Tracey Trottenberg, 41, Los Angeles, CA (from Montreal, Canada)

What comes to mind when I hear the term Age Esteem is feeling good about who you are at whatever age you age.  Esteem for me is feeling proud, and a sense of being in your body and in your essence and just feeling good about you and who you are at whatever age, stage you are now in your life.

My concerns about aging I would say are related to health. I am healthy and I feel good and I recognize that, especially being from Canada and now living in the US, the whole healthcare situation is a concern.  What is that actually going to look like in quality care and access to it, and from a financial standpoint, a quality standpoint.  That is definitely on my mind not just for me, but for others as well.

I would say also just the cost of living healthy and consciously is a concern.  I exercise and I try to eat well and having access to healthy food and good  nutritian and nourishment is important not just for me but for others.  There is such craziness going on in the food industry  with the high cost of the good stuff.

Tracey’s Tips:  For me aging well is so much about the mind, having a healthy mind and having a sense of wherever you are in the journey. Ever since I was a young kid I’ve had a tremendous amount of appreciation for aging and for the process of wisdom and the life experiences that comes with the lines and the greys and the various phases along the journey.  I was very close to my grandparents.  So for me it is about mind set. It is appreciating the journey and making peace with whatever from the past is still stirring those inner demons.  I would say that’s the biggest thing.  Then to live well wherever you are.  There’s a freedom, there’s a wisdom, there’s a peace with a sense of knowing I’m okay.  We were struggling. We have that inner war with those inner demons.  It doesn’t matter what age we are to have that peace and sense of okayness.  That is key to aging and living well.

Tracey Trottenberg is an international speaker in leadership and communication expert.                                           

Photo credit: Bonnie Fatio