Turning 60 – Stuck in between

In many ways turning 60 is like turning 20. You are stuck in between. You are not a kid and yet not really grown up. It is a time of decisions. What kind of life do I want? Whit kind of career? Should I go to school or get a job? Where do I want to live? At 20 you know you should be thinking about these things and yet what you really want to think about is relationships and maybe what will you do this next Saturday.

60 is like 20

Being 60 is sort of the same. You are probably not retired, but yet you are probably not thinking as much about climbing the career ladder anymore. You know you need to think about your financial future. You know you need to think about what you will do with the rest of your life and even where you want to live. However you still very much have the responsibilities of a job and concerns about your family. Yes, 60 is like 20, except with a few more aches and pains!

And then of course there is the pure shock. How the hell could you be 60! The twenties took forever. The thirties and forties were kind of a blur because of long career hours and maybe raising a family. The fifties were still kind of busy and you just generally ignored the passage of time. But now you are 60 and suddenly life doesn’t seem so much like it will last forever.

Shock!

For many of us your career could provide another shock. Some experience a layoff out of the blue and find that nobody wants to hire a 60 year old. Others may fear a layoff with that realization that recovering from one will be very difficult. Even if you have a job and are at the highest salary of your life you may feel that your company is kind of putting you out to pasture, taking you less seriously and giving the prime projects to younger folks.

Maybe it is time for a little life review. Chances are you now realize you won’t be a billionaire! But maybe that’s OK.

What went right?

Probably a lot went right. Now is time to list a few of the highlights. Doing so will give you confidence that a lot more is going to go right in the years to come.

What went wrong?

It is good to acknowledge some things that didn’t go as planned. Just don’t dwell on them. Consider them the attaining of wisdom! Useful so that you don’t make the same exact mistakes, but not for much else. Time to move on.

What’s the bucket list look like?

Have some things you would still like to do? Make a real bucket list. Maybe climbing Mont Everest is off the list (or maybe not – there is that Japanese guy that did it at 80!)

Making Plans

It is time to at least start thinking about what you want to do with the rest of your life. Just like at 20 these plans may change but its time to get them out there and try them on for size.
Start making some general plans and experiment to see what feels right. Don’t forget your significant other at this stage. Hopefully you both have some of the same ideas, and maybe some compromises may be needed.

More about the planning process in future posts! Until next time…