Kelly Summersett: Life Coach for Professional Women

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I'm 50 and I'm retiring

My 50th birthday is tomorrow and several things have been running through my head.  

First off: I’M 50! Five O! Not 33 like I feel and it just dawned on me that I haven’t even started thinking about retiring from my career like some people plan ahead for and do at this age. 

Why would I? I LOVE what I do.

We tend to think about retirement in the literal sense of ending our careers but why be so narrow-minded about it? 

We have the power to retire from anything anytime we want. How cool is that? 

Reflecting on my life I realize I’ve retired four times already: 

The first one happened in 1996 when I retired from thinking my life would be over by leaving my corporate career and moving from MI to TN to start working for myself. 

I had two back-to-back retirements in 2001: first when I retired from material ‘stuff’, a big home, and my clients so I could afford to stay home full-time with my infant son for his first year and second when I retired the limited belief that I was getting old (34!) and transforming my body after two children would be impossible. 

I loved 2008 when I retired from people pleasing, being a perfectionist, control, and comparison!

For my 50th birthday I am retiring all remaining limited beliefs that say I have to wait until I really retire to be bold to do whatever I want. 

Ya know what I mean? Do you also have outdated thinking that tells you to play it safe now in your ‘real’ career? How you need to wait to be big and bold after you retire? 

Do you call bullshit on that line of thinking like I do?

Live now! Do what you love now! Be all in now! Speak up now! You with me? 

From here on out I’m saying hell no to things that don’t fill me up or excite me and saying hell yes to bolder actions and opportunities that do!

No matter your age believe that you too can retire from anything you want at any point. Early retirement from limited beliefs, worn out habits, stress, and people pleasing (just to name a few) kicks ass!