Make Your Own Rules: A New Way to Live, Work and Thrive After 50

7 smart shifts to help you ditch outdated rules and live more fully

Making my own rules in the Maldives!

I used to think I had to follow the rules to win at life. Then I left the rules — and the country — behind.

Fifteen years on the road will change how you see things.

When you’ve lived in dozens of places, immersed yourself in other cultures, and watched people thrive in ways that don’t fit the Western script, you start to notice just how rigid, and broken, that script really is.

The pressure to work hard, buy property, climb the ladder, retire at 65, is still deeply embedded in how so many people live. But from where I’m standing, those rules are hurting the very people they were meant to protect.

Economies are shifting. Power structures are being rewritten. Technology is moving so fast most can’t keep up. And the gap between effort and reward is growing by the day.

But I'm one of the lucky ones.

Because I don’t play by society’s rules anymore, I’m not afraid of what’s coming.

I’m free to move, to pivot and to earn from anywhere.

And I genuinely believe that’s one of the smartest positions you can be in right now.

Being a digital nomad, running your own small, flexible business, living life on your terms isn't just a lifestyle choice anymore. It’s a power move for the next few decades.

Because we’re not going back to the old ways. We’re moving into something new. And that means rethinking everything, from how we spend our time, to how we earn our income, and what success really means to us now.

So if the old rules no longer fit, what do we do instead?

We start paying attention and asking better questions.

And most of all, we give ourselves permission to write our own.

1. Old Rule: Success Means Climbing The Ladder

New Frame: What if success means knowing when to get off the ladder?

For most of us, success was always tied to movement. Climb higher, earn more, get promoted, buy the bigger house, build the retirement fund. It was a steady path with clear milestones, and for years it made sense. You worked hard, made sacrifices, provided for others, and now you’re here.

But so many people I talk to in that position are exhausted. They've done everything they were supposed to. The job title is respectable, the income solid, the mortgage nearly done. But it's a daily slog just trying to stay ahead.

Underneath the surface, they’re wondering if they have another ten years of this in them. Whether it’s worth continuing at full tilt, or whether it's finally time to stop living for the future and do something that feels good now.

That’s not abandoning delayed gratification. That’s waking up.

The game has changed. Retirement isn’t what it used to be. Inflation has stretched the cost of living beyond what many planned for, and “freedom years” are starting later and feeling shorter.

Meanwhile, the pressure to stay productive well into our 60s is quietly eating away at the time and energy we could be using for something else entirely.

Like living life fully and becoming master of our own destiny.

Success today might mean creating a small, flexible income that lets you travel more and work less. Or choosing a slower, simpler lifestyle that gives you back your mornings. Or just feeling like you have space again.

The ladder only leads where someone else designed it to go.

You get to decide if you stay on it or not.

2. Old Rule: Stability Equals Security

New Frame: What if flexibility is the new safety net?

We were raised to believe that our steady jobs, solid pensions, and paid-off homes would keep us safe. And for a long time, that was true. You put in the hours, followed the rules, and expected to retire with a bit of breathing room.

But the world doesn’t work that way anymore.

Job security has become a moving target. Redundancies are common, even at the top. And the cost of staying put, in one location and system, is rising faster than most incomes.

Even those who did everything right are feeling the squeeze. I see it every week in my inbox or comments. People are cutting back, stressed out, wondering how they’ll stretch what they’ve saved across the next 20 or 30 years.

The system we relied on to provide stability is now the thing many of us feel trapped inside.

But there is another way.

The more adaptable you are, the more secure you become. If you know how to earn in different ways, live in different places, reduce your overheads, or shift your lifestyle quickly when things change, you’re not stuck. You’re mobile, responsive, and free.

That might mean running a digital business that moves with you.

It might mean living part of the year in lower-cost countries, or setting yourself up with multiple income streams so you’re never reliant on one thing to keep you afloat.

You don’t need to be extreme or drop everything overnight. What matters is having options.

Flexibility isn’t the opposite of security. In today’s world, it might just be the strongest version of it.

3. Old Rule: Home Ownership Is The Ultimate Goal

New Frame: What if letting go of stuff is the real freedom?

Owning a home used to be the marker of a life well lived. And for many of us, it still carries a sense of pride and security. We worked hard for it. We spent decades paying down the mortgage, furnishing the rooms, fixing the roof. And somewhere along the way, we were led to believe that being a home owner was the ultimate security.

But now the house is full of stuff, the kids are gone, and the cost of keeping it going keeps rising.

