Finding My Stride In The Third Trimester Of Life
Umm…what the heck does she mean by “my third trimester“? 🤔
This: I intend to live into my 90s (or die trying 😜) so I’m simply dividing my life story into thirds. And last month, I officially stepped into my final third when I turned 60! 🎂 🔥 🚿🚒
(Humor me ▶️ )
WooHoo….Didja dance with me?? 💃🏻
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OK, now I have to say, this new perspective on my remaining years feels quite ingenious. Recently, I’d been fretting about how to Have Purpose, Keep Learning, and Remain Productive. I shared those concerns here, if you missed it. And all because I was still stuck in high-gear-career mode.
30+ year habits take time to shift! 🙄
Yet ironically, once I hit publish with that post, I felt my angst begin to dissolve! To be clear, I still had no epiphany as to exactly what I would do in my last trimester.
However, once I no longer viewed “retirement” as the great divide…the beginning of the end… an inevitable descent into old age and irrelevancy…I was able to exhale. To relax. To anticipate genuine glimmers of great possibilities ahead! 🌟
In other words, it was time to treat this third life chapter as an exciting, vibrant transition rather than a sad, downhill decline! 🤯
Got your mug refilled? ☕️ Read on for how I’m defining life’s phases as I shift into the culmination of a life well-lived (’cause it’s not over yet!) 🌱☀️
1st Trimester: Finding Our Footing
Our first 30 years are really about figuring out who we are and how we fit into the world.
There is no singularly perfect timeline for this. Some may readily identify where they want to go and their path appears smooth and uninterrupted. (emphasis on “appears”—no one is without doubt and angst!)
Others take the “scenic route” which has detours and delays and even occasional dead-ends. Yet who’s to say this isn’t the best path for them?
In either case, we are developing self-awareness and seeking what lights us up, as we find a place in this world. It’s a trimester of tremendous growth, hope, and discovery.
And with focused intention, we can continue to hone who we are in the next two trimesters, as well!
2nd Trimester: Manifesting Dreams 'n' Goals
Next, our second trimester (ages 30-60) is about creating and building the life we want.
Like most, I juggled family and work duties. Yet homemaking was not my first goal. In fact, I recall deliberately passing on typing class in high school as I was determined to be more than a secretary (OK, a wee bit short-sighted, per my permanently wonky keyboard skills! 😜)
I had eagerly responded to the societal call in the 80s: “Go be anything you want to be—you can!”. My career path was made possible by the many, many tenacious women before me who demanded the power and right to choose a path outside the home. I found it thrilling.
Yet that phrase, “work-life balance”? The reality was incredibly exhausting, since something always has to give. 🙇🏻♀️
3rd Trimester: Releasing Our Inner Child
This is the final trimester which brings us full circle!
Once again we’re back to figuring out who we are and how we fit into the world.
However, all the angst we felt in our 1st trimester with worrying what others think? Who cares! Time to let that go and pursue what we want. It’s our life!
And still basing our value on what we do for a living, how high we climbed the corporate ladder, how much stuff we amassed, and how much we earned? Time to let all of this go, as well!
We are uniquely and intrinsically worthy just as we are! 🌟
It’s not an overnight process to release longstanding beliefs or ideas about what gives us purpose and validation.
We are essentially finding our footing again. But when we are patient with ourselves and the retirement process, we can start savoring the joy to be uncovered.
Now our inner child can relish the freedom of choosing how to write the script for our third trimester.
It’s almost dizzying to consider all the possibilities before us! So yes, it will take time as we explore and try out new routines and activities.
Which is why starting with the basic pleasure of Simply Being is ever-so important.
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Bonus: Don’t miss the humorous yet wise retirement revelations from Dr. Riley Moynes ▶️ I tracked with everything he said (except for the cinnamon buns 🥧 ’cause I’m a keto eater!).
The Wrap
Achieving the 60-year milestone does not have to mean the beginning of the end.
To the contrary, this can signal the start of a very fruitful, satisfying period of our lives. It’s all a matter of perspective.
When I reflect on the last year, I recognize that I grappled with tunnel vision when it came to defining myself. I was also hard on myself with needing to figure things out Right Now.
This can happen to anyone, especially when performance in the corporate world is constantly measured and subjected to someone else’s deadlines.
And even though I knew I’m in charge of my pace and direction from hereon, I still had difficulty with releasing old stories and writing a new one. I didn’t want to be judged by others. Yet I was judging myself all along! Not fun.
But now? I’m ready! 🙌🏼
I’m choosing to make it a positively soul-satisfying adventure that only I design and direct as much as possible—how about you?
What do you think?
- Are you also between life stories?
- How is the transition with writing a new one going for you?
- What’s your biggest challenge?
- What are some of your own “a-ha!” realizations?
Feel free to drop me a line at: maryv@shiftyourstories.com 📬
...and thanks for stopping by! 🤗
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