Unleashing a Fearless New Purpose After 60s, 70s, and Beyond
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Society often expects us to slow down as we age, but I believe this is the perfect time to embrace a fearless approach to life. It’s time we redefine what it means to age—focusing on living with purpose and embracing new possibilities after 60.
Are we preprogrammed to fall in line with our societal and cultural patterns, living a cookie-cutter life—education, employment, retirement, slow down? Boom!
What about purpose, passion, and possibilities?
These patterns certainly influenced me, and I can’t recall being taught in any classroom how to write my own paycheck or create anything that led to self-sufficiency. Growing up was devoid of encouragement in this direction. My brain circuitry began hard-wiring into a negative network, except for occasional sparks of what I now call enlightenment. I’ve decided to disconnect the hard wires and plug them into positive outlets.
Personal Insight
If you’ve visited my About page, you already know what I think about retirement. Retirement from your old job or a job you didn’t like—YES! Hooray! Most of us couldn’t wait for that day. But when that day comes, we sometimes become complacent. TV and snacking become the main event.
So, what do we do about it?
Neuroplasticity: Neuroplasticity is analogous to turning on the hose to water your garden. If you don’t want your cabbage to wilt and die, you need to give it a drink, pluck out the weeds, and unclog its space to grow.
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections. This means it’s never too late to learn new skills or change old habits, which is crucial for maintaining cognitive health as we age.
Time to Water the Garden
Couch rooting and gluing myself to the tube is not in my portfolio. I watch a few shows on my favorite news channel and maybe a movie on Saturday nights. That’s the extent of it. I’m not excited to be entertained 24/7. I’m not interested in being pulled into reality TV, daytime commentary, and soap operas (do they still exist?).
I took to the streets of learning. Udemy became my sidekick.
I took 53 courses on Udemy, a copywriting course from an excellent copywriter, and a proofreading course I ran across online. Browse courses on Udemy and find something that sparks your interest too. I gave copywriting and proofreading a go but nowadays, Grammarly does a good job of proofing.
Copywriting is deep and involved, and while I love it, aggressive hustling isn’t for me. And I think AI (artificial intelligence) will consume that career sooner rather than later. That left me wondering, what’s next for me?
One day, I ran across an excellent course on WordPress and blogging on Udemy. I learned how to set up a WordPress site, use it, and then use a WordPress theme.
I had no idea what I was doing and nearly gave up twice, but my brain said, “Remember the negative hard wiring. Don’t unravel.” But it was a learning experience, filled with its share of problems and frustration.
So here I am, and I feel good about it. So, let’s explore how to cultivate a fearless mindset and unleash a new purpose at any age.
The Power of Purpose
Redefining Aging
Traditional views on aging are outdated and replaced by finding purpose. We crave meaning and a reason to shower and change our clothes every day, aside from the fact that we may repel people if we don’t. Start by doing that—get in the shower, make the water a little chilly, and change your clothes. Then, go out the door and take a walk. Okay, this may be an exaggeration and not quite where you are on your path, but it’s a subtle trip.
Every step forward empowers you because you’re taking action.
The Benefits of a Purpose-Driven Life
Not everyone’s purpose is the same and changes with age and circumstance. But if you can find one, you can live a longer and healthier life. I’m not talking about a life where you spend your last 5-10 years fighting off an illness, lying supine in bed. We want to avoid that by staying active and eating a healthy diet. I’m talking about a vital, sassy life.
Real-Life Example
I’ll use my Ma as an example. Yes, we called her ‘Ma.’ Ma’s purpose was strikingly different than mine. She raised six kids, worked out in the woods with my dad (my dad was a logger), grew a garden, cooked a real meal every day, took us kids to the beach every weekend, and worked her tail off past retirement age. But she thrived on being busy.
Then suddenly, my dad died and left her with a house out in the country, a Jeep, and 68 years of age. She never learned to drive, so the Jeep didn’t do her any good. Ma could’ve just folded up, but she didn’t. Instead, she moved to town.
It took her four years after my dad’s death to reclaim her life, and now her purpose was to have as much damned fun as she pleased.
