7 lessons for a long, happy life from people who had debuts, comebacks, and triumphs in their 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s

Mick Jagger, who recently turned 81, still shimmies and lopes across the stage at concerts. There are a lot more Jaggers out there than you may think.In our book “Roctogenarians: Late in Life Comebacks, Debuts, and Triumphs,” we profile dozens of people from all lines of work and walks of life who rejected the idea that the last third of life is a time for winding things down or clocking out. These are people who see their 60s, 70s, 80s and even 90s as a time of possibility. Older people often find themselves free from the expectations of others, since they care a lot less about what other people think of them than young people do. So they can be emboldened to take on new challenges, discover new talents and return to long-abandoned dreams. We call these late-in-life successes Roctogenarians.Here’s what many of the Roctogenarians whose stories we tell have in common:1. They embrace new possibilitiesFor most of his life, the gas station owner Harland David Sanders operated a single chicken-and-biscuits joint next to his Shell station, just off the highway in Corbin, Kentucky. When a new interstate diverted the motorists who kept him in business, Sanders — who had adopted the ceremonial title of “Kentucky Colonel” — was forced to sell his restaurant for a loss. Instead of giving up, Colonel Sanders embraced the changes sweeping society. At age 66, he began to build a fast-food empire that would make him an American icon and a millionaire many times over. Funded by a monthly Social Security check of $105, he criss-crossed the Bluegrass State with two pressure cookers and a bucket of herbs and spices in the back of his car, convincing restaurants to license his soon-to-be-famous fried chicken recipe. By the time he was 74, there were somewhere around 900 KFC franchises worldwide. Even after he sold his company, he scorned the idea of retirement, staying on as a consultant and board member and embodying his Colonel Sanders persona in commercials and more.2. They persevereEstelle Getty grew up on New York’s Lower East Side dreaming of becoming an actress. For decades, as a middle-class wife, mother and secretary living in Queens, she kept the pilot light on by taking tiny parts in tiny plays with tiny audiences. (If these off-off-Broadway shows were any more off, they’d be performed in the East River.) But after her sons were grown, she finally broke through. At the age of 62, basically 112 in Hollywood years, she made her TV debut as the salty-tongued widow Sophia Petrillo on “The Golden Girls.” “After 50 years in the business,” she quipped, “I’m an overnight success.”3. They view every ending as a beginningWhen the great artist Henri Matisse was in his 70s, intestinal cancer confined him to his bed and deprived him of the ability to paint. Undeterred, he swapped his paintbrushes for a pair of tailor’s scissors and began a remarkable new phase of his career, making enormous “cut-outs” from sheets of brightly colored paper. In adapting to the new realities of his illness, Matisse wasn’t just making accommodations or concessions. He had a creative breakthrough, one that produced some of this genius’s greatest and most beautiful works of art.4. They stay in the gameAlmost right up until his death last winter at the age of 101, the writer-producer Norman Lear was still developing sitcoms, including his 2017 reboot of “One Day at a Time” with fellow Roctogenarian Rita Moreno (still electric, by the way, at age 92). Lear remained engaged in the wider world, actively defending democracy and promoting his progressive brand of patriotism right through his 10th decade. He defied norms and dismissed expectations around aging. If we could just shift our perspective, he said, “people turning 70 and 80 would turn 70 and 80 with a different attitude, like they’re coming into another phase of life as opposed to opening a door to go out of it.”5. They believe in their own storiesBeloved authors Laura Ingalls Wilder and Frank McCourt both waited until their mid-60s to set pen to paper and tell the stories of their distinctive childhoods. Wilder’s “Little House” books, treasured by millions, became an enduring chronicle of family life on the American frontier. McCourt’s “Angela’s Ashes,” a surprise bestseller, poignantly and hilariously documented the poverty of a large, struggling family in Limerick, Ireland. For both authors, the encouragement of loved ones helped them realize that their own personal histories were compelling narratives that others would come to love.6. They believe in loveThe actress Carol Channing left an unhappy marriage at age 77. Four years later, she reconnected with her junior high crush and high school boyfriend, Harry Kullijian.They were soon engaged and then married — the bride was 82 and the groom was 83. The former teenage sweethearts lived happily ever after. 7. They don’t let fear stop themMany, many Roctogenarians are people you’ve likely never heard of, like Norma Frances “Tootsie” Tomanetz, an 89-year-old barbecue pitmaster. Or Yasmeen Lari, an esteemed Pakistani architect who spends her golden years designing sustainable housing for the poor. Or Ed Bray, a World War II veteran who decided at age 89 that it was time for him to learn to read. Ultimately, Roctogenarians are just people. They’re not superhuman, but they share a trait that might be a gift that comes with old age: They succeed because they’re not afraid to fail.Mo Rocca is a correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning, host of the hit “Mobituaries” podcast, and host of “The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation.” Rocca is coauthor of the New York Times bestselling “Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving” and “Roctogenarians: Late in Life Debuts, Comebacks, and Triumphs,” and author of “All the Presidents’ Pets: The Story of One Reporter Who Refused to Roll Over.”Jonathan Greenberg is a professor of English at Montclair State University and the author of two books of literary criticism along with many articles and essays. He is also an Emmy Award–winning screenwriter who has written for children’s shows including “Rugrats,” “Hey Arnold!” and “Arthur.” He is the coauthor of “Mobituaries” and “Roctogenarians.”Want to stop worrying about money? 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Mick Jagger, who recently turned 81, still shimmies and lopes across the stage at concerts. There are a lot more Jaggers out there than you may think. In our book " Roctogenarians: Late in Life Comebacks, Debuts, and Triumphs ," we profile dozens of people from all lines of work and walks of life who rejected the idea that the last third of life is a time for winding things down or clocking out.

These are people who see their 60s, 70s, 80s and even 90s as a time of possibility. Older people often find themselves free from the expectations of others, since they care a lot less about what other people think of them than young people do. So they can be emboldened to take on new challenges, discover new talents and return to long-abandoned dreams.

We call these late-in-life successes Roctogenarians. Here's what many of the Roctogenarians whose stories we tell have in common: For most of his life, the gas station owner Harland David Sanders operated a single chicken-and-biscuits joint next to his Shell station, just off the highway in Corbin, Kentucky. When a new interstate diverted the motorists who kept him in business, Sanders — who had adopted the ceremonial title of "Kentucky Colonel" — was forced to sell his restaurant for a loss.

Instead of giving up, Colonel Sanders embraced the changes sweeping society. At age 66, he began to build a fast-food empire that would make him an American icon and a millionaire many times over. Funded by a monthly Social Security check of $1.