Reinvent Yourself at Any Age

Many retire without a plan for their future, and I don’t mean a monetary goal. Let’s say you retire at age sixty, and today’s life expectancy is seventy-nine. What are you going to do with those nineteen years? Or, on the other hand, suppose you are still of employment age. Are you developing a skill that will give you added enjoyment when you do hit the big 60? Better yet, have you found a passion for something 180 degrees from where you started? This blog post features five people I consider friends or family who did just that. These people range in age from their thirties to their eighties, but age has not stopped them from exploring life and growing into someone who has not settled.

My older sister, Kathy L., worked outside the home after raising four children. After Kathy retired, she used her crocheting skills to make various items. When the Red Wings hockey team was in the playoffs in 2008, fans would throw octopuses onto the ice. That gave Kathy the idea to crochet an octopus for fans to purchase. She told me she made about 200 and sold them. She said she couldn’t make them fast enough. Kathy also crocheted around 100 afghans for people in the hospital, crocheted a heart-shaped pillow, and sold 700 of them. Then, about sixteen years ago, Kathy went miniature. Kathy told me she started slow, contacting stores and sending samples, and everyone wanted the tiny quilts, pillows, and afghans made by Kathy’s skilled hands. That began a new cottage career, and Kathy has had orders ever since. She said, “With Facebook, I joined some miniature groups and sold hundreds of afghans and bedspreads. I finally had to retire, but I still get orders.” I enjoyed Kathy’s photos on Facebook showing her work and hearing about the many orders she had to fill. Her work is impeccable; now, Kathy has found a new interest to fill her time. She builds smaller houses, 1/48 scale miniature, and her attention to detail shines through. Hurray for Kathy for filling her retirement hours with activities that bring joy to her and others.

Suzi F. and I have known each other for over sixty years. We met in junior high, graduated from high school together, and are still in touch thanks to social media. Like me, Suzi became a teacher. However, I am afraid my teaching career was not as colorful as Suzi’s. During her thirty-nine years as a teacher, Suzi taught everything from high school home economics to middle school and 1^st-5^th grade. She even taught in a one-room schoolhouse. Suzi tells me she has always been interested in art and took classes at the art center where we lived. For the past several years, she has made jewelry and painted. She will be doing a show at a local art gallery where she lives from the middle of November through Christmas. Her art is for sale there, and who wouldn’t want to own one of the extraordinary journals, paintings, or cards crafted by Suzi? Her work is fantastic! Suzi is also sharing her love of painting and creativity with her grandchildren; together, they are making precious memories.

My younger sister, Ruth K., also reinvented herself after retiring from her position as a licensed property casualty insurance agent, a position she held for twenty years. Ruth hasn’t let her retirement years go to waste. Instead, she writes. She self-published her first book, The Dove and the Raven, over twenty years ago and has never looked back. Ruth has self-published 25 novels, of which 22 are Christian Romance. The other three books are published under the name of C.M. Morgan, and are clean paranormal books. All are excellent reads. Ruth’s love of reading and writing began at a very young age. Even as a little girl, Ruth wrote stories, and has used her love of reading and writing to develop a whole new career. She has almost 900 followers on her author Facebook page, and her books are popular not only in the United States but in other countries as well. Did I also mention that Ruth has published a cookbook? She includes a recipe in the back of many of her books that the main character made, so a few years ago, she put those recipes, along with some other family favorites, into a cookbook. I use it quite often and it has been a hit on Amazon. I consider Ruth my mentor when writing my books and have picked her brain more than once. I value her advice and always take it to heart. I hope that one day, my writing career will be as successful as hers.

What can I say about Lisa L. besides being the most talented and dedicated second-grade teacher ever working for me? I never had to worry about the students in her class as I knew they would all learn and be treated with love and compassion. Through the years we worked together, Lisa became my friend, one I will forever cherish. Lisa is the one who introduced me to scrapbooking, but I am afraid my photos will never match the clarity and beauty of Lisa’s photos. I asked Lisa what got her interested in photography, and she said she always loved taking pictures. When Lisa became a mother, and her children were teenagers, she began taking pictures at sporting events and other activities in which her children were involved. I was interested in how she went from amateur photographer to professional with her own business. She said, “The summer between my son’s junior and senior year, 2010, I decided to try to take his senior pictures, and I offered to take some of his friends’ pictures for free. I got such a good response that in the Fall, Sunflower Photography was born.” Knowing the quality of Lisa’s work, when I wanted to get photos of my husband and me to celebrate our 50^th wedding anniversary, Lisa was the first person I thought of. Lisa’s business has gone from taking senior pictures to weddings, anniversaries, Fall and Spring mini-sessions, Christmas mini-sessions, baby photos, etc. You name it, and Lisa can deliver.

Finally, I want you to meet Amanda F. Unlike the other four women I introduced, Amanda reinvented herself while barely thirty. I met Amanda in 2014 when I became Head of School at a charter school. Amanda was a talented kindergarten teacher at the school, but I wanted to use her knowledge and enthusiasm to be the school’s curriculum director. What a fantastic job she did. Through our close working relationship, I learned about Amanda’s other passions, health, fitness, and nutrition. Amanda was gone for part of the school year when she gave birth to their first child. Not to go into all the details, but the school was forced to close at the end of that school year, and Amanda had to decide what direction her career would take. I think it is best to tell you about Amanda in her own words. “I knew I didn’t want to return to a 9-5 job, but I also knew I wanted to contribute to our family income. After becoming a stay-at-home mom, I still wanted to have a passion and purpose outside of being a mom. I had started doing some personal development and seeing improvement. I wanted to continue that momentum and to feel useful to others by using some of my talents. I didn’t start out with great leadership skills and didn’t know what it meant to run a business, and I was still on my own weight loss journey at the time. Yet, I jumped in and decided I could be a fitness coach. I learned how to be a coach through trial and error. Twelve years later, life looks a lot different. Life is easier financially, and I’m happier and healthier. I have met incredible people and have an awesome community of support.” I started on my journey to a healthier me through the support I received from Amanda. Her knowledge of fitness and nutrition is invaluable; plus, she built a new life that involves helping others while giving her the time and freedom to continue self-development. As Amanda has repeatedly said, “Being a coach has helped me with doubt, debt, and depression and changed my mindset. The bonus is, having a flexible career in the wellness industry means I have more time with my family.” I love the quote Amanda shared in August…You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”

Five incredible women, ranging in age from 81-37, each of them in their own way, have reinvented who they are and what they do. They are all living life with a purpose, sharing their talents with others, and are an inspiration to everyone they meet. As you can see, it is never too early or too late to reinvent who you are and what you want to do with the rest of your life.

What do you want to do with the rest of your life?

Start planning now.

Until next time, “Don’t save today for tomorrow.”