Eastlife January 2019

Creating a
New Life
at any
Age
Written by Cindy Galvin
More people than ever are delaying
retirement by leveraging the skills,
wisdom and experience they’ve gained
from decades of working to create new
businesses or job opportunities. You can
be one of them.
There’s never been a better time for people aged 50
and older who feel drawn to doing something different
for the rest of their working career to be successful in
achieving this. The traditional retirement age of 65 is
giving way as an increasingly large number of us are
working well into our 60s, 70s and 80s.
People still retire in their 60s, and even earlier if they
feel financially secure, and opt to do things like travel or
spend more time with family. But for those who want,
or need, to retain an income, the ability to continue
working later in life is important.
The employment rate for people aged 50 to 75 has
grown significantly, according to the UK’s Department
of Works and Pensions. Between 1985 and 2015 it rose
over 14% for people aged 50 to 64 and doubled for
those aged 65 and over.
A key factor in this phenomenon is the millions of baby
boomers born between 1946 and 1964 who are either
in retirement age or nearing it. Another is the freedom
and flexibility we have because of the internet and an
explosion of software innovation that allows us to connect
globally, issue invoices, take payments and work nearly
anywhere we want.
We are better educated and more focused on health
than any preceding generation, which means we are
living longer and are simply not ready to stop.There are
five steps I believe are crucial to achieving success later
in life. These form the basis of the Platform for Success
programme I developed after realising the lack of clear
direction available for people going through later in life
career transitions.
The first is clarity. You’re unlikely to achieve your goal
without having a clear vision. It’s like taking a road trip
without having a map. You’ll eventually get where you
want to go, but it will take longer than if you’d planned.
The second is confidence. As Henry Ford said: “If you
think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” You
can have the best intentions in the world for what you
want to do, but you won’t achieve it if you’re hesitant.
Another is commitment. You need a system that ensures
you move forward toward your goal every day, however
minutely.
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