Shifting gears in your 50s, 60s, and 70s
You're not too old ... in fact, you're just in time!
Gary Bloomer | SHAKING THE TREE # 311
Pssst!
Want to know a secret?
Your 50s, 60s, and 70s are your creative prime.
There. I’ve said it.
I’ve been hearing a lot of chatter lately—whispers of “Is it too late?” or “Have I missed the boat?” … and all sorts of other mind-numbing nonsense.
Usually, these questions come from people in their 50s, 60s, or 70s who feel like the world of content creation, marketing, and entrepreneurship has become a young person’s game. They see the 22-year-old TikTok stars and the “30 under 30” lists and feel like they’re running out of runway.
I’ve been thinking about this myself of late after being passed over for a job that I’m way over qualified for … and I’ll bet dollars to doughnuts that the role will go to someone in their mid-thirties.
Such is life. Is it fair?
No.
But it’s the reality and the only way it’s going to change is by people like us (people in their 50s, 60s, and 70s) MAKING THE CHANGE.
Let’s get one thing straight: You aren’t “shifting gears” because you’re slowing down. You’re shifting gears because you’ve finally reached the terrain where your engine can actually perform.
If you’re reading this and feeling the itch to start something new—a Substack, a consultancy, a book, a brand—I want you to stop looking at the clock.
You aren’t late.
In fact, you’re right on time.
The myth of the early start
We’ve been sold a lie that innovation is the exclusive province of the youth. But here’s the reality: youth has energy, but it often lacks context.
When you’re in your 50s, 60s, and 70s, you possess something that no algorithm can replicate and no “growth hacker” can shortcut: earned scars. Those scars are your credentials. They represent decades of seeing patterns, surviving market cycles, and understanding the messy, beautiful complexity of human nature.
In today’s world of AI slop and surface-level content, your depth is your greatest competitive advantage.
While everyone else is going an inch deep and a mile wide, you have the capacity to go an inch wide and a mile deep.
That’s where the authority lives.
The confidence of “enough”
One of the most powerful things about “shifting gears” later in life is that you’re often operating from a different set of motives.
You’re likely done chasing the “money script” just for the sake of a bigger number.
You’ve reached, or are reaching, the point of “enough.”
When you aren’t desperate for validation or a quick buck, your work changes. It becomes more honest. It becomes more daring.
You stop asking for permission because you realize you never needed it in the first place. This is the decade of the Generalist with an edge—someone who can connect the dots because they’ve seen more of the map.
Why now is the perfect time
The Bar is Lower Than You Think: Don’t let the polished “influencers” fool you. Much of what is being produced today is stale and derivative. If you show up with a unique perspective and a genuine voice, you will stand out simply by being real.
Technology is a Partner, Not a Barrier: You don’t need to be a coder to build a digital empire. Tools like Substack, Loom, and even AI are there to amplify your wisdom, not replace it. Use them to do the heavy lifting so you can focus on the “Shaking the Tree” part—the thinking, the reframing, and the connecting.
Your Audience is Waiting: There is a massive, underserved audience of people exactly like you who are tired of being talked down to by creators who haven’t lived. They want to hear from someone who has been in the trenches.
Shaking the Tree
If you’ve been waiting for a sign to get moving, consider this it.
Don’t worry about being a digital native. Be a wisdom native. Your life experience is the ultimate secret weapon that the 20-somethings haven’t earned yet.
Stop looking back at what you should have done. Look at the 36 months in front of you.
They matter more than you can possibly imagine.
You have the pace, you have the perspective, and you finally have the permission—the permission you gave yourself.
You aren’t late to the party.
You’re the guest of honor, and the conversation is just getting interesting.
It’s time to crank up the volume.
And finally: for years I’ve thought I should write a book! and for one reason or another I’ve always put it off. But now, as I approach my 63rd birthday, I’m in the process of writing FIVE books: a fictional memoire, a work of fiction, and three non-fiction works.
And since the beginning of the year I’ve made progress on all five projects, three of which are in final editing, one of which is in final writing, and the rest of which are in in flux. So, if I can do this, so can you!
As always, thanks for reading.
—Gary
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P.S. If you found this useful, share it with another creator who needs an ego check (in a nice way). Want more unfiltered takes on content creation? Join my newsletter. No fluff, just the stuff that works.
Next time on Shaking the Tree: Why I’m moving to Beehiiv …
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Originally from the U.K., Gary Bloomer is a writer, branding advocate, marketing specialist, and an award-winning graphic designer.
His design work has been included in Creative Review (one of the UK’s largest design magazines). Since 2009, he has answered over 5,000 marketing and business questions in the Know-How Exchange of MarketingProfs.com, placing him among the top 3% of contributors. He lives in Wilmington, Delaware, USA.