Once upon a time, the second half of life was a book with just one chapter, titled – slow down. With Americans living longer than ever before, today, the second half has many chapters, none of which are about winding down, but instead winding up. As Michael Clinton says in his new book, ROAR into the second half of your life (before its too late), “Getting older is not about ‘going quietly into that good night.’ Rather, it’s about being passionate about life, and about stoking the desire to create something fulfilling for oneself, and for others.”

The impact of two major societal events – the Baby Boomer retirement wave and the Covid 19 pandemic – have prompted an even greater number of people to ask themselves, “Am I on the right track? What will my second act be?” ROAR is an acronym for four key steps to entering this phase of your life with energy and a sense of purpose: Reimagine yourself, Own who you are, Act on what’s next for you, Reassess your relationships. The basic concept of ROAR is assessing where you are and how to make a change.

It cannot be overstated that a key part of this process is also knowing where you stand financially. Americans continue to report concerns about their retirement readiness, so as you embark on discovering the answers to these questions, also take the time to make sure you have the financial wherewithal to achieve these dreams. For more information on financial planning, there are free tools and resources available at the ALI website: https://www.protectedincome.org/tools-guides.

STEPS TO TAKE FOR YOUR MIDLIFE AWAKENING:

• Make the commitment to “go deep” to understand what you really want.
• Where’s your dissatisfaction? Is it in where and how you live? Is it in what you’re doing every day for a career? Is it in the relationship that you have with a person?
• Keep a life journal to envision who you want to be and where you want to go in your life.
• Write in it on a regular basis and revisit it the first of each month.
• Focus on what you can actually do and make a plan to achieve it.
• Make sure that you are not just talking about what you want. If you find yourself spending a long time talking about something and you are not doing it, you should face the fact that you probably aren’t going to do it.
• Own your numbers. What are your financial numbers, your health numbers? Do you know what your blood pressure is? Own those things. That’s the foundation to everything else, because that will help you cope and navigate should something come out of left field.
• Be proactive about change. Don’t wait!

For the latest ideas, inspiring stories, and simple tools to help you navigate your next chapter in life, head to protectedincome.org.

Michael Clinton is a best-selling author, new longevity expert, thought leader, and keynote speaker on how to live with purpose in the second half of your life and retirement. He is a writer-at-large for Esquire and a regular columnist for Men’s Heals. As former president and publishing director of Hearst Magazines, he now serves as special media advisor to the Hearst Corporation’s CEO.

This article is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used to make a buying decision. Copyright © Alliance for Lifetime Income. All rights reserved.