Mariner is one of millions of older people all around the world – beyond career, beyond younger generations, beyond participation. Recently he assigned the word ‘gumption’ to the special motivation it takes to be a successful old person. Below is another description from folks who know a lot more about it than mariner does. Being old himself, he understands clearly how true these words are from The Journal of Positive Psychology in 2016:

“Coherence: how events fit together. This is an understanding that things happen in your life for a reason. That doesn’t necessarily mean you can fit new developments into your narrative the moment they happen, but you usually are able to do so afterward, so you have faith that you eventually will.” [coherence means one is an engaged part of reality, a fellow player]

“Purpose: the existence of goals and aims. This is the belief that you are alive in order to do something. Think of purpose as your personal mission statement, such as “the purpose of my life is to share the secrets to happiness” or “I am here to spread love abundantly.”

“Significance: life’s inherent value. This is the sense that your life matters. If you have high levels of significance, you’re confident that the world would be a tiny bit—or perhaps a lot—poorer if you didn’t exist.”

It takes a lot of gumption to sustain these three values, especially if you live alone, especially if you are infirm and shut in, especially if you are financially destitute.

If you are an old folk and have difficulty with these descriptions, depression and slow demise will occur. If you are a young person, your gumption still is required to apply these principles to have a happier life.

Arouse your gumption and turn things around. Be prepared; no career has ever required more effort.

Ancient Mariner