The Questions You (And Others) Ask When You Turn 60

I recently turned 60 and with it came surprise visits, extended time with family & friends, and for this introvert the best way to mark what many would consider a milestone. (In the Barber line, me and my uncle Don are the only men I know of to live past 54, so maybe it is?)

Another part of turning 60, beyond the celebration, is the questions. You know the ones...almost all of them reflect something like...

Q. What now?

Q. What's next?

Q. What's left

Q. Where to from here?

Q. Any last thoughts?

When you boil them down, most can be summed up in one of two ways.

1) Time is running out, get busy

or

2) Time is running out, slow down

In other words, am I going to do more or less, based on the time I have left on this planet.

If you've done any retirement planning, (something else, 60 brings on, whether you like it or not) you have probably come across the "break even" concept. Basically, a financial planner will run your financial picture through their computer program and determine when you should start collecting CPP or OAS for example. While most Canadians start CPP at 62, most planners will encourage you to wait as long as possible, up to age 70...based on your break even assumption. But the only way to know exactly when you should take CPP is if you know exactly when you will die.

Break even...sounds boring to me. But I'm not offering financial advice here.

For me, the question isn't, will I do as much as possible or as little as possible, but rather, What am I here to do?

This is a legitimate question anytime, but it does seem to grow in importance or meaning the older I get.

I don't think my calling has changed, but how I live it out, where I spend my time and direct my efforts may.

I was just saying to Kathy, that spending time with our friends, encouraging them, supporting them, and just investing in our relationships could be a full-time job; and one we both would sign up for in a heartbeat.

Maybe the question of time, isn't so much, how much do I have left, but what I want to do with the time I have left...whatever that is.

I was asked this week what I hope to accomplish this coming year, which I think is a great question. It implies, there's more to do, more to accomplish, more to look forward to, and it's not time to quit or retreat. It suggests that I am still in the game and not on the sidelines.

Off the top of my head, I plan to help launch a new family business, write a 7-day devotional (to start), meet friends in Georgia to watch their son play professional hockey, and ride the GoldWing with Kathy to New Brunswick to meet our 5th grandchild, carve out as much time as possible to spend with family and friends...oh yeah, and ride the motorcycle as much as possible too.

Ephesians 2:10 states, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

For me, it's not about slowing down, or being busy. It's about doing what I'm here to do; and this list is a good start for me.

You might think it's lame. Too much or too little. But here's the point...you have to answer the same question for yourself. My answers, aren't your answers, and yours can't be mine. They shouldn't be. But that just makes it all the more interesting and exciting.

So what about you?

What are you looking forward to? Even better, what are you here to do?

Let's go do that.

Until next time - Dan

If you're feeling stuck, maybe I can help. Give me a call.