Turning 60
Tim Denning wrote:
Here’s what to do in the 90 days:
- Delete all your goals. Start again.
- Start writing daily online so you can use it to think deeply.
- Create a new vision for your life. Dream big. Remove the limiting valves on your consciousness.
- Think of one way to build a new network of people from scratch.
- Read more autobiographies than you ever read before – Steve Jobs, Winston Churchill, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Andre Agassi, and Alexander Hamilton.
- Take some new risks.
As I've written in a few places, this year has been one of transformation. Half way through 2024, I began to realise that my word alchemy wasn't so far fetched after all. With nothing to show for it until June/July, something has shifted.
I turned 60. But that's not it. There's some biological, primal process going on. A reminder that we're not immortal. A nudge - or even kick in the seat of the pants - that time is racing by. This is the now or never moment.
These were two references I found earlier in the year:
When you get past 60, you do feel a sort of licence finally to write fearlessly ...
Amor Towles talks about having a limited amount of time as he turns 60, and the importance of prioritising the important work.
Perhaps this syndrome at 60 is more common than I imagined, although I don't hear others talking about it.
This week I came across Stephen Wolfram. If you watch the Big Bang Theory, think Sheldon. Quite obviously a genius, he has a website full of writing, research, papers and other scientific topics. A man with a huge legacy.
He wrote about what he has achieved since he turned 60. He's now 65.
Today is my birthday—for the 65th time. Five years ago, on my 60th birthday, I did a livestream where I talked about some of my plans. So… what happened? Well, what happened was great. And in fact I’ve just had the most productive five years of my life. Nine books. 3939 pages of writings (1,283,267 words). 499 hours of podcasts and 1369 hours of livestreams. 14 software product releases (with our great team). Oh, and a bunch of big—and beautiful—ideas and results.
He also had a now or never moment.
And five years ago, as I explained in my birthday livestream, I began to think “it’s now or never”. I had no idea how hard the questions were. Yes, I’d spent a lifetime building up tools and knowledge. But would they be enough? Or were the questions just not for our time, but only perhaps for some future century?
But back to Tim Denning ... his post resonated. I was at a point where I was rethinking parts of my life. I've been feeling increasing fatigue. There are several reasons for this. Menopause changes are one. Filling my days from dawn to dusk is another. Working constantly with no down time. Not eating as well as I could. I was ripe for a reset.
It's easy to drift. Life drags you along. Before you know it your dreams are lying in the dust, you're five, ten years older and no closer to those goals. The clock is ticking. You don't know how much time there is left. What do you do?
I think you have to take a long hard look at your life. How are you spending your time? Is it what you want? If you need to earn money, how else could you do it? How can you carve out some time for you?
These are all the questions I'm asking. How can I make the next five years the most productive of my life?