Tips for Finding Your Purpose Later in Life
If you are entering midlife and/or menopause or getting close to retiring, you might think you’ve missed the boat on finding purpose in your life. The truth is you’re probably in a better position than ever really to work out what matters, and what you want out of life. And even better, you’re likely to have all the skills you need to focus on your life’s purpose and go for it!
Here are some tips to get you started.
1. Set your mindset
The first thing to do is to declutter your mind of all the preconceptions others have put there about what is and isn’t possible. No matter what your age, you can always choose to make your life different.
Society tends to bundle anyone over a certain age into the same 'box', stay-at-home, cautious slot but you certainly don’t have to accept that. Warren Buffett, at eighty-eight years old, was still one of the most successful business people. Picasso didn’t retire into 'old age' but painted until he dropped aged ninety-two. Look around you and see that some of the most energetic, passionate people are older than the conventional retirement age.
2. Work out your heart’s desire
Do some work really to find out what you want. Take the money and social expectations out of the equation and dream big. Do you want to sail around the world? Lead art tours of Europe? Branch out into art or writing or wellness? Become a yoga teacher. Learn an instrument or join a choir. Do some brainstorming and work out what makes your heart sing.
3. Plan and strategize
Approach this as you have many times before as a project. That is good advice for anyone, but the advantage of age and experience is that you know what to do. Having worked out your big goal, sit down and work out what you need to get there.
What skills do you already have? What training or courses might you need? Whether it’s writing that novel or retraining for a new career, take the time to plot out a plan of action and a timeframe. Set some milestones and allocate resources and you’re off!
No matter what your age, taking the time to sit back and find your life’s purpose has been shown to have real benefits for people’s mental and physical health. Purposeful adults live longer and healthier lives and deal better with stress, whether it’s a career change, a new passion, or sharing your life skills through volunteering.
About Anne
Anne, a mother of 2 and grandmother of 3, shares her insights about health through Menopause & Beyond Menopause. She does this by sharing pearls of wisdom collected in her 72 years of living and working with clients since 1999. She deepens her knowledge by reading, researching and learning as much information on the physical and mental aspects of menopause to help you through your journey with these changes in life!