(Cont'd)

I’ve often heard people, especially women, comment on the sense of liberation that occurs when we hit that “50 years old” milestone. No longer are we so concerned about what others think. We feel more confident in our approach to life and place more priority on our own happiness.

I am reminded about a comment made by my good friend, Cheryl, a couple of years ago. She was the lucky recipient of a lucrative severance package after having worked for a couple of decades in very senior positions in commercial real estate development with a major insurance and investment firm. Cheryl was in her late forties when she was laid off and the severance package she received allowed her the leisure of taking her time to really evaluate her life and her priorities.

She knew she would continue to work for a number of years, but her mindset was “I want to do what I want to do”. She took the time to assess what she wanted her life to be about and decided that she would use her well-honed skills, knowledge and passions in a way that ‘gave something back’ to her community. She realized that she had been blessed with many opportunities during her career and wanted to use that blessing to do more than just make money. She now heads up her city’s economic redevelopment efforts, revitalizing neighborhoods populated by lower income and primarily minority residents and business owners.

So where are you on the road to retirement? Do you have your financial nest egg in order or will the bulk of your income come from post-retirement work? Are you waiting to escape a job that you hate or do you love what you do and just want to continue? Are you attending to your health so that you can face your ‘golden years’ with the maximum amount of mental and physical strength and vitality? Is travel and leisure important to you or are you interested in launching a new entrepreneurial venture?

Many baby boomers are beginning to ask themselves these just these questions. In their book, Too Young to Retire, Howard & Marika Stone offer a number of useful tips. “Revitalize your energy by finding a community of people who embrace growth and change and find ways to help and support each other. Don’t get stuck with the ‘been there, done that’ crowd. Rekindle your spirit for risk taking”. They quote Miles Davis saying, “Do not fear mistakes. There are none.”

One of my fundamental beliefs is that we all have more options than we generally see and more control that we tend to take. So my challenge to you is to open yourself up to new options and live your best life possible now. Believing you can, and deserve to, “have it all” is the first step to receiving it. Give up the blame game and instead, get in the game. Shed any thoughts of being victimized by your circumstances, even if they’re bad, and start designing the life you dream of. It’s only too late when you’ve stopped breathing.