Ma danced into her 80s, and I mean literally. She went out dancing every weekend with new friends she made, but she did a lot of good in her community, too. Ma passed away on May 14, 2014, at 91 years old, and I believe if she hadn’t broken her hip, she would’ve made it to 100. But we weren’t as savvy about bone health at the time as we are now, and it wasn’t because she fell while dancing!
To her friends, she was Flo, and Flo certainly stayed sassy to the end of this life. She discovered dancing was the love of her life and her new-found purpose.
You can find myriad stories and information online about how finding a purpose leads to a healthier life and less illness, sadness, depression, and disease. But I don’t know anyone personally who impresses me more than Ma.
Her newfound purpose brought joy to her later years and contributed to her overall well-being and longevity, showing that it’s never too late to find what truly makes you come alive.
What Does It Mean to Be Fearless?
- Getting out of your jammies: You know the cliché, “stepping out of your comfort zone.”
- Living authentically: Are you truly a couch potato, or did you give up? What do you love doing?
- Start small by setting daily intentions that align with your true desires, or challenge that inner voice by trying something you’ve always wanted to do but were too afraid to pursue.
- Conquering the voice in your head: “I can’t do that. I don’t know how to do that. Too many people are already doing that.” Who’s saying that? Did you ever listen to yourself?
- Saddling up again: Get back up on the donkey. Donkeys need direction, and so do we, so get your sassy ass back up there! This brings me to the next point…
- Keeping your sense of humor: There’s a time to be serious, but there’s a time for laughter and making fun of ourselves, each other, and life itself.
Time to Unleash Your New Purpose
Okay, so you’re in the last quarter of this extraordinary life. It’s been nostalgic, grateful, joyful, disheartened, hopeful, anxious, or lonely at times, but you don’t want it to be regretful. I found two books compelling.
A friend gave me an intriguing book by Allen Hunt and Matthew Kelly, The Fourth Quarter of Your Life: Embracing What Matters.
One principle from the book is to focus on what truly matters to you at this stage in life—whether that’s relationships, personal growth, or giving back to the community.
Here are some other key ideas from the book that can help guide you in embracing what matters most:
- Living the fourth quarter based on proven life principles
- Clearly establishing meaning and direction for your life
- Developing the clarity necessary to make good decisions
- Identifying hopes and dreams
- Establishing what you need and want most at this time in your life
- Learning to say no
Again, numerous websites, books, videos, and podcasts are out there to locate information on finding purpose in life. I know because I searched. I found the same advice and information regurgitated from one site to the next.
So shuffling through my old books, I came across The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. I bought this book a couple of decades ago and reread it. I find it more relevant to this day.
It doesn’t matter if you’re spiritual, nonspiritual, or belong to a particular religion, The Purpose Drive Life will resonate with you as it did for me.
What drives you?
Many people are driven by:
- Guilt
- Fear
- Materialism
- Need for approval
Which all lead to a dead end, Rick Warren says. The benefits of a purpose-driven life will bring meaning and simplify your life.
Start by mentally listing what you’re good at and where you lack abilities. Ask friends, relatives, and co-workers what they think you’re good at.
But, the best way to discover your abilities, interests, or what drives you is to start—do something—experiment. When you unearth your thing, immerse yourself in it.
Rick Warren urges us to try different things, no matter how old. He knew people who discovered their abilities, gifts, or talents in their 70s and 80s. He knew a woman who ran and won races in her 90s.
But first, consider your traits:
- What’s your personality type?
- Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
- Do you find yourself in deep thought much of the time?
- Are you the sensitive type?
- What are you doing when you’re unaware of the time?
- How are you wired?
- Are you competitive or not?
- Do you like to work alone or not?
Just start something. Experiment, learn, and create.
Enlist a Support Network
Tell only the people you think will support you in your endeavor—keep silent to the naysayers.
Let’s eliminate the term ‘the elderly’ and redefine the concept!
I encourage you to stay sharp and sassy!
You will never know what you’re good at until you try. If it doesn’t work out, call it an ‘experiment,’ not a failure. —Rick Warren
Start today by taking one small step towards discovering or reigniting your purpose. Remember, it’s never too late to live a life full of meaning and joy.