Age of Alchemy
Older women finding new life in their Age of Alchemy.
Living an “outrageous” life in your encore years.
Aging gracefully does not mean going easily into the dark night.
It means releasing your old life and what no longer serves you, so that you can create gold in your golden years.
For some people, this means retiring from their careers and business, rather than holding on to the bitter end - just because they think it keeps them relevant.
What is this “Aging Out” Nonsense?
You may or may not have aged out of your current job. And by that, I mean OTHER people decided you were too old.
The heck with them.
Now you now create the life you want - you have all your years of experience, and your connections, all your resources
It's time to take your genius and make it into something new: a new business or a new job, a new volunteer opportunity, a new book, a new piece of art.
Let someone younger than you take over where you left off - let them deal with the hassles and the headaches and the politics and the bullcrap.
Start something new!
Just got laid off? Then it’s time for a new adventure. Travel somewhere. Write something new. Paint something new. Learn to paint!
Alchemy is about transforming base elements into gold.
What base elements can you transform in your golden years?
What have you not done in your life because you didn't have the time or money or resources, or had to be responsible to someone else?
Time Is Magical!
Take your most precious commodity--time--and transform it into something magical.
Most people think: When I retire, I'll travel more, play more golf, learn to fly, fish, spend more time with my family, write a book, learn to paint.
Think about what you tell yourself.
Think about what you tell yourself you will do when you retire.
Why not start doing it now? Sure you don't have all the time to fully devote yourself to your new hobby or lifestyle, but can't you start right now?
Can't you start writing your book in the evenings and mornings? Doing volunteer work? Can't you plan a trip to visit your kids, or Bora Bora? Can't you take golf lessons or hire a student to come in and teach you guitar? Why wait? You might not have all the time right now, but chances are you have some free time.
The one thing that most overwhelms the newly retired is the great huge expanse of time they suddenly have on their hands. Even though that's what they've been desiring, and dreaming about, once they have it, it's a bit of a slap in the face.
All this unstructured time! What do you do now?
It's a strange dichotomy, because when we retire or are at a retirement age--time is our most precious commodity. We know there’s an end date. And yet, once we are no longer caught in the daily grind of a 9-5 or of running a business 24/7, suddenly all we have is time and we stop appreciating it.
Instead we waste it by watching the shopping channel or binge watching Netflix or playing solitaire on our computers.
Or going back to a JOB!
(We recently hired a man who had just sold a very successful business and now he's probably working harder for us than he was before. Because he was bored. )
Start Now
I suggest building your itinerary now.
After you go on the cruise, and visit your grandchildren, and play a few rounds of golf, then what?
While you will feel that you have nothing but time, please don't forget it's your most precious commodity.
Start creating your days and your life now.
I’m not talking about just your financial plan - start creating your actual life plan, so that when you do step out of your last day of work, you step into a bright, exciting and fulfilling future.
New chapter: Retirement and your parents.
Not all of us have our parents by the time we retire.
Many of us will have lost them to death or dementia.
But a few lucky people will still have healthy parents by the time they retire. This is a golden opportunity for you to spend time with them. Learn from them. Ask them questions. Record their stories for your children. Go on trips together. Visit them, have them visit you. Learn something new from or about them. Make the most of your mutual encore years. Cook a meal together. Do some art together. Enjoy life.
Homework:
Make a list of what you loved to do as a child.
Make a list of what you thought you might do when you grew up.
Make a list of things you'd like to do creatively.
Don't worry about how realistic these lists are. Think outside the box. Did you want to be a trapeze artist? A sculptor? A painter? President? A cowboy? An astronaut?
The thing about retirement is that you have time. Time to explore the dreams that you had until life and obligation took over. You have the time to honor those dreams.
Did you want to be a cowboy? Well, even if you don't have the resources to buy a ranch and horses, you could definitely book a trail ride, or maybe book some time at a dude ranch. You could also see if there is a horse therapy center nearby that needs volunteers.
Did you want to be a dancer? Find a local Zumba or Nia dance class. Or take weekly dance classes. Learn to tango. Learn to bellydance (That’s on my roster!)
Did you want to be an astronaut? Visit Houston and NASA. See where astronauts might be speaking locally. Volunteer at space camp.
