Why I Decided to Change Careers at 60

While others my age were contemplating retirement, I decided to change careers at 60 into a field I knew nothing about.

It all started about six years ago when I wrote my first book, a step-by-step guide to living the life I had imagined. Admittedly, it was derived from several blog posts I had written so it wasn’t all that difficult in the scheme of book writing. The second book was about a personal crisis I endured (divorce after a long marriage), so I was familiar with the topic. The third book was a bit of a stretch (a companion journal to the first book), but I did it. (You can get all three books at a very special rate directly from me here.) The fourth book was a compilation.

I knew these books needed to be published.

In fact, I was told in a divine way to publish them. I tried for a year to do so while juggling my career as a new Real Estate Commercial Broker. Admittedly, I was chasing the almighty dollar, which seemed to be ever so elusive, while trying to juggle singledom and property management of several commercial buildings and my own large property.

So, after a year of struggling, I decided to retire from real estate and become an author.

Now, the decision to change careers at 60 was not something to take lightly. I had the belief system that there’s “never enough money” but real estate seems a lot more lucrative than writing books.

My fear of being a bag lady had been stewing in my mind for many years. Can you relate to that? I think it’s one of the most common and complex fears, combining those of old age, poverty, and abandonment.

This fear went back a long way. I remember being a child and determined not to be broke, no matter what it took. This explains why I scraped by during those lean college years. And it was the reason I worked so hard my adult life, even while raising a family. The fear was relentless.

My fears were fueled by friends and family who didn’t think I could do it.

Change careers now? They thought I was crazy.

Looking back, that was probably a good thing, because it made me even more determined!

I knew I had to simplify my personal life too but wasn’t sure just how. I was open to ideas. One of my partners wanted to sell our jointly owned properties and this turned into a Godsend. I was able to reduce my property management duties and reinvest into other ventures I didn’t have to manage!

This freed me up even more to do the writing and related duties, which was a good thing because it seemed I would have to self-publish if I wanted it to happen soon.

My book editor/marketing guru/friend explained that publishers only talk to “agents” and she wasn’t one. Also, she explained just because you get a publisher doesn’t mean they’ll even publish your book and they might not even market it (we’ve learned that they want you to do most of the marketing anyway). Worse yet, if you sold the rights to the book to them, you couldn’t publish it even if you wanted to.

That’s how I became a publisher of Golden Spiral Press, so I could self-publish my books.

I reached out to others for suggestions on how to accomplish what I needed to simplify my life. I made proactive plans. I steered clear from the people who said I couldn’t or shouldn’t do it and barged ahead.

My fears about how this would all work out — monetarily — were big, but I was relentless. I felt compelled. There is something about God telling you to do something that tends to make you listen up!

I decided I would let God worry about the money. I put some trust and faith into the scenario and just let go. What a change that made in my life!

Now I am a four-time published author. My last individual book hit #1 in two categories on Amazon and I was part of an international best-seller in 12 countries. I have started writing three more books too!

The benefits of making a career change at 60, however, are two-fold. First, I finally shed my bag lady syndrome and am not worried and stressed about money. Secondly, the most transformative result is what a joy my life has become!

Once you find purpose and harmonize your life with your work, it’s no longer a JOB. It’s a JOY!

Janie J is the author of “Live the Life You Have Imagined,” “Single and Sixty,” “The Unimagined Awakening” and The New I Am Document, Volume 1.” She began writing books after a spiritual awakening let her tap into universal wisdom. Her mission is to help others live a life of more joy and understanding and to raise the consciousness of all humankind. Get started on your own journey with a free copy of the Connect to Transform Process at www.TheNewIAMMovement.com/transform.