Taye Diggs: “My Next Chapter Is About Growth”

How has that shifted your perspective on what matters most?

There are times when I want to garden, and then there are times when I want to jump out of an airplane. What’s great is that with either one of those things I know that I’m doing it because I want to do them, as opposed to thinking I should be, or having someone else pay me to do it, or having someone else tell me to.

When you’re at our stage, we’ve lived enough. I’ve made enough mistakes to gain this confidence. There’s not as much fear. We know what we want at this point or know what we don’t want. And that gives us ease and confidence about moving forward.

What are you passionate about now that you weren’t 10 or 20 years ago?

I never thought I’d want to be home as much as I want to now. When you’re younger, you like to travel. It means you’re working, and you like to stay busy. I just didn’t know — I like to do nothing sometimes. And I swore to God that I would never be that person. Back then, even that was fear-based, because I thought, If I’m lying around being lazy, someone is going to pass me up. Now I know that that’s not necessarily the case.

Were there any financial missteps or turning points that shaped your approach to money?

I’m still learning, but I think I have things under control. I’ve experienced all the bad stuff; that’s why I say I’m still learning. [My advice] for those of you that can feel me: You just have to figure out a way to get over that and find somebody that you trust to look over things, because it’s a necessity.

How do you define your legacy at this stage in your life?

I leave that to someone else. I just try to focus on doing my best and doing work that, if it lasts, I will still be proud of.. I want to help people. If anything I do can help people in entertainment, I think that happens on its own. I have to try to be as authentic as possible. That’s what keeps me straight as an arrow.

At AARP, we celebrate people who are challenging outdated assumptions about aging. What does that look like for you?

When I was in my 20s, I thought I’d retire when I was 50. To me, 50 seemed so old that I didn’t think I’d care about it. I was like, I’m not going to go to the gym. I’ll probably just sit and eat and watch my grandkids. It was a whole different thing. When we were growing up, 50 looked different. I thought it was the beginning of the end.

What does it mean to you to live your best life in your 50s and beyond?

I want to make sure I’m changing, learning and growing, because for a lot of my 20s and 30s, I was adapting, reacting or running away. I was jumping in before everybody else or wondering why I don’t have it all now, as opposed to focusing on this moment, how I can make the best of it and how I can continue those moments.

What would you say to people who feel like their best years are behind them?

Yes and no. Some of my best years are behind me. I’ll never be able to have a first child. I loved my wedding day, the first gig I got. All of those are really great moments. I know I’ll never live them again — but I want to keep living them.

I thought, at this age, I would be cool with just chilling and remembering. But the more I know, the more I want to apply and use it. I need way more time to make up for some of my stupid decisions.

If you ever considered writing a book for people over 50, what topic would you feel most inspired to explore?

Learning from mistakes. I think everybody can relate, and it’s always interesting and fun and helpful.

To close, finish this sentence: My next chapter is going to be about …

Growth.