counseling Center.8 responses to “Living longer brings encouragement to my soul.”
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Todd….I had to read your post because your title was so drastically different from my initial reaction to the possibility of a 100 year life, which was ‘no thanks!’
I love your optimism! That ‘glass half full’ attitude is another major factor in long life…so you’re well on your way!
As I read about your dreams about the future….but even more, your goals to stay healthy and growing into the future, I was convicted to ensure I am making good choices now to increase the possibility of a fulfilling future. I have struggled to get into some good habits this Fall and your post gave me a good ‘wake up’ call (or kick in the pants) to get rolling.
Thanks!
Hey Scott, I can actually hear your voice as I read your words. You said you struggled to get into some good habits this Fall. Look on the bright side: “Fall is a season” in more ways than one, which means you will eventually come out of this season. All of us go through seasons, but I know I’m preaching to the choir. Oh, I love when I see you riding on Strava, racing at 60 miles per hour. Yup, it’s time to get back on that bike!
Hi Todd, thank you for your refreshing and enlightening post. I am very inspired by your reflection, “My goal has never been to retire, but I did think around 70 would be a time to slow down considerably. However, if I can stay in shape, keep praying, reading, and connecting, I can make a difference in this world for longer than I had imagined.” You are wisely preparing your future to fill it with impact on the world. Thank you for this motivation.
Hey Dinka. Thank you for your encouraging words and helping me to see myself through your eyes. I appreciate you, man!
Lovely Todd. I commend your courage to say “no” so you can finish your doctorate. I wish I had taken time to process new opportunities the way you have. I definitely am choking on opportunites I bit off that were way than I can chew.
I agree with your take on this book, that there are opportunities that need time to “germinate”. I really, really needed to hear that. I think it’s hard to stop the “hustle” of what opportunities are next. So thankful to know you!
Hey Jana, if I had posted the requirements for getting a college counseling program accredited, everyone would have said, “No way it was possible in the next year.” I would have taken on a second NPO, and that’s just not possible for me.
Since you said you are choking on opportunities, I will definitely be praying for you asking the Lord to shape you through it as he blesses others through your gifts. Whatever you bit off, break ’em down into bit-size pieces…I have a good friend who probably bit off a little more than you, and I remember reading what someone wrote about him. They said, “For the joy set before him, he endured the cross…” You got this! 😊
Thanks for the post Todd, please keep me in the loop when you start pioneering a new kind of practice. Anything Todd does or creates, I’m on board! I love the idea of incorporating nature into your practice as well. I’m not sure if you mentioned this in the lobby at DC (when I interpreted you! lol) or if it was a conversation with my wife, but nature represents such a non-judgemental environment. I think this is why Jesus likened the Father to the sun and the rain. The sun shines, and the rain falls because it is its nature to do so. Just like God’s nature is to love regardless. You embody such a non-judgmental attitude and approach, which is one of the reasons I believe your practice is so successful.
Hey my brother, actually I’m sure i was falling asleep in the lobby. Thanks for waking me up. 😊
I mentioned nature therapy but I like what you or your wife said that “nature represents such a non-judgemental environment.” Man, I really love this because I have never thought about this. But it is so true. There is nothing about nature that judges us and yet it brings such deep healing and awe.
Absorbing the sun and feeling the rain while in nature can also bring healing to the body and remind us of the Father and how he cares for us. Thanks for bringing this to my attention, bro!