One of the things I’m hearing more and more from people as they move into their 50’s is the phrase

“I didn’t plan for my life to turn out like this”.  

In some cases this is a valid observation, bad luck or some interaction out of their control has intercepted their plans and derailed them. 

However,

many people are happy to complain about the destination they’ve arrived

at even though they never actually planned for anything better. 

As the Cheshire Cat says to Alice, if you don’t know where you’re going, it doesn’t matter which path you take.

In other words without planning or effort they expected their lives to have arrived at a point of success. Although this may seem like some form or ‘right’ or logical outcome’, the fact is, it’s not.  Success may come to a very few by default, but without planning and proactive focus the likelihood of ’everything turning out great’ is quite small.  As Paul Keating once said ‘Life wasn’t meant to be easy’.

The saying ‘fail to plan, plan to fail’ is a life lesson, 

but it then also then based on the individuals definition of success, and it doesn’t always have to do with finances.  But in your 50’s the concern that most people face is how do I continue to support myself in any way through to an expected age of around 85. 

It is never too late to plan!  You have the same capacity to learn at 70 as you did at 17.  I have a very good friend who is embarking on a whole new career at the age of 74.  He wants more than living off the pension, not actively using his brain and removing himself from the community.  Regardless of the stage of life you’re at, and lets face it we all know people who have given up in their forties,

there is always the ability to work towards something

that gives your life meaning and allows you to

look back and say you were successful,

regardless of what your definition of success is.

You have the same options in your 50’s as you had at any other stage in your life, the question is ‘have you given up’?  If you have, then you should expect to receive whatever comes your way without complaint, if you haven’t then retake control and set yourself some goals and direction, you may surprise yourself.   Then you can look back on your life and say it was a success by my own definition.

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