What to do in your 50s

☆ Read “Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life” by Arthur Brooks.

☆ Interview your parents on video.
If you’re blessed to still have your parents, I would recommend you interview them on video. Do you know how valuable this video is now?

☆ Select a younger person and mentor them.

☆ Flip it around, and ask that same younger leader to mentor you.
There’s a lot younger folks can teach us, starting with technology.

☆ Write down 10 lessons you’ve learned in your life.
What would you want your grandchildren to learn from what you’ve learned in life, good and bad? You know a lot more than you think you do. Write it down. It doesn’t have to be well-written. It just needs to be from you.

☆ Work more efficiently so you can live more effectively.
For example, would it be possible to take off every Friday afternoon at Noon for the rest of your career?

☆ Evaluate your life insurance policies.
(And get an annual physical.)

☆ Increase the percentage of money you save and give away with each passing year.

☆ Let go of regrets. We all have them. You did your best with what you knew and with what you have. Let go. Don’t carry regrets into your 60s. This might require some internal work with a therapist.

☆Increase, not decrease, the time you invest in exercise.
The same is true with your nutrition. Don’t let this slide just because you’re in your 50s.

☆ Be aware of Contempt.
The Gottman Institute on Relationships teaches that contempt is what undermines most marriages. Contempt is often delivered in tone or body language. It can happen the more we are around one another. As the old saying goes, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” This can settle in around your 50s if you aren’t careful. The antidote is appreciation and gratitude. Specifically, look for things to appreciate and choose to express gratitude for your spouse. Watch your tone and body language. Don’t let contempt undermine your marriage and key relationships.

☆ Take a risk.
As Clint Eastwood said, “Don’t let the old person win.” Yes, we need to be wise but we don’t need to be afraid. Try something new. Keep learning and growing.
The older we get, the less risks we tend to take. It actually should be the opposite. It’s called growth.

🤎 Don’t stop. Keep moving forward.