When we reach our 60s, we often hear that it’s time to slow down. We are encouraged to prepare for retirement, perhaps enjoy peaceful days, and finally lean back. But what if we choose another path? What if 60 is the age when we start living more than ever? Nick Maher talks about how focus shifts at this stage in life – that we begin to value things beyond work and career. But for some, it’s not about stopping work but rather about creating a life in line with their dreams and passions. I am one of them.
From Career to Passion
For many, their career has been a vital part of life – building a professional path, earning promotions, making money, and securing stability. But when we reach a certain age, we start asking different questions: What am I passionate about? What do I want to leave behind? How do I want to spend the rest of my life?
I have chosen not to see 60 as an endpoint but as a new beginning. Instead of slowing down, I have accelerated. I have climbed mountains, moved between countries, started new projects, written articles, given lectures, and planned for a life in close contact with nature. My passion for creating and inspiring has become my driving force – and it has never been stronger.
From Routine to Exploration
I lived aboard my sailboat for six years, a period that shaped me deeply. The boat became my home, and every day was a new discovery. I learned to navigate both physically and mentally, to adapt to nature’s forces, and to find peace in simplicity. It was a time of freedom but also of realization – the realization that life can be lived in many different ways and that it is up to us to choose our own course.
But after six years at sea, I realized that my journey was not over – it had only changed. The freedom I found on the water, I wanted to take with me into the next phase of life. I am now preparing to move to another country, not in search of stability, but to continue exploring, learning, and inspiring. It is not an escape from something but a movement toward something greater – a lifestyle where boundaries are not set by age, expectations, or traditions.
Life consists of chapters, and each chapter lasts about seven years. Some chapters are about building, others about transformation, and some about letting go. I now look back at the chapters I have already lived – my years at sea, my years of creation, my years of profound change. Now, I am entering a new chapter, one where I carry all the experience I have gathered and use it to continue my journey. Which chapter are you in, in your book of life?
Ageism and Humiliation – Why People Give Up
Many older people give up, not because they want to, but because society makes them feel like they should. Ageism is a silent discrimination that slowly erodes self-esteem. When we are no longer seen as relevant, when our ideas are dismissed with a smile and a “that’s outdated,” when we are systematically overlooked in recruitment and public debates, it’s easy to start believing that we no longer have anything to contribute.
But that is a lie. Our experiences are a treasure trove, our wisdom an asset, our ability to recognize patterns and understand contexts a strength. The problem is not our age – the problem is others’ prejudices. When older people are not given space, when they no longer get to feel involved, it is not they who lose their abilities – it is society that wastes an invaluable resource.
Disability or Prejudice?
We often talk about disabilities as something physical, something that limits us. But the biggest obstacles are often not our bodies – it is society’s attitudes. Being older does not mean we are weaker, slower, or less capable. It means we have seen more, learned more, and perhaps have a different perspective on the world.
Many older people are excluded not because of physical limitations but because they do not fit into a mold created by younger generations. “You are too old to learn AI,” “You can’t keep up with today’s trends,” “It’s best if you let the younger ones take over.” These words are often more limiting than any physical barriers.
But the reality is that we adapt, we learn, we evolve. We carry decades of knowledge and can combine it with new technology, new ideas, and new ways of working. The disability is rarely ours – it is society’s inability to see our potential.
From External Validation to Inner Drive
In the past, I measured my worth by titles, achievements, and the admiration of others. I was my career, my job, my projects. But after years of experience, I have realized that the true value in life does not come from others’ validation – it comes from living in alignment with one’s inner compass.
Today, I still work, but on my own terms. I create content, lecture, write, and build projects that I am passionate about. I no longer need a boss to tell me I’m doing a good job – I see it in the results I create and in the people I inspire.
From Stability to Adventure
Many see retirement as a time for rest, but I see it as a time for new challenges. Climbing the Pirin Mountains at 62 was symbolic of this – I chose to challenge myself, to do the unexpected. And the result? A sense of freedom and pride that no material security could ever give me.
Now, I stand before new adventures. I have never felt more alive than I do now.
By Chris...
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