sixtyandme logo
We are community supported and may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Learn more

6 Steps to Total Freedom After 60

By Joanie Marx May 13, 2023 Mindset

When you crossed the threshold of 60, you arrived at a truly remarkable moment in your life. Being 60 and over is worthy of a celebration because it is the gift of total freedom.

Where does this level of freedom come from? And how can you access it if you are feeling less than inspired with where you currently are in life?

In this article and the accompanying video, we are going to answer these questions and more through six profound steps to total freedom after 60.

Where Your True Self Lives

Total freedom after 60 comes from loving yourself enough to let go of thinking your past was better than the present.

This means coming home to where your true, authentic self lives.

She is within you.

But for many women over 60, it can be a challenge to look within and connect with a version of yourself you may have resisted for many years. What makes it easier is getting clear on the path you are taking to experience a newfound sense of freedom in your life.

3 Commonalities Along the Path

We all have our own unique path to personal freedom after 60. There are, however, some common things we share that are important to pay attention to.

  1. The first thing to be aware of is the path you are on today is leading you beyond the façade of your past self. It is opening you up to more of your authentic essence.
  2. This path unfolds when you no longer allow limiting beliefs and stifling rules of adulthood conformity to determine the way you choose to see yourself at this stage of your life.
  3. You are establishing a new perspective for who you are that takes you out of the past and into the present moment. This opens space in your life for the new and improved version of you to step forward.

My Personal Example

It took me many years to figure out what my path would be after 60 and what new version of me would show up.

As I had always done, I started by telling myself a new story. But even that proved difficult because up to that point in my life, I had never mapped out the process.

For example, I built my company up from $20 and a ball and string into a multimillion-dollar consumer product business. Then I embarked on a 30-plus year career in the entertainment industry. And from that I became a bestselling author after 60.

In many instances, I was flying by the seat of my pants because each new path unfolded without me really thinking about the steps I was taking.

All I knew was that when it was time to let go of the outdated stories, I’d begin telling a new one. From there, I got busy setting things in motion with a lot of creative energy.

While I am still a whirlwind of creative energy, my life after 60 changed at a level and pace that required me to slow down and chart this new path in my life with more clarity.

After lots of inward journeying, followed by hours of journaling, I came to a question that radically changed my life:

If yesterday’s solutions are all I know, where do I start refocusing and renewing my life once I realized the old ways of living, loving, and creating no longer work?

At first, I didn’t have an answer. So, I asked my true, authentic self what she would do.

What unfolded is what I originally called The Six Steps to Refocus & Renew Your Life®.

Six Steps to Total Freedom After 60

These six steps charted a new life path after 60 I could not have imagined. They also became the basis for my books, online courses, and talks, which led me to where I am today.

The six steps are as follows:

  1. Adopt New Beliefs
  2. Reconnect with Your True Self
  3. Reframe Your Perception of Self-Love
  4. Be What It Is You Seek
  5. Be a Trailblazer
  6. Be Authentic

Telling a new story about my life encompassed all of these steps. Each one elicited a profound shift in perspective followed by a level of freedom I had never experienced.

The more I opened myself to receive the gifts of this newfound freedom, the more empowered I became. That’s when my new life path emerged.

That path involved taking my life lessons and sharing them in ways that inspires others to feel confident enough to do the same in their lives.

These six steps became my path to total freedom after 60. They can and will do the same for you.

To gain a wider perspective of these six steps, I invite you to check out my past articles and videos Sixty and Me published in 2022.  

In the meantime, please join me in the video where I will share additional insights on each of these six steps and what you can do to apply them in your life right now.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What new path are you inspired to go on after 60? Have you already changed direction once? What life lessons have you learned along the way?

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

6 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Kim

The most important lesson: don’t worry about what anybody else thinks! Very freeing when you let go of others expectations of, or about you.

