Louise Hay started a publishing house when she was 60: Hay House, which is now an incredibly successful business.
But this isn’t a one off.
Jo McKee, founder of Earn Money in Retirement, looked back on her own fears at 38 when she decided to start up again – worrying that she was just “too old to retrain”. It was during this time that she read an article about a woman who took up marathon running in her 60s. Which made Jo realize that the 20 years between her and this 60 year old was plenty of time.
The fact is: life doesn’t end at 50, 60, or up. In fact, now’s your time to imagine something completely new for yourself, whether that requires a complete upheaval or just subtle steps to invest in yourself.
If you’ve been considering taking a bet on yourself and reinventing your life, we’ve got everything you need. Plus – the real life stories of people who did the exact same for themselves, successfully!
Because age really is just a number, if you’re willing to do the work.
People who reinvented themselves at 50 and over
Lousie Hay is known as one of the pillars of the modern self-help movement. Her own personal philosophy was forged from a troubled early life, capped by her most profound challenge – healing herself from cancer through the power of her mind.
As she wrote, “Every thought we think is creating our future.”
Louise initially self published her own self-help books on how to heal your body and life, both of which became international bestsellers. But she turned to Hay House in 1987 as a way for Lousie to help other authors publish transformational books and audio programs. Today, Hay House is one of the largest independently owned mind-body-spirit and transformational enterprises in the world.
And we’re serious when we say this amazing transformation happens more often than you’d think…
- Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the Little House series of children’s books, didn’t begin writing until she was 65 years old. The stories were based on her childhood and were wildly successful. She went on to publish eight books in the series, and this same series went on to form the basis for the popular television series, Little House on the Prairie.
- Ray Kroc became the McDonald’s owner at the ripe age of 59. He bought his first McDonald’s restaurant from the brothers then, and went on to lead it into a global franchise and the world’s most successful fast-food corporations. It made him a millionaire in his lifetime!
- Momofuku Ando is an investor and businessman made famous for inventing instant noodles. But guess how old he was when he first invented it? 50 years exactly! With his invention, he created the highly successful brands Top Ramen and Cup Noodles.
- Harland Sanders, better known as Colonel Sanders, was 62 years old when he first franchised KFC. He sold the business (and his recipe) for $2 million dollars at the age of 74, and he’s still a household name to this day.
- Peter Mark Roget wrote Roget’s Thesaurus and was 73 years old when it was first published. It’s since become the most widely used English language thesaurus with new additions still being published with his original classifications.
That’s just a handful! There’s a number of different individuals that have completely turned their lives around at 50, 60, and even 70, and saw success in their lifetime.
In all these examples, all it took was taking a bet on a skill, working hard, and watching the success come!
What to consider when reinventing yourself
When it comes to taking advantage of your age and experience to invent yourself at 50, 60 and over, it’s a good idea to do some planning to help you get the best out of your experience.
One of the main things to consider are the skills you may have used in your workplace.
For example, if you handled bookkeeping in your job at one time or another, you could actually build a funnel for it and make it a business. If you want excellent training on how to price your services as an independent bookkeeper, look at the training offered by the fabulous Mel Power.
If you handled Facebook ads management through your time as a marketer, you could start up a funnel for this. (Or click through that link and learn how!)
It’s all about working with the skills you’ve gained. And it’s not just the obvious ones either.
It may sound daunting at first, as you may need to figure out what you want, but taking the time to find clarity on where you’re going from here will make a major difference. Don’t hesitate looking into new roles that always caught your fancy, or taking on a new cause that you’ve always felt passionate about either.
If it fills you with joy – there’s a big chance you’ll have a special knack for it!
Steps to starting over and reinventing life at 50, 60, and up!
- Accept the change of priorities
It’s important to embrace change and be willing to adapt as you reinvent your life in the first place. You may need to let go of old habits or relationships that no longer serve you, and be more open to new experiences and opportunities than the ones you’re used to.
Remember that as you near your 60’s, your life is likely starting to slow down. Health issues make it hard to work long hours, your children are likely full grown, and you have a home that’s a lot closer to being paid off than when you started.
This means you can start to trade long hours and stressful work situations for a more flexible schedule that offers more leisure time. It’s all about preparing for the mental and financial challenges you’re likely to face, and working around them.
- Understand the psychological challenges
Any major life change comes with its range of psychological challenges. Heck, even moving house has been proven to be one of the leading causes of depression. So when we decide to make a big change in our lives at 50 and up, there are some very specific challenges to be aware of. These include anxiety and depression. It’s a good idea to find a comfortable and healthy routine, and to monitor your symptoms for anything that may stand out as potential dangers.
Maybe a big part of reinventing your life could be incorporating therapy into your weekly/fortnightly/monthly routine!
- Deal with the financial challenges
When it comes to reinventing yourself at 50+, you may find yourself needing to come to terms with a different relationship between you and money. Whether retiring, changing careers, or starting your own business, there’s a big chance your income will take a hit.
The best thing you can do is anticipate and plan for these changes so you don’t get blindsided.
Here’s a few tips to help you do that:
- Pay off your debts (including your house!)
- Make a budget
- Examine and re-adjust your investment portfolio
- Re-examine your insurance needs
- Consider becoming an entrepreneur (being your own boss will give you a solo stream that lets you reap all the profits!)
- Get a part time job for more than just money – if you have a hobby you can make a tiny bit of cash on from even one day a week, it can be a great way to enjoy your hobby … free of charge!
- Set achievable goals
It all starts with a single step. Start setting goals for the things you want in your new life, and then break them down into even smaller goals. By setting achievable goals, you won’t overwhelm yourself, and yet you will have something to encourage you to move forward.
The fact is that life really doesn’t end in the later chapters of life, or after 30 for that matter. There’s a number of different individuals who have bet on themselves in their later years and discovered unimaginable success.
If you’re considering making now your chance to reinvent yourself, no matter where you are in life, there’s really nothing stopping you other than your own limiting beliefs. Your income may be limited, your assets may be small, but if you can break it all down to small and simple steps and work hard, you’ll be surprised where you end up.
