Traditionally conversations about the next chapter of our lives typically about slowing down. We’re told that the aspiration is to relax more and ease into the next chapter of our lives.

I get it. After years of hard work, you probably want to spend more time doing stuff you love with people you love and like.

But here’s the paradox.

All the evidence points to the fact that we need way more than more relaxation to live a happy life. We need purpose. We need to feel we add value to the world. We benefit from experiencing more awe.

Also, if you’ve got way more time in the next chapter of your life, I believe that your 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond could be the era where you, not only spend more time doing what you love, but also doing the things you’re most passionate about and proud of.

So, there’s an amazing opportunity, but there’s also a problem.

There are 7 elements of our lives we need to focus on to make sure we’re in a position not only to spend the next chapter of our lives in a more relaxing way but also doing things that provide satisfaction and purpose.

And my experience of working with clients helping them plan and prepare for the next chapter of their lives for the past 20 odd years, is that we’ve probably only prepared ourselves in about 50% of them.

So, in this video, I want to break down the 7 elements of the things I’d recommend you focus on as you approach the next chapter of your life to make sure it’s the happiest and most productive chapter of your life.

You haven’t got to look that far to find examples of individuals who have started working on and achieved amazing things in their 50s, 60s and beyond.

After all, Da Vinci was no spring chicken at 61 when he painted the Mona Lisa, and JRR Tolkien didn’t publish the Lord of the Rings until he was in his early 60s and Benjamin Franklin drafted the US constitution at the ripe older age of 81.

Now your aspirations might not draft the documents used to govern a country, publish a fantasy classic or paint a masterpiece.

Now I’ve been fortunate to work as a chartered financial planner for a couple of decades, have read hundreds of books about successful retirement and the next chapters and learned lessons from clients who are living the next chapter of their lives not only happy, but also inspired to do things they really care about.

So, here’s the 7 elements I believe it takes to live not only the happiest but also the most productive chapter of your life.

Also, one side note here. I’m not talking about productivity for someone else. In this context I simply mean doing more of what gives you purpose and care about.

Also, one (extra) side note. Although I mentioned the Mona Lisa as a masterpiece, my own opinion, and this might be a bit controversial is that the Mona Lisa is probably the most overrated piece of art in the world! What do you think?

So, let’s talk about the elements I’d recommend you consider when thinking about having the most inspired next chapter of your life. I’ve got a feeling at least two will surprise you…

Let’s start with a curiousity and growth mindset

The individuals I see who really thrive in their 50s and 60s as they go into the next chapter of their lives tend to have an interesting perspective on both life and the world.

They tend to approach the next chapter of their lives with a sense of both curiousities, asking loads of questions about both them and others… and a massive appreciation (and most importantly desire) that they’ve probably got a lot to learn and relearn about this chapter of their lives.

The reality is that we’ve almost certaintly built a range of knowledge, experience and skills in the past 5 or 6 decades, but the ones that thrive in the next 2 to 3 decades tend to continue the journey of curiousity, growth and a beginner’s mindset where we might appreciate that we’ve still got loads to learn.

For the definitive book on this perspective on the world, I’d recommend you pick up Dr Carol Dwecks books on this particular subject, mindset.

I believe many of the insights shared in this book about a more helpful mindset to adopt as we approach the change that retirement, or whatever happens next for you, might bring us.

Next, it’s health as a baseline

One subject we don’t talk about enough when it comes to thriving in the next chapter of our lives is our physical ability to do the things we want to do for as long as we want them.

You see often when financial planners talk with their clients they often talk about lifespan. Financial planners, and I’ve been guilty of this too, often talk about making sure your money lasts for as long as you do.

However, here’s the important thing. The underdiscussed thing is the physical ability to do the things we want to do with our lives. This means talking about two important things…

Firstly, if you’re looking at your financial plan, it’s potentially spending more in the earlier years in the earlier years of retirement, or whatever you intend to do in the next chapter of your lives, whilst your health, physical ability and energy levels remain high.

However, it’s also important to ensure that you appreciate that an investment in your own health is as vital as an investment in your financial freedom.

The good news is that regardless of where you are health wise today there’s always a bunch of progress you can make and a range of options to choose to make being more healthy fun.

So, lift weights. Play padel tennis. Cycle. Run. Walk

Eat well. Focus on getting better sleep. Get a relatively regular health check organised.

Also, get help if you need it. I know that my experience is that doing something social which also helps me maintain decent levels of fitness is the way which works for me. The right route for you might be something different including hiring a personal trainer.

The key here is to focus on what you can do to maintain and improve your physical health for the remainder of your life, so you can live the life you truly deserve for as long as you can.

I know that this often feels like a lot of hard work at the start. Often that’s because it is… but my experience is that a focus on physical health and wellbeing provides a foundation for an amazing next chapter of your life.

It’s also important to talk about friendships.