Jeanne Arnold

I learned to play classical piano, and did my first triathlon…in my late fifties.Then I became a grandmother. Now as my grandchildren are getting a bit older,I became very involved in my local community theatre. Over this past year at age 66 I was in the ensemble of a big musical….next I acted in a Shakespeare play (as one of the main roles) and then I was the stage manager for the next two productions-a musical, and a play. I also performed a tap dance in the theatre’s winter variety show. I’ve learned so much and met so many wonderful people. I believe it’s important to keep trying new things, meeting and getting to know new people,and to always keep learning.

KVS

I believe as a widow, at the age of 60, in many ways propels one into following these steps…whether you like it or not. I’m now 65, abruptly quit a job that I knew made me appear “untruly me” to staff and clients because of the work environment. I didn’t like myself. Being true to myself allowed me to take that leap and it has proven one of the most freeing tools I’ve embraced. It’s working Joanie. It’s a slow process, but I’m getting there. One step I feel can be added as a support tool. Find an objective life coach who can parse through those “stories” about yourself. When you spoke of those in your video, it was an “aha” moment for me. I didn’t have an easy, boring life. But as a child, I was left to my own devices and grew up ascribing character and motives to others and also viewed myself within the confines of my lonely imagination. I was spot on in most cases, but today, with the help of this life coach, I realize I can let go of some of those narratives and keep others as a reminder of how they helped me survive. I go forward now with goals without guilt, remembering all those who loved me and saw my true self. My biggest cheerleader was my immigrant mother who despite her societal limitations showed me I was special every moment we were together until she passed in 2012. And on this Mother’s Day, I think of my bedrock, my jewel, my mama and my trailblazer. Happy Mother’s Day to every kind of mommy to human or creature children out there….you save your children’s lives every moment you cheerlead. We call upon those moments throughout our lives💞

Sara

I am going on my own after being with my partner for 41 years and sometimes it’s great like when you can navigate the online banking and know what to do when you have taken a wrong turn off on a highway, etc. Doing things on your own is scary but I am learning my new community and they’re wonderful! I think what I am still learning is how to listen to myself; what decisions I make is for my best interests and not to suit others. It was not a path I desire but I was brave and courageous to finally decide that I came first! I am turning 65 this year and I am excited and a little scared but I am willing to take the risk and see where it takes me. In my work, my young charges show me that every day! Taking a risk, crying a little, getting a hug or two and trying again!!

Ava

Gawd, so much! I am there RIGHT NOW. In two weeks I’ll work my last day as a teacher after nearly 20 years. I don’t feel I’m retiring, but redirecting my energies. At the same time (a wee bit before actually) my longtime husband and I were planning a vow renewal and in the thick of it, as my rising tensions alerted me that something was off, I had a sudden clarity that looked like our souls had finished their journeys together. We stopped everything, told all the guests and vendors, and are currently trying to figure out where do we go from here?

It’s a time of great soul searching, trying to learn, trying to figure out what each of us needs to grow and become our – as you put it – authentic selves. The thought of unraveling our lives together after so long is scary, and especially for older women there is less chance of finding and bonding with someone new. So we are opening ourselves up to a long solo life.

But I’ve never been able to settle for status quo and though I hope things will eventually work out I fear a bereft future. In fact I have many fears but am also aware of a sense that I need to have plenty of space and time to ‘reinvent myself’. I am lucky that hubby is cooperating and thinking of ways he can go off and leave me to it and I crave that.

This.newsletter that I’ve just come across (by virtue of entering related search phrases) gives me hope as being on a similar journey as many other women, although not all of them have the same spiritual focus as I am seeking. I am gratefully appreciative for your suggestions on how to proceed. I will feel less like that guy swinging at windmills.

The Author

Joanie Marx is a three-time bestselling author and the creator of the new, groundbreaking Refocus & Renew Your Life® online course series on Udemy. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in Psychology, and a leading authority on refocusing and renewing your life.

You Might Also Like