Did you want to be an artist? Take a sculpting class. Take your kids to wine and painting classes. Find local artisans and learn to weave, sew, draw, paint, throw pots.
The Artist’s Way
Read The Artist's Way and commit to 12 weeks of letting your inner artist out.
By the way--each time I have done The Artist's Way it has birthed a book. Including my latest one: 101 Ways to Rock Change.
Did you want to be a pilot? Take flying lessons. Or volunteer at a Young Eagles program. If there is something that you wanted to do when you grew up--now's the time! There are lessons or volunteer opportunities or experiences for just about everything now. Learn to sail--get your captain's license. Take a law degree online. Start writing. Join Toastmasters.
Get an Education
Did you want to get a University degree, but never did? There are free universities online. Join LinkedIn Learning--you can take unlimited classes for about $24 a month. If you have financial restrictions, there are still so many things that you can do for free or by volunteering. Heck--you might even get paid to do a version of what you wanted to do when you grew up.
Go For It!
Chances are when you were younger you took risks. Chances are you felt a desire to learn something, try something, do something, and you did it.
But then you got a job, a spouse, a house, a family. You got responsible and stopped going after your dreams. Maybe you thought they were too frivolous or too dangerous or too impulsive or too expensive, and that you, a responsible adult, would be foolish to pursue them.
When you were young you probably went for it. Whatever it was. There was blind strength in believing in yourself... Your belief in what you desired must be stronger than the doubts before you. Your creative expression wants you to expand. Be bold.
Abdicating your Vision for comfort and approval
Where have you abdicated your vision in order to have comfort and approval? What did it cost you? What dreams did you have that you gave up on? Did you want to learn to drive race cars? Did you want to pursue a career in dance? Did you want to be an artist? A writer? Did you want to travel the world with only a backpack? Did you want to climb Kilimanjaro?
A few years ago I saw Erik Weinonmayer speak, and it’s really stuck with me.
He's blind.
But do you think that kept him from having an amazing speaking career and life? No.
In 2001, Erik and his team summited Mount Everest. He was the first blind person to do so--and his team and other climbers that day--19 of them--won the world record.
Erik beat the Lava Rapids not one time, but twice.
He lives a life of No Barriers.
My father was 92 the last time he flew his hang glider. He was 93 the last time he flew his ultralight. He was 94 the last time he went kayaking (alone) and our last bike ride together was when he was 95. He passed away at 96.
Be like Otto!
Aging without growing old!
What about you? Now that you are moving towards retirement, what are you going to do to make life truly grand? What dreams did you suppress that you can uncover and bring to light and nourish again?
That's the thing about dreams... You can try to quash them, to cover them up, to bury them deep and suppress them, but the second you start to dream again they break through, and with the light and nourishment of your belief, can grow and thrive.
Why not learn to race a new car? Climb El Capitan? Fly a hang glider a hundred miles? Learn to tango?
What have you truly dreamed and desired and never done? Find a way!
Think you are too old? Not in the physical shape to explore your dream of running the Boston Marathon? Start training.
In Conclusion (but not the end)
Aging with grace and audacity is a journey - not a destination.
I want to leave you with a final thought: our golden or encore years are not just a phase of life; they are an opportunity for profound transformation and joy. This isn't about fading quietly into the background; it's about stepping boldly into a new, vibrant chapter.
I've always believed that aging should be an adventure, a time to shed the constraints of our earlier years and embrace the freedom to pursue our deepest passions. Whether it's launching a new venture, picking up a paintbrush, or writing the first chapter of that book we've always wanted to write, now is the time. We've earned this moment to redefine ourselves, to take all our experiences, wisdom, and dreams, and weave them into something new and exciting.
Remember, we don't have to wait for retirement to start living our dreams. We can start right now, in small steps or big leaps. Why put off writing that book, planning that trip, or learning that new skill? We might not have all the time in the world, but we certainly have the present moment. And it's in these moments that the magic happens.
Let's make a pact to approach our golden years with the spirit of alchemists, transforming each day into something precious and extraordinary. Let's not just add years to our life, but life to our years, making them outrageously golden.
After all, this is our time to shine, to live out loud, to create a legacy that's as unique and remarkable as we are. Let's make it count!
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