A message from one Gen Xer to another — and the mindset work we all need to do right now. I need to tell you about the moment this hit me differently. I ordered an Uber late on a Tuesday night. The driver was 72 years old. She had a crocheted blanket on the passenger seat, an air freshener shaped like a rose, and a phone mount she'd clearly had someone help her install. She was kind. She was sharp. She was also driving strangers around at 11pm because Social Security alone wasn't cutting it. I couldn't stop thinking about it for days. Because here's the thing — she probably didn't plan to fail. She probably did what she was told. She worked. Maybe she raised kids. Maybe she trusted a pension that evaporated. Maybe she went through a divorce, a medical crisis, a layoff at 58 that erased decades of progress. Maybe she just lived, and living got expensive. And now she's on the app. This Is Not a "Them" Problem If you're Gen X — born somewhere between 1965 and 1980 — I need you to sit with something uncomfortable for a moment: We are next. We are the generation that watched our parents' pensions disappear and were handed a 401(k) and told "good luck." We came of age during two recessions before we even hit 30. We entered the workforce without student loan forgiveness, bought homes at interest rates that swung wildly, and got hit by the 2008 collapse right when we were supposed to be hitting our stride. And a significant number of us have less than $50,000 saved for retirement — with less than 20 years to close that gap. So when we see elderly people driving Uber, delivering DoorDash, stocking shelves at Walmart in their 70s — the reason it rattles our hearts isn't just compassion. It's recognition. The Mindset Trap That Got Us Here Here's what I've come to believe: the retirement crisis is partly a financial crisis and partly a mindset crisis — and the mindset piece is the one we can actually do something about right now. There are a few stories we've been running in the background that need to be examined and, for many of us, completely rewritten.

Manifestation isn’t about sitting on a mountain top in total silence. It’s about holding your vision while the kids are asking for dinner, the ex is calling, and the 9-to-5 is demanding your soul.

Christmas doesn’t have to cost a penny.

Stop Chasing the Bus Manifestation isn't magic; it’s stress management. When you're desperate, your brain goes into "survival mode." You literally can't see opportunities because you're too busy hyper-focusing on what you don't have. It’s like trying to find your keys while screaming—you're too loud to think. The shift: Stop "wanting" and start "allowing." Think of it like an Amazon package. You don't sit by the window crying for three days; you know it’s coming, so you go make a sandwich. That "sandwich energy" lowers your blood pressure and lets you actually notice the open doors around you. The Real Talk: The Universe isn't a vending machine. A mindset shift just clears the junk off your dashboard so you can finally see the road. What’s one thing you’re overthinking right now that could use some "sandwich energy"?