At 50, Do You Have the Feel Good Factor?
If you don't, amigo, it's high time you reversed the trend.
When you hit 50, it's your golden jubilee! Supposed time to revel in the pride of accomplishments and reap the fruits of your labour. The time to wine and celebrate and drink from a golden goblet. But sadly, this is not often the case; for many, instead, anxiety creeps in. As a result, you are nursing the fear the future will be uneventful or even worse than the past.
Youthfulness is paving the way for senescence; time is running out on your earthly tenure, and unaccomplished dreams seem lost for good. At 50, there's a certain sense of urgency; you feel the pressures of ageing and waning societal importance; you are within the sights of being classified as elderly. It becomes clear you're approaching the last energetic phase of your life's journey.
Looking back, are you filled with regrets, reflecting all the lost opportunities squandered to better decisions that would've improved the quality of your life and others in your sphere? Unfortunately, it's impossible to relive events and overturn poor choices (unless you have a time machine), but it's possible to restore wasted years. To redeem lost time, all you need is to prevent the costly errors from repeating.
These are some of the things you must consider if you wish to succeed where you once failed:
Don't Listen to Doubt
Doubt can come from different external voices, but friends and family usually speak the loudest. It hurts more when your loved ones have sized you up and have no confidence in your success abilities. Although some might mean well, it's just their honest assessment. So please don't argue with them or engage in dispute; instead, disprove them through accomplishments. Don't be discouraged by their evaluation, but work harder to achieve your goals.
Get the Best of a Savings Plan Before Retirement
Who said it's too late to start? Saving is a discipline, a necessity to safeguard your future. A likely index is if you are 50 years old and above and can't boast of a home of your own or, in a realistic view, you most likely don't have a viable investment, mortgage, pension, etc. But, then, there's a reason for concern. It just goes to show you haven't been saving. Learning to save will spare your blushes of being stranded and dependent on others or loan institutions to salvage your needs.
Think of it; if you had saved 100 dollars per month for 25 years, you'd have a significant reservoir of 30,000 dollars to fall back on, plus accrued saving benefits. And you might agree these statistics are somewhat conservative, considering the amounts mentioned. But, it goes to show further that you can save more to enjoy even more significant dividends.
The good news is, at 50, you can still save enough before retirement, so secure your future through a sensible saving scheme now.
Many financial bodies offer saving schemes with catchy interest rates and plans that cater for personal and medical emergencies, education, investment opportunities, retirement, etc. And pragmatic advice for every category of persons, including 'those in their 50s'.
These financial institutions provide Retirement Programmes offering a low-income investment start-up, savings growth and risk management, and partnership support. Inclusive of personalized portfolios to grow, protect and generate income from your savings and cash flow options to match your retirement income needs.
Whatever country you reside in, check out a reputable, trustworthy financial institution that can guarantee the safety and security of your invested capital and provide you with a saving plan that suits your requirements.
Invest Your Time Wisely
Whatever you do that doesn't add productivity to your life is a leech, a sucker threatening to draw the very life out of you.
Take a minute to ponder on your indulgencies and the repercussions. Ask yourself, "Is all this worth it"? Moderate or eradicate lifestyle incursions that infringe on your valuable time and hinder you from accomplishing your goals. See them in the true sense of what they are, no matter the pleasures derived — stumbling blocks. Avoid unhealthy relationships too. Keep away from those distractors that don't add any value to you.
Then, decide to get on track, be goal-oriented, and resolutely pursue your dreams to fruition.
Don't Procrastinate
Procrastination stands as a Goliath to your victory. If you sit back and wait for things to fall into place, you'll go nowhere. Or, if you entertain apprehension, doubt, worry, anxiety, etc., you'll find it hard to make the first move.
Overcoming procrastination means you have to shrug off uncertainties and take bold steps to achieve your goals. Be sensible and chart your course in measurable milestones. Having realistic goals will give you the confidence to go after set targets without procrastinating.
Then, being diligent on a task and staying focused is the panacea for curbing procrastination. (Diligence is the key to consistency, and consistency is the key to excellence). Once you get going and stay consistent, it's only a matter of time before success is guaranteed.
