MEAx Australia | Are you a Perennial? | 6th October 2021

Chronological age is losing its power to define and constrain us. The bindings that have fastened age to stage are loosening, as the old linear model for life is gradually replaced by a more fluid, multi-stage life model. Historically, certain life ‘stages’ like being on a gap year, or being an undergrad or an intern may have provided strong clues about someone’s age; that will be a far less reliable indicator moving forward.

As Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott wrote in The 100 Year Life, “Age is not a stage any longer, and these new stages will be increasingly age agnostic.” The day you were born should matter far less than what you believe, how you contribute and the mindset you embrace. As a society, we need to consciously uncouple our chronological age from socially prescribed life stages, meaningless generational labels and antiquated images of what certain ages should look like and adopt a more free range approach to aging.

This sentiment was summed up perfectly by American entrepreneur, Gina Pell, who coined the term Perennial, to describe this curious, ever-blooming growth mindset shared by people of all ages who have a generationally blurred mindset and resist being categorised or defined by the date of their birth. Perennials are people whom Pell describes as “ever-blooming, relevant people of all ages who know what’s happening in the world, stay current with technology and have friends of all ages.

“Perennials get involved, stay curious, mentor others, and are passionate, compassionate, creative, confident and global-minded risk takers who understand that age is not a limiting factor. Perennialism is an inclusive, enduring mind-set, not a divisive demographic. It is all about mindset and no longer about a one-dimensional timeline that runs from birth to death.”

Stay curious,
The MEAx Team