Baby boomers are perhaps the most widely studied generation in United States history. Everything about this group has been the subject of scrutiny: their shopping behavior, media preferences, living arrangements, politics, and more recently, their views of retirement and needs for financial planning. Most of these research studies aim to define current attitudes and segment a market that dominates by its sheer size. Few research efforts, however, take a longer view.
How will baby boomers live out their lives over the next two decades-decades when the world will come to grips with unprecedented challenges and innovations? How will they navigate new ecologies of risk, highly politicized foodscapes, emerging sustainability practices, a renaissaince of civil society, and a continuing personalization of faith?
These 10 action types are tools for anticipating boomers' futures. Each actiontype is a mode of decision-making -- an orientation to the future.
Crafting an Environment: A blend of equal measures of creativity and control in these boomers drives a focus on crafting their personal worlds-and expressing themselves through their crafts.
Aging Sustainability: Aging sustainability means understanding the importance of balance between homes and environments, retirement and finances, and relationships and legacies.
Forging Family: For these boomers who focus on forging and maintaining intimate family bonds, family is not just a given; it is something thay have discovered and worked for through adversity.
Serving Faithfully: As a central precept of their lives moving forward, these boomers follow their faith into service to others. Through service, they create value to their communities, their peers, and to themselves.
Reinventing the Self: In a constantly changing world, these boomers adapt by remaking their bodies, interests, and skill sets-perpetual reinvention.
Rebuilding a Life: After experiencing significant setbacks, these boomers have designed new paths that may be quite different from anything they had anticipated or planned, but offer opportunities for finding satisfaction in unexpected places.
Powering Through: What constitutes success may differ, but these boomers are all about success. Their goals are clearly defined and they're determined to achieve them and set new ones to pursue.
Lost in Transiation: In dealing with unexpected problems, these boomers have lost faith in the goals that motivated them. They are struggling to create a new framework that will provide security and satisfaction.
Still Questing: Work identity drives these boomers, an identity still more in the making than for most. In their quest for something in their futures, they actively distance themselves from their pasts.
Coming Home: Returning to the childhood home gives meaning to these boomers. With an instinct for freedom, they are now exploring values of commitment, care giving, and comfort.
