3 Lessons from "Tuesdays With Morrie"
April 16, 2020
When I joined the team at WalkWise, I was one month away from being a college graduate, 22 years old, and had never worked in-depth with a senior tech product or an older population. I quickly started reading and learning as much as I could about the senior technology industry, and luckily for me, I was able to do my research about mobility aids, aging, and much more when I was on the clock. The WalkWise team knew it was important for me to understand who we serve, even if it meant slowly learning and reading.
For my onboarding, I also had required reading; the book was “Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End.” by Atuwal Gawande. This book opened my eyes to not only aging, but end-of-life care and hospice as well. Working through the intricacies of end-of-life care is tough, and the decisions one must make can be life altering both positively and negatively.
After reading Being Mortal, I became a big fan of literature on aging and learning more about the population WalkWise serves.
This brings me to my most current read and a book that has taught me even more about aging — “Tuesdays With Morrie,” By Mitch Albom. This book takes the reader along a journey about aging, dealing with ALS, and accepting one’s self every step of the way. Below I will detail 3 lessons I took from this life altering book, “Tuesdays With Morrie.” Hopefully you find them as important as I did, and maybe, you will want to read the book as well.
1. Aging is natural and positive, find a goal, and reach it.
“As you grow, you learn more. Aging is not just decay… it’s growth,” Stated Morrie in one of the most memorable quotes of the whole book. As one ages, like all of us do, we find our way through life. If we didn’t age, we would remain stagnant and bettering ourselves or helping others would not be second nature. How many times have we been told when we were younger, “the world doesn’t revolve around you?” Almost everyone has heard this. The older one gets, the less we hear it. This is because as we age, we learn, we grow, and if possible we give (3rd lesson).
Through his battle with ALS, Morrie imparted wisdom that usually remains unspoken. “… If you have found the meaning of life… you don’t want to go back. You want to go forward. You want to see more, do more.” Finding the meaning of life is different for everyone; it may be traveling to all 50 states, donating your time at a soup kitchen every Saturday, or simply being kind to everyone. Morrie describes aging as the pursuit of finding one’s meaning of life and being okay with growing older because growing older is one step closer to finding that meaning.
2. Self Acceptance
“Accept who you are; and revel in it,” Morrie says as he is reflecting on who he is as a person. When one accepts who they truly are, they can make the impact they would like to in this world.
Morrie challenges every person to be themselves and love the things that make someone uniquely them.
In a world where technology is so intertwined with our daily lives, it’s easier now than ever to demonstrate unique abilities. Strengths and weaknesses are considered unique and every human has something that sets them apart. Start a blog, a youtube channel, or even a social media page about your unique interests. Odds are, there are many people that have similar passions to yours and you will find a community that may help you accept yourself and accomplish your goals.
3. Give (when you can)
“Giving to other people is what makes me feel alive. Not my car or my house. Not What I look like in the mirror,” explains Morrie when talking about the best way to be part of a community. Morrie dives into something that everyone knows, but it’s tough to practice. This takeaway is a combination of the two above. Giving will allow you to age happily, while accepting yourself. Many people can feel ultimate happiness when they do something simple for others. Think of being a child on christmas when you finally got a gift for your parents — you more than likely felt anxious and excited to give it to them. This feeling never changes. When you find a way to give, your love and impact will live on, even long after you’re gone.
Our WalkWise blog generally speaks of aging tips, the population we serve, and our company updates. If you’re a caregiver, senior, or someone working in the senior care industry, I would bet you’re following these three takeaways rather closely. WalkWise continues to follow the journey that Morrie detailed so carefully and we hope that our ability to give seniors and their families a product that can truly help will be impactful.
One step at a time, WalkWise is trying to create a community, provide our technology to seniors and their families, and ultimately make change — long after we’re gone.
“Walking man’s best medicine” — Hippocrates
By Nic Bordwell, Director of Marketing
3 Lessons from "Tuesdays With Morrie"
April 16, 2020
When I joined the team at WalkWise, I was one month away from being a college graduate, 22 years old, and had never worked in-depth with a senior tech product or an older population. I quickly started reading and learning as much as I could about the senior technology industry, and luckily for me, I was able to do my research about mobility aids, aging, and much more when I was on the clock. The WalkWise team knew it was important for me to understand who we serve, even if it meant slowly learning and reading.
For my onboarding, I also had required reading; the book was “Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End.” by Atuwal Gawande. This book opened my eyes to not only aging, but end-of-life care and hospice as well. Working through the intricacies of end-of-life care is tough, and the decisions one must make can be life altering both positively and negatively.
After reading Being Mortal, I became a big fan of literature on aging and learning more about the population WalkWise serves.
This brings me to my most current read and a book that has taught me even more about aging — “Tuesdays With Morrie,” By Mitch Albom. This book takes the reader along a journey about aging, dealing with ALS, and accepting one’s self every step of the way. Below I will detail 3 lessons I took from this life altering book, “Tuesdays With Morrie.” Hopefully you find them as important as I did, and maybe, you will want to read the book as well.
1. Aging is natural and positive, find a goal, and reach it.
“As you grow, you learn more. Aging is not just decay… it’s growth,” Stated Morrie in one of the most memorable quotes of the whole book. As one ages, like all of us do, we find our way through life. If we didn’t age, we would remain stagnant and bettering ourselves or helping others would not be second nature. How many times have we been told when we were younger, “the world doesn’t revolve around you?” Almost everyone has heard this. The older one gets, the less we hear it. This is because as we age, we learn, we grow, and if possible we give (3rd lesson).
Through his battle with ALS, Morrie imparted wisdom that usually remains unspoken. “… If you have found the meaning of life… you don’t want to go back. You want to go forward. You want to see more, do more.” Finding the meaning of life is different for everyone; it may be traveling to all 50 states, donating your time at a soup kitchen every Saturday, or simply being kind to everyone. Morrie describes aging as the pursuit of finding one’s meaning of life and being okay with growing older because growing older is one step closer to finding that meaning.
2. Self Acceptance
“Accept who you are; and revel in it,” Morrie says as he is reflecting on who he is as a person. When one accepts who they truly are, they can make the impact they would like to in this world.
Morrie challenges every person to be themselves and love the things that make someone uniquely them.
In a world where technology is so intertwined with our daily lives, it’s easier now than ever to demonstrate unique abilities. Strengths and weaknesses are considered unique and every human has something that sets them apart. Start a blog, a youtube channel, or even a social media page about your unique interests. Odds are, there are many people that have similar passions to yours and you will find a community that may help you accept yourself and accomplish your goals.
3. Give (when you can)
“Giving to other people is what makes me feel alive. Not my car or my house. Not What I look like in the mirror,” explains Morrie when talking about the best way to be part of a community. Morrie dives into something that everyone knows, but it’s tough to practice. This takeaway is a combination of the two above. Giving will allow you to age happily, while accepting yourself. Many people can feel ultimate happiness when they do something simple for others. Think of being a child on christmas when you finally got a gift for your parents — you more than likely felt anxious and excited to give it to them. This feeling never changes. When you find a way to give, your love and impact will live on, even long after you’re gone.
Our WalkWise blog generally speaks of aging tips, the population we serve, and our company updates. If you’re a caregiver, senior, or someone working in the senior care industry, I would bet you’re following these three takeaways rather closely. WalkWise continues to follow the journey that Morrie detailed so carefully and we hope that our ability to give seniors and their families a product that can truly help will be impactful.
One step at a time, WalkWise is trying to create a community, provide our technology to seniors and their families, and ultimately make change — long after we’re gone.
“Walking man’s best medicine” — Hippocrates
By Nic Bordwell, Director of Marketing
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