For creative people, for life-long learners, and for those eager to discover what they’re capable of after retiring in midlife, this is a very good place to start. Julia Cameron’s, It’s Never Too Late To Begin Again was recommended to me when I first retired and it gave me direction and opened possibilities to me in that first disorientating year.
Why is this book so good?
It gives shape to your day, week and month, at a time when you’ve lost the daily structure of your job.
- Each day, she recommends Morning Pages. It’s an opportunity to write, by hand for three pages all the ideas that are simmering away in your unconscious. At first, I found this exercise quite literally exercise, because my hand kept cramping up. Over time, I realized that writing by hand allowed my thoughts to slow down and detangle.
- Twice a week, she advises taking a 20 minute walk by yourself. This is an opportunity to notice things without the distraction of others walking with you. Like being in the shower, it was a great time to think. Unlike the shower, you can take note of your ideas without the paper getting wet.
- Once a week, Cameron suggests taking yourself on an “Artist Date.” You don’t need to think of yourself as an artist to do this. It’s basically an invitation to play. Visit a place that you’re interested in, play with paints, try a new hobby or craft, listen to a new podcast or build with lego. Trying something new once a week without worrying about the outcome is liberating and fun. I learned a lot about new areas that I wanted to explore.
- Each month, Cameron has memoir work for the reader to do. It’s a series of questions about your childhood and the joys that you may have left there. She connects with your senses and helps you to recall favourite smells, tastes and sounds that lived there. (This is not meant to be therapeutic or triggering. Because this is a self-guided return to your past, you can choose what you wish to focus on and what is best left untouched.)
Focused On Reigniting
If this hasn’t convinced you to run to your local bookshop, open your Libby account, or pop it into your Amazon cart, Cameron’s attitude has more to offer you. Each chapter focuses on a topic that is key to those retired in midlife. Instead of making each issue a problem to be solved, she reframes it as an opportunity for reigniting a positive attribute in your life such as, wonder, freedom, connection, purpose and resilience.
Start Here
Each of us have our own unique journey to take. Month after month as I followed her book, I began to notice a shift in how I was feeling about being retired. It started with clearing the clutter from a spare room and turning it into a light and airy office space. Then I gained the courage to join groups, take my first solo holiday, seek out the support of a life coach, go to college and start a business. This is a path I could not have predicted when I retired. Your path will be uniquely yours. And, it all started with this book.
Which books have been helpful for you, as someone who’s retired in midlife? Comment below.
Retired, And Now What? 
Several years before I retired, I heard Mike Drak, author of “Victory Lap Retirement” speak. He piqued my interest so I read his book (and have since read his two follow up books and have had the opportunity to hear him speak and even present with him a couple of times). The book changed how I look at retirement, and reminded me of the importance of retiring “to” something rather than “from” something. It ultimately led me to start my retirement coaching practice.
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Thank you for sharing this. This sounds like a very powerful book with an outlook on retirement that I wholeheartedly support. It’s the movement forward that is exciting and inspiring. It’s why we love what we do.
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Exactly!
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