You will soon discover you know quite a few names of people who started business, invented something you now use, or founded organizations in their 50s. Colonel Sanders comes to mind! I, in fact, founded Cool Breeze Media in my 50s, although it had been a not-for-profit, Cool Breeze Books, in the 2000s.
So why do people find this counterintuitive? Perhaps because the American media shows
us off sunning on a faraway white sand without a care in the world or settled in a house we've paid for over three decades, enjoying our grandchildren. Maybe we are doing those things, or maybe our lifestyle takes us in an altogether different direction. Even as we form a new relationship with our new bodies and minds, we can create and embrace many new opportunities.
The notion that we are on the decline and unlikely to do anything more with our lives is an underestimation of the gold mines, gems, and fountains of innovation in the over 50 community. Ray Kroc was 52 when he helped the McDonalds brothers start a now legendary fast food restaurant. Momofuku Ando's instant noodles came about when he was just shy of 50, as was Barack Obama when he took office as the 44th US President. Toni Morrison was 62 at the time she won the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature. Granted, she had published books for close to 25 years by then. Still, I just want to remind you to question anyone who's decided your aging is a reason not to do your next thing!
Of course there are considerations different from those of a 25 year-old, and lucky you!
If you're nervous, utilize techniques like those in the Radically Contented® book 7 Common Practices for Simplifying Everything to manage your tension. As Audre Lorde, who passed on just a year before Morrison won her Prize once wrote in the The Transformation of Silence into Language & Action, “When I dare to be powerful—to use my strength in the service of my vision—then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid." Dare to be powerful as you gracefully make new decisions on everything from hair care to eyewear, and shoes to booz. Surround yourself with savvy business counsel and a wise wellness support team, and get to it!
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