“Your Life Is Happening Right Now: Don’t let procrastination take over your life. Be brave and take risks. Your life is happening right now.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
Stay Positive
No matter the challenge, tell yourself, "I'm Born to Win". It's time to dust up that dream and get moving; ain't no stopping you now! This motivation isn't some boost to massage your ego; every individual is unique and born to thrive. There is room for everyone on our planet. Birth is a clear indication of our right to exist, compete and succeed, no matter the challenge.
“However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed.”
But, the fear of failure is the great enemy to success. Fear dispossesses the mind of the will to strive for success. Whenever a person fails, the ordeal usually triggers a lack of self-worth and the reluctance to pick up the pieces and try again.
To win this battle, you must make positive affirmations of your ability to succeed. Talk into the mirror, speak in-between breaths while jogging, sing to Katy Perry's Roar while chopping up the groceries, or meditate and mutter to Ayodeji Awosika's inspirational tips on Mind Cafe. Whatever you do, remember the battlefield is the mind; you must guard against bombardments of fear.
If you eradicate fear and fuel your mind with the positive energy of optimism and courage, nothing can stop you. Then you can live that dream again.
Lean into Your Experience
You might be sceptical of success because you've failed countless times. Yes, that's the point. You've found out different ways it can't work, so no use towing that path. Experience illuminates the path of failure as well as success. Knowing the roadways of failure will help keep you from stumbling on your quest to win. You'll see the red flags and telltale signs of catastrophe.
People often regard failure as a stepping stone to success. Hardly can the encounter with failure be circumvented before you attain success. But it would be best if you learned quickly to prevent being a victim of failed projects. The devastation of numerous failed attempts usually is quite traumatic, leading to bouts of depression, low self-esteem, weariness, rejection, etc. So there's no need to keep on failing; detour into the gateways of success.
Your experience as a veteran of life is your ace. Not only can you avoid derailment on your journey through life, but you can be a beacon to others. Illuminating their path and guiding them past obstacles and into the thresholds of achievement.
Consider the Times
The rapidity of change in these times calls for constant updating. If not, the stagnation of yesteryears will hinder your progress. In my boyhood, the library was my home of knowledge. My love for reading started in the United Kingdom at early primary. My parents, too, were kindled with this passion, so they signed me up at the local library. I can't recall the name, not that it matters, but I know that it's somewhere in central London close to Madame Tussauds, where we loved to visit. But what matters is that I was soaked up in reading and yearned for the enchantment of the stories read.
Before long, I enrolled in the book club and later got a certificate of recognition for having read 34 books in a month. I craved the paperbacks and black ink, the bookmarks and encyclopedias, and combed the shelves for the latest releases of my favourite authors. Then, several years later, we returned to Nigeria. Although the library wasn't in proximity, I was glad to visit whenever the opportunity came, though rarely. Fortunately, I depended on my home library for my needs. My father equipped it with the necessary reading paraphernalia for his growing children. However, I devoured the collection of books available and yearned for more.
When the local library gave way to the digital library, my reading experience changed. It was like the separation of a spouse occurred. Because of the unavailability of the local library, I took a sabbatical from reading; it wasn't deliberate but consequential. Getting used to digital media took so long, and I suffered from the drought of boycotting reading. I became stale and lost my passion for books; it was hardcopy reading or nothing for me.
Even as a young adult, driving past the padlocked chain-fences, seeing the hung-up signs that read 'library closed', I kept hoping that someday the library would open again for business as usual, but it never did. Instead, the internet took over, and Wikipedia and e-books flourished. In retrospect, the benefits of the digital world are far-reaching and more advantageous.
The digital age is here to stay, and we must conform, all of us who received an analogue upbringing. This mindset applies to all aspects of living. It would be best if you embraced the changes of the society as it evolves to maximize the actual value of your potential.
There's no need to give up on life because you're 50. The prospects ahead of you are tangible, therefore, achievable. With an optimistic and pragmatic perspective, there's no telling the frontiers you'll cross. Nevertheless, you can now begin a new adventure in life.
