What’s a Boomer? This question seems more correct than “who is a Boomer?” since this statistic-laden collective term is usually applied to group reactions and generalized behaviours. Don’t let the hype about Baby Boomers distract you from what is really important—you and what you want to achieve. Instead of following others, adopt self-leadership and lead yourself, your family and your community toward a brilliant future.

The impression left by today’s 24-7 media and marketing barrage is that Boomers set the standard for everything from home buying and interior decor to career paths and resort pursuits. “Follow the leader” motivations fostered by marketing campaigns and the media led Boomers to follow each other into condominiums, SUVs, materialistic lifestyles, resort vacations and everything in between.

In hindsight, society and Boomers alike are realizing that not all their decisions were the best ones. Mega-homes and car-centric subdivisions are among the choices that are leading to environmental and social problems. Neither Boomers nor governments have developed proven abilities to accurately anticipate the impact of Boomer numbers and use it to positive advantage for our communities. Why should we expect more from them as we move through the next decades?

Baby Boomers, collectively referred to as The Age Wave, represent a population bulge—“the lump” often compared to a pig swallowed by a python—which moves through society as each year Boomers became one year older. Ironically, age-phobic Boomers owe their entire fame to their age, since it is common birthdays that gain them inclusion, not any talents or attributes special to Boomers. Individual accomplishments aside, sheer numbers are what mark Boomers as a force, not any organized or deliberate actions on their part, nor any specific group contributions.

Boomer is the collective term applied to those born in the years after World War II and before "The Pill" kicked in. In Canada, Boomers are often identified as those born between 1947 and 1966 while in the United States, it’s 1946 and 1964. Always check with the speaker or author when Boomers are discussed because the selected birthday brackets can vary, even within an organization. For instance, Statistics Canada does not use one standard set of age limits for Boomers. Not everyone who can wants to be included as a "boomer." Generations are not distinct and absolute but overlap and interact, particularly at the artificial boundaries.

Note: On this site, we use 1946 to 1966 to envelope North America's approximately 85 million Baby Boomers unless we specify otherwise. In practical applications, clearly defining who a boomer is may be the most important task.

Statistics and projections concerning this group increasingly make up significant proportions of what we call “the news.” Surveys and polls from private pollsters and researchers highlight many consumer interactions with sponsoring businesses, banks and other organizations. The resulting reports and releases are picked up by media and broadcast in all formats. This statistical outpouring could lead you to believe that there is someone who knows what you should be doing, someone to follow, someone who can put you on autopilot toward a successful future.

The truth is no one knows what’s coming next, so there's lots of room to be creative. In this never-before-time-in-history, experience with past situations and norms may not be helpful. They might even distract you from the full range of choices open to you.

Defining your own fresh path to the future can be a daunting task. Sometimes taking a close look at what others are doing brings personal likes and dislikes, preferences and dreams into focus.

Statistics Canada continues to release research on what Canadians are actually doing, based on 2006 Census data and more recent studies. Those serious about exploring new possibilites may benefit from learning which patterns already exist. Free online access to releases, studies, articles and reports from Statistics Canada, most of them in very readable plain language, makes this easy: www.statcan.gc.ca.

Reading one or two articles or studies at source, rather than catching a statistical snippet in the news, may seem like too much work in an already busy life. However, discovering the best road to the future for you, your family and your community will not be as simple as following others. The more you invest in understanding the patterns of life around you, the more control you will have over your own.

We are now struggling to undo much of the economic, social and environmental damage that accumulated over the past decades as the result of short-term decision making. As The Age Wave rolls on, will it continue to over-tax and over-whelm services, systems, standards and individuals as it has in the past? Will we learn to anticipate the impact and make improvements in advance of the Wave? The future may not offer us the same “redo” opportunities we are grasping at today.

For details on PJ's Continuing Education Professional Development Programs