TIME’s Report on Longevity and Its Personal Meaning #FeelingFriday

Source: Time

TIME just published a new vertical on longevity which features an initial report in January and then follow-ups throughout the year on various topics related to aging.

It's called "The New Old Age." Talk about making you feel old right from the get-go!

The coverage on longevity reveals a fundamental shift in how we think about aging: it's not about lifespan anymore. It's about healthspan … the years you spend in good health, functionality, and vitality.

Ok, that feels better already.

By 2050, there will be 2.1billion people over 60. Most of them won't be sitting on the sidelines. They'll be living, working, spending, connecting. So true, yet the odd truth is that as marketers we keep acting like relevance is over at 35.

We obsess over Gen Z. We chase the next generation like it's the only generation that’s worth our focus. We build our entire strategies around what's new, what's trending, what's going to be the next big thing. Meanwhile, billions of people who are still active and still engaged are being ignored or, worse, being made to feel invisible. Yet let's also remember that they are still spending and yes, still influencing.

The TIME research isn't just about health science. It's a mirror for how we approach our entire lives including our careers. That's where the report started to get very personal for me. Because I realized what the research was really pointing to: the concept of careerspan.

Not lifespan. Not even healthspan. Careerspan … the years you spend being functional, connected, vital, and relevant in your professional life.

Now it’s hitting on both sides.

I've been in this crazy field for over three decades. I've watched trends come and go, businesses rise and fall. I've heard people talk about their expiration dates. But I've always carried something that TIME's longevity research just confirmed for me: relevance isn't about your age. It's about your careerspan which is how you prove your functionality, your connection, and your willingness to keep showing up.

The TIME report emphasizes that longevity isn't driven by secret formulas or extreme measures. Or an eye cream. It's driven by consistency. Daily habits. Social connection. Preventative care, which in my case is constant learning and constant doing.

That's exactly how you build careerspan. Add value every day. Learn every day. Embrace every new advancement. Like we are with AI right now.

The marketers I respect most aren't the ones who jumped on every trend or reinvented themselves every moment something new came along. They're the ones who stayed curious. Who kept learning. Who remained connected to their teams, their clients, and their craft. Who showed up consistently, did meaningful work, and didn't confuse novelty with impact.

They understand careerspan. They understand it’s about having people forget how long you've been around and notice how important you are to their business.

It means knowing when to push back on a bad brief. It means building relationships that last decades, not quarters. It means doing work that solves real problems, not just work that wins awards or gets likes. It means having the courage to say no to things that don't align with who you are, so you have the energy to say yes to things that do.

This is also how you create work with the most impact. Over and over. Oh the irony in that!

That's longevity. That's a career and a life well-lived.

How are you thinking about your careerspan? What's your experience?