My Open Letter to My Fifty-Year Old Self

Hi there. I know that you were excited in this picture. This headshot was taken on the morning on the start of a new job, and you thought that this would be your last job in your career. It was your fiftieth birthday. This sounded old at the time; but twelve years later, you have a different perspective.

On this morning, during the walk to the office, you reflected on the many changes on your life and the life transition. You had just moved into a new apartment in Boston. Your honeymoon trip was over, and you felt good about your second marriage. It was a whirlwind week, and your hands were sore from packing all of your belongings and putting them in storage to build your retirement home. The call to your mother on the way to the office was very calming. She was always your anchor.

Twelve years later, life looks quite different. Fifty does not seem old. You now know that it was not the end, but the start of a new career. In the last decade, you were promoted three times, changed jobs twice and started a new company. I know that you didn't want to start a new company. Fear haunted you in this decision, but you now know that careers can start again after fifty.

While many of your colleagues retired and are living on their 401K retirement funds, they don't seem happy. Work is a part of you, and you need to continue to adapt your career to your physical capabilities as you age. Look for new opportunities that embrace aging.

You did not know it at the time, but you should have given thanks for a wonderful family that you took for granted. Over the course of the next ten years, your mother and father would die, your only daughter would become estranged, and your second marriage would dissolve. This picture was taken on a glorious winter day when you felt very loved. Ten years later, you would feel very alone. Depression would hang heavy in your shadow making you question every move. Mourning is not easy; and in the process, you will learn that it is harder to get out of bed at sixty than fifty.

Overcome your challenges and dig deep into your inner self at the age of fifty-eight to keep going. Redefine yourself. Recognize that it will be a struggle, when you do, you will start a company and hire a team. Caring for your health will start you on the path to working out with a trainer, running triathlons, and learning pointe in ballet. Aging is not easy, but keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Life is fragile. Be open to the outcome, try to enjoy the journey, and give thanks for good health. The things that you put in boxes at the age of fifty will not have the same meaning for you when you finish your retirement house at sixty-five; but your journey is yours, and it was hard fought. So, celebrate the opening of each box and accept it as a life present.

Embrace your next decade. Learn from your friend Mary that life at seventy can still be glorious. New doors open as you age: be ready to take advantage of all of them. No one promises happiness: you must find it on your own even through your life's ups and downs.

About Lora:

Lora Cecere is the Founder of Supply Chain Insights. She is trying to redefine the industry analyst model to make it friendlier and more useful for supply chain leaders. Lora has written the books Supply Chain Metrics That Matter and Bricks Matter, and is currently working on her third book, Leadership Matters. She also actively blogs on her Supply Chain Insights website, at the Supply Chain Shaman blog, and for Forbes. When not writing or running her company, Lora is training for a triathlon, taking classes for her DBA degree in research, knitting and quilting for her new granddaughter, and doing tendu (s) and Dégagé (s) to dome her feet for pointe work at the ballet barre. Lora thinks that we are never too old to learn or to push for excellence.