Tips for Finding Your Purpose Later in Life

If you are retired, or even just past the first part of your career, you might think you’ve missed the boat on finding purpose in your life. The truth is you’re probably in a better position than ever to work out what matters, and what you want out of life. And even better, you’re likely to have all the skills you need to focus on your life’s purpose and go for it!

Here are tips to get you started.

1. Set your mindset

The first thing to do is to declutter your mind of all the preconceptions others have put there about what is and isn’t possible. No matter what your age, you can always choose to make your life different.

Society tends to bundle anyone over a certain age into the beige sweater, stay-at-home, cautious slot, but you certainly don’t have to accept that nonsense. Warren Buffett is eighty-eight years old and still one of the most successful businesspeople. Picasso didn’t retire into senescence but painted until he aged ninety-two. Look around you and see that some of the most energetic, passionate people are older than the so-called retirement age.

2. Work out your heart’s desire

Do some work to really find out what you want. Take the money and social expectations out of the equation and dream big. Do you want to sail around the world? Lead art tours of Europe? Branch out into art or writing or wellness? Become a yoga teacher. Learn an instrument or join a choir. Do some brainstorming and work out what makes your heart sing and your soul dance!

3. Plan and strategize

Approach this as you have many times before, as a project. That is good advice for anyone, but the advantage of age and experience is that you know what to do. And what not to do. Now that you know what your big goal is, sit down and work out what you need to get there.

What skills do you already have? What training or courses might you need? Whether it’s writing that novel or retraining for a new career, take the time to plot out a plan of action and a timeframe. Set some milestones and allocate resources and get into it!

No matter what your age, taking the time to sit back and find your life’s purpose has been shown to have real benefits for people’s mental and physical health. Purposeful adults live longer and healthier lives and deal better with stress, whether it’s a career change, a new passion, or sharing your life through volunteering. Whatever you choose, get started on it today!