Transition to 60

by | Career, Turning 60

Transition to 60 is different to transition to 50.

Back when I turned 50, I got into travel. I had 3 big holidays, and these were a major change from the standard all-inclusive beach holidays to proper adventures. The Christmas before and after my birthday I went on small group back packing holidays with Intrepid to Northern India (Slowly down the Ganges) and Southern India. For my birthday I went on a camping safari in Namibia. These were low-cost holidays, they needed to be, to do 3 big holidays in a year and exactly what I wanted. More about experiencing the new than luxury and drinking.

I had also lost weight, and whilst not slim, I had lost well over 6 stone.

Work was good, as a consultant/career psychologist I had a good number of private clients along with consultancy. I also appeared on TV as the featured career coach for Tonight (with Trevor Macdonald) and this led to the first of 6 career books.

Work was important to me, I enjoyed it, got a lot of satisfaction from it, and worked hard. I prioritised my work over other things.

When I turned 60, I again had 3 holidays. By now we had more money and I had 2 long haul holidays with business class travel. So, 8 weeks in Australia with NYE in Sydney, on a small boat in the harbour. The end of my birthday year was a month away including a small ship adventure in the Indian Ocean with hiking in Madegascar and swimming on deserted beaches in the outer Seychelles reached by zodiacs. My birthday was spent in Croatia on a small boat cruise. It was a big expense, but the mortgage was paid off and my philosophy was to do things now when you have your health.

Transition to 60 has affected me more than 10 years ago.

Transition to 60 and I am still healthy although I have had some health setbacks – I had a DVT 4 years ago. I can no longer do everything I did at the gym no more walking lunges and dead lifts. But I have learnt to dance and am stronger at hill walking and can swim a kilometre maybe slow, but I can keep going.

I still enjoy working and I am more confident in my work. I no longer chase every opportunity, nor accept every request to contribute to an article to raise my profile. I work less, but more effectively with the confidence I can say no.

I am also making changes with the creation of a mini site www.the50pluscoach.co.uk and consideration of a PhD focused on ageing, and a new book on rethinking retirement.

I have a better relationship with my mum. She is now 85 and I want to make sure we do good things together, so I have good memories, and do nice things with her so that she is happy with her life.

I am more accepting of my weight gain, I still weigh less than I did 10 years ago, but it is heavier than I want. I still want to lose 20 pounds, but that will do, no point in aiming to be back to a size 12 when the effort of staying at that weight will be too much. I do enjoy food! But the weight is harder to lose, and it’s frustrating when I have many items of clothing I can no longer fit in.

Transition to 60 and I am now aware of my mortality.

Whilst still in good health and enjoying work I also look to the future. I always have, always thought about life 20 years ahead. If I look to the future, I want to be happy with the life I have.

So, it led to a change.

I now live alone, my husband and I have said thanks for the life we had but gone our separate ways. It’s a big change and I am transitioning.

I could have stayed, but part of who I am is being authentic and I wasn’t being authentic by settling. I’ve now got more interests, and made new friends, my life is more active and fun. I have things to look forward to, and people to chat with.

There is also the uncertainty of how my life will turn out but that’s part of the process. I like these quotes

I’d rather regret the things I’ve done, than regret the things I haven’t done – Lucille Ball

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. Mark Twain

I think these next 10 years will be good years. I’m taking time to rediscover who I am and to create a life that’s right for me.

So many things I could do, and it would be easy to rush into decisions. But the best thing to do is to take my time and enjoy the journey.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the transition to 60, and feel free to add comments below.

Related Posts
Turning 60

20 benefits to getting older

Reduced fear of failure: With age, we often become more resilient and less afraid of taking risks or trying new...
Read More
Self-Understanding

We should act from compassion

There is something about spending time with Buddhist teachers; they radiate calmness and happiness.  I always feel more at peace....
Read More
Money Retirement

Getting your state pension

Early May, about 4 months before I reach my 66th birthday I received a letter, inviting me to claim for...
Read More
Inspiration Retirement Self-Understanding

Letting go ….

Do we need all our possessions? When we travel – do we travel light? We spend a lifetime collecting possessions....
Read More
Elderhood Longer Term

Life at 80 – how AI will change our future

Let's imagine my future. In less than 15 years I'll be 80! Introduction In the year 2038, as you turn...
Read More
Health & Wellbeing

Improving Health Span: The Key to a Long and Healthy Life

As I review the health chapter of my forthcoming book, I was reminded about the difference between health span and...
Read More
Retirement

The Mental Health Benefits of Working Beyond Retirement Age

Retirement is often associated with a well-deserved break from work and a chance to enjoy leisure time. However, research suggests...
Read More
Positive Ageing

Positive Ageing

Positive ageing is “the process of maintaining a positive attitude, feeling good about yourself, keeping fit and healthy, and engaging...
Read More
Retirement Self-Understanding

What is a meaningful life?

A meaningful life can be defined as a life that has a sense of purpose, fulfilment, and significance. It is...
Read More
Elderhood Retirement

On turning 90

My mum has recently turned 90, she is now old-old. She is still living independently with the help of carers...
Read More
Ageism Health & Wellbeing Retirement

Stay engaged and involved to increase your well-being

Research from the Sloan Centre on Aging & Work at Boston College has found that when older adults are actively engaged in...
Read More
Retirement

Do we need to stay working to maintain strong mental health?

I regularly read academic papers to ensure there is an evidence base to the work I do with my clients...
Read More
Inspiration

What makes you feel alive?

I’m just back from a 4 day music festival, the first for 3 years, Bearded Theory in Derbyshire. I was...
Read More
Inspiration Self-Understanding

Featured in the Daily Mail

There's a section, written by me, in the Daily Mail today, Thursday 12 May  - all about how to do...
Read More
Inspiration

The Deferred life plan

Life is for living; you don’t want to defer it until you are retired. I hadn’t realised that I was...
Read More
Retirement

When should we retire?

It was so much easier in years gone by. Most people retired at 60 or 65. So you had a...
Read More
Career

How to change your mindset to get a job in your 50s or 60s

Writing about retirement, I also need to consider ageing, we are getting older, and also work, people may want or...
Read More
Retirement Turning 60

7 great things about getting older

We can’t separate out ageing from retirement, we are getting older and moving into a different life phase. When young...
Read More
Health & Wellbeing Retirement

Glass half full – you will probably live longer

As we think about retirement, we also think about getting older. Whilst it would be nice to live to a...
Read More
Retirement

Retirement as a Rite of Passage

There is a need to mark important transitions in life, retirement being a major one.  It used to be a party...
Read More

Let’s start to get to know each other.

I’d love to send you a series of articles to get you thinking of your wider life. You will also receive my mid-week 50+ update and the Amazing People newsletter.
Denise Taylor

Chief Inspiration Officer, The 50 Plus Coach.