You will find the answer to that question further down in this article, but first let's talk about major concerns in the labour market. Mental ill health is on the rise. And rising. What could be the reason for this?

One major reason is that many people have performance-based self-esteem, i.e. they define themselves by their achievements. You have to be good. Preferably as good as everyone else. You will never succeed in this. It is impossible, if you think about it. For example, if you are in a room with 20 other people, you cannot possibly be as good as all  the other nineteen... 

For a while, that was my goal. To kind of max it out. It sounded good... Now I'm 79, but I prefer the format 7.9 ;-) My goal has now changed – it makes more sense, I think...

When I turned 70, I was careful about talking about my age. I thought there was a risk that some people would skip me, so I wouldn't be able to continue running my business... After a while, I thought that was cowardly, so I started saying 7-0. It sounds sharper. After a few weeks, a younger consultant colleague said: “Rolf, you're not 7-0. You're 7 point 0.” I thought that was much better, so I adopted it. Now I've developed it further... It now means that my two sincere sons decide annually whether I can upgrade...

Bubble jumping is one of the words on the list of new Swedish words for 2023. The concept involves consciously changing your environment to get out of your own “bubble” and gain new perspectives and knowledge. Bubble jumping was coined by USA engineer Max Hawkins in response to computer programs that, based on previous experiences, could predict where he would be, who he would meet, and what he would do during a day.

When I had my 70th birthday it was the first time in my life, I hesitated to tell my age. In my mind I feared I would be defined as old and useless… After a while, because I am an incredibly positive person, I said to myself: I am 7 – 0.

But if you are depressed, what do you do? Try hard to get hope. Make sure you are rested. Do what you enjoy. Meet inspiring people. Do things that you know others appreciate... And the like...