HOW TO DO YOUR OWN LIFE AUDIT

By Dr Denise Taylor, over-50s life coach and psychologist

1. THINK of your early 60s as a time of transition. There are a number of such times — leaving school and getting a job; getting married — but the difference now is you’ve got decades of experience behind you. That’s what you’ll use to make this next stage — your Third Act — the best it can possibly be.

2. GO BACK in time. Think about what you wanted to do with your life when you were ten, 15 or 21. What made your stomach flip with excitement? Was it lying in a field watching butterflies, reading novels, or running the history club at school? What happened to that first obsession? Think about how you can re-connect with those passions now.

3. IDENTIFY patterns. Are you the dutiful daughter expected to shoulder the caring burden while other siblings have far fewer responsibilities? Or perhaps there’s a pattern in your romantic life. When you work out the patterns, you can decide what to carry on doing and what to ditch.

4. DON’T do too much at once! A life review is a big job. Break it down into headings and work on one section at a time. I was 60 when I realised I didn’t want to wake up next to my thenhusband for the next 20 years, but I couldn’t have coped with that bit of the ‘audit’ if I was also trying to change family relationships or overhaul my work.

5. A LIFE review inevitably produces regrets. Remember: you did what you thought was right at the time. Clear your mind of guilt and think about the time you were at your very happiest. Recreating that is your goal now.