One of the most powerful predictors of happiness in later life isn’t wealth, career success, or even health – it’s relationships. The famous Harvard Study of Adult Development, which tracked people for over 80 years, found that strong social bonds were the single greatest factor for living both a longer and happier life.

Yet, this is often an area people underestimate. Leaving work can sometimes mean losing a whole network of colleagues and friends. If you don’t intentionally rebuild those connections, loneliness can creep in.

So, ask yourself

• Who do I want to spend more time with? 
• What friendships need rekindling? 
• Where could I find new circles of people who share my interests? 

One of the biggest areas a lot of new retirees suffer from is a lack of purpose. Which is why it’s so important to examine and redefine our purpose in the next chapter of our lives.

For decades, your sense of purpose may have been wrapped up in your career. Your work gave you structure, identity, and a sense of contribution. When that stops, many people find themselves asking: Who am I now?

Purpose doesn’t need to be grand or world changing. For some, it’s volunteering, mentoring, or creating something new. For others, it’s becoming the glue that holds a family together, caring for grandchildren, or championing a cause close to your heart.

The key question to ask yourself is: Where do I still want to make a difference?

Because when you’re clear on that, life feels less like drifiting and more like steering.

When I think about my purpose it includes a bunch of things including being a good dad, a decent husband but it’s also really important to make sure that I’m helping people not only with the service I provide as a chartered financial planner but also the ideas I share in my Youtube videos.

That’s why I’d love you to do me a favor. If you can subscribe to the What Happens Next Youtube channel, and let me know what the most useful and beneficial element we’ve shared that you’ve enjoyed I’d really appreciate it!

Money as a tool not a goal

Here’s where my 20 years as a Chartered Financial Planner comes in. Money absolutely matters. It buys freedom, security, and choices. But it should never be the end goal – it’s the enabler.

Too many people either obsess over having “enough” (without defining what enough means), or they avoid thinking about money altogether and hope for the best. Neither approach works.

The real question is: What do you want your money to do for you? 

• Do you want to travel more? 
• Support your family? 
• Invest in experiences or personal projects? 
• Leave a legacy for causes you care about?

Clarity here is essential. Because once you know what you want your money to achieve, financial planning stop being about numbers and starts being about possibilty.

Contribution and community

One of the most overlooked but powerful drivers of fulfilment is contribution. Simply the sense that you’re giving something back.

This doesn’t have to mean philanthopy on a grand scale. Contribution can be:

This doesn’t have to mean philanthropy on a grand scale. Contribution can be: 

• Mentoring younger generations. 
• Sharing your expertise in a part-time role. 
• Volunteering for a local cause. 
• Supporting your community in small but meaningful ways. 

And then there’s legacy. Not just the financial legacy of what you leave behind, but the stories, values and lessons that live on in others because of you.

Ask yourself:

What do I want people to remember about this chapter of my life?

Because here’s the thing: Legacy is not just about what happens after you’re gone. It’s also about the impact you create while you’re still here.

I’m personally thinking about community a lot at the minute, including how I help people navigate the next chapter of their lives in the most successful way possible.

It’s the reason we’re launching something really special early next year to support people who are in their 50s or 60s and wondering about ‘What Happens Next’ in their lives.

What we’re building at the minute, will include a community designed to support, act as a sound board, and help you ensure that the next chapter of your life is a great one!

The aim is to launch this early in 2026, but if you’d like to join the waiting list, you can do here.

I’ve left my most contentious point until last… but I think it’s really important to thrive in the next chapter of your life to remember you’re going to die.

This might sound a little morbid at first, but hear me out!

The ancient Stoic philosophers had a practice known as memento mori, which literally means “remember you must die.” Far from being depressing, it was actually meant to inspire people to live more fully.

Here’s the paradox: when we confront the reality of our limited time, we stop wasting it.

Think about it. How many of us postpone our dreams, delay our passions, or put off what matters most because we think we’ll “get to it later”? The truth is, none of us know how much “later” we’ve got.

Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor and Stoic, once wrote: “You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do, say, and think.”

It’s a sobering reminder, but also a freeing one.

Because if you really let that sink in, you’ll stop living by default and start living by design. You’ll take more risks, love more deeply, forgive more easily, and prioritise the things that give you meaning instead of those that merely distract you.

So, in the next chapter of your life, ask yourself: 

If today were my last, would I be proud of how I’m living it? 

That simple reflection – done daily – can transform not only how you experience your next chapter, but also the legacy you leave behind. 

There’s one other thing I also reckon we need to do to maximise our opportunity to thrive in the next chapter of our lives. That’s challenge the perception of retirement. This video explains why I believe the conventional retirement model might not be working for you.

And 

If you wanted a deeper dive into the elements of mindset we might want to consider when we’re thinking about the next chapter of our lives, this video does a deeper diver into how mindset can really help us thrive in retirement.