Turning 60: A New Season, New Priorities
A colleague recently shared a thoughtful exercise: pause at the halfway point of the year to revisit your goals, intentions, and priorities.
I loved the idea because the middle of the year gives us permission to pause. We spend so much time moving forward that we rarely stop to ask whether we’re still moving in the right direction.
With my 60th birthday this month, the timing felt especially meaningful. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to reflect, not just on the past six months, but on the Season of Life I’m stepping into. Here’s what I’ve gleaned.
Going Bigger
Back in January, I chose one simple intention for the year: Go Bigger.
Not Go Big. That feels nebulous, extreme, and a little stressful- as in, “Go big or go home.”
But Go Bigger? That feels do-able, realistic: whatever I’m doing now, I can stretch myself to do it a little better.
For me, “Going Bigger” has looked like this:
- Stand taller: Stomach in, chest out, shoulders back, chin up. Especially when entering a room.
- Swim stronger: Slice into my stroke. Kick just below the waterline. Channel a little Katie Ledecky.
- End the day more intentionally: Reading or journaling in bed until my eyelids become too heavy to stay open. I’m not consistent, but when I do, I fall asleep faster.
None of these changes are dramatic. But together, they’re making me a little stronger, a little healthier, and a little more intentional. I get to define my own direction and goals.
When Priorities Change
One thing surprised me during this mid-year reflection: my priorities have changed.
Last year, my energy was devoted to public speaking. Thanks to invitations from wonderful Senior Living communities and colleagues, I gave ten presentations in twelve months. Researching topics like brain science, holistic health, and mindset practices stretched me professionally. The preparation was both educational and stressful, but every presentation left me feeling a little more confident and accomplished.
This year my priorities are different. This Season of Life is inviting me to invest in something new.
Instead of focusing primarily on growing my business, I’m investing in two things that matter deeply to me:
- Creating experiences before they become missed opportunities.
- Designing a home for the life I want to live.
Adventuring
I’ve decided that every month deserves something exciting on the calendar.
September: Disneyland! I made a new friend at a Senior 101 class, and we’re heading to the Happiest Place on Earth together. Neither of us has been in more than twenty years. It’s not so much about Disneyland, fun as that will be. It’s about saying Yes to a new friendship.
October: The California Dark Sky Festival. My daughter and I will be driving a camper van to Panamint Valley to experience some of the darkest skies in California. We’ll look through giant telescopes, learn from astrophysicists, explore the desert by day, and marvel at stars, planets, galaxies, and nebulae by night. She loves astronomy, and I’m excited to experience a vast and glorious expanse of inky sky lit up by only stars and planets. But really, it’s more about making memories with her.
November: Swim Camp in Cozumel. Clear, tropical water, coral reefs, colorful marine life, and two one-mile swims each day with people I’ve never met before. This will be my very first all-by-myself vacation- very exciting and a little scary, which probably means it’s exactly the right adventure.
Creating My Forever Home
Then there’s my new house.
I’ve been customizing nearly every corner of it: a built-in pantry, a mini mudroom, lower cabinets that fit my 5’2″ frame, wall-mounted toilets, ceiling fans, a larger slider window, a backyard office, a patio cover, and pollinator-friendly landscaping.
And because I do not want to live amidst the construction, I’m not moving in until it’s all done. Which will hopefully be December. This is my forever home- I’ll be carried out feet-first. Every nook and cranny needs to support the life I’ll be living there.
Growing Into a New Season
As I reflected on all of this, I realized that the same principle applies to both organizing and life:
Because we grow, evolve, and change, our priorities are supposed to change, too.
Yet many of us keep living according to priorities we established years- even decades- ago.
We store supplies for hobbies we’ve long since abandoned. We hang onto furniture, collections, and keepsakes that belonged to an earlier chapter of our lives. We continue saying “Yes” to obligations that no longer reflect who we are or how we want to spend our time.
Why?
Because letting go isn’t just about the object. It’s about what the object represents.
Sometimes it represents a younger version of ourselves: the runner, the scholar, the avid scrapbooker, the parent raising children under our roof.
Or maybe it represents a dream that didn’t come true, or a person we deeply loved.
And sometimes it’s simply familiar. Even if something no longer serves us, familiarity can feel safer than change.
I’ve watched clients wrestle with this countless times. They aren’t struggling because they don’t know whether to keep the fondue pot or the sewing machine. They’re struggling because releasing those items can feel like saying goodbye to a piece of their identity.
But here’s the beautiful truth:
Letting go of the past doesn’t diminish it; it simply creates room for the present.
In my work as a Professional Organizer, I often remind clients that decluttering isn’t simply about deciding what leaves your home. It’s also about deciding what deserves your time, energy, attention, and resources in this Season of Life.
Our homes should support the people we are becoming- not preserve every version of who we’ve been.
Your Turn
As you read this, perhaps it’s worth asking yourself:
- In this Season of Life, what priorities make sense for me?
- What no longer deserves as much of my time or energy?
- Is there an adventure I’ve been postponing?
- Does my home support the life I’m living today?
- Where could I simply Go Bigger?
As I step into my sixtieth year, I’m giving myself permission to set, and to change, my priorities and intentions whenever life calls for it. After all, “Going Bigger” isn’t about doing more. It’s about becoming more intentional: choosing, and re-choosing, what matters most in each new Season of Life.