It’s not just the bills. It’s the maintenance, clutter, and responsibility. The quiet sense that the walls are starting to close in, not physically, but in what they demand from you.

At the same time, inflation has shifted what that home is worth. Not just in money, but in value. Property may appreciate on paper, but real-world buying power is shrinking. And the cost of sitting still, in a high-cost economy, is starting to outweigh the comfort it once brought.

This doesn’t mean everyone should sell up and move into a backpack (unless you want to). That’s not the point.

What I’m seeing in my group and inbox, again and again, are people who’ve sold their homes, let go of the things they no longer need, and are now using that freedom (and the funds), to travel the world. Some are house sitting. Some are renting long-term in places where the cost of living is a fraction of what they were used to. Most of them say the same thing: they didn’t realise how heavy everything had become until they let it go.

Experience has become the new goal.

People are choosing places over possessions. Moments over maintenance. And freedom over storage units.

You don’t have to give it all up. But if you’re feeling the weight of what you’ve built, maybe it’s time to ask what’s still serving you, and what’s just taking up space.

4. Old Rule: Work Hard Now, Enjoy Life Later

New Frame: What if later is already here?

My Mum tried to sell me on delayed gratification from an early age. And to be fair, it served her well. She saved, planned, and always made sure the bills were paid before she even looked at a treat. But I’ve never been that good at it.

The older I get, the more I believe this idea of “one day” is one of the biggest traps we’ve been handed.

Put it off. Wait your turn. There’ll be time for that later.

But what if there isn’t?

We’re lucky to be living in a time when we know more about our health than ever before. We have access to advanced scans, blood tests, and proactive diagnostics that our parents could only dream of. And ageing is changing. Technology is helping is slow it down and give us more control over how we age.

But one thing still holds true: you never know how much time you really have.

And while tech is extending our lifespan, it’s travel that’s extending our energy.

There’s nothing like stepping out of your usual routine to remember you’re still alive. The wind on your face, the grass under your feet, the sound of a new language around you. It wakes something up that years of routine tend to numb.

I’ve seen people in their 60s and 70s come alive again on the road. Laugh more. Move more. Try new food, meet new people, fall back in love with life. They didn’t wait until they had the perfect plan or felt fully ready. They just decided that if they were going to work, they’d do it from somewhere beautiful. And if they were going to slow down, they’d do it with purpose, curiosity, and fresh air.

The idea that life begins at retirement doesn’t hold up anymore. Not when the opportunity to build digital income, take on part-time remote work, or turn your hard-earned experience into a small, portable business is more accessible than ever.

You don’t have to quit your job tomorrow or sell everything and disappear. But if you’ve been waiting for the “right time” to fully live, let me tell you, that time is now my friend!

There might not be a later, so do it now.

5. Old Rule: Routine Builds Success

New Frame: What if variety builds resilience and joy?

I’m a bit of a fan of routine. Years ago I heard someone say, “discipline equals freedom”. The idea is that structure gives you space. When you’re not constantly making small decisions, you free up energy for the big ones.

And I do believe there’s truth in that. Routine helps when you’re building something, managing a busy schedule, or just trying to get through a hectic week with some sense of order.

But left unchecked, routine can quietly take over. Before you know it, you’re living a scene out of Groundhog Day. Same roads, same meals, same thoughts, same conversations. You’re not really steering anymore. You’re just clocking in and ticking boxes.

A change in your environment though is all it takes to snap you out of it. I'm not saying pack up and move to a new country tomorrow, unless that's exactly what you want to do. But meet your friend for coffee at a different cafe, go for a different walk, try a new language app, or an unfamiliar recipe. Little jolts of newness switches your brain back on.

Travel does this in the best possible way.

It throws you into unfamiliar streets with unfamiliar smells, sounds, systems. You can’t sleepwalk through it. You have to pay attention and adapt. And in doing so, you remember how capable and resourceful you are. And that makes you feel alive!

Routine has its place. But variety builds resilience. It gives you confidence to navigate change. It keeps your mind flexible and your days more interesting. And most of all, it reconnects you with the part of yourself that thrives on curiosity and discovery, the part that might have been buried under to-do lists for years.

You don’t have to burn the planner. Just give yourself permission to shake things up. Life isn’t meant to be lived on autopilot.

6. Old Rule: You Need a Plan

New Frame: What if you just need to begin, and trust you’ll figure it out?

As I write this, I have a plan.

In a few weeks we’ll leave Brisbane, head to Phuket, then London, then spend some time in Italy with my sister, then back to London for Christmas, then off to South America.

And then? No plan.

And I can’t bloody wait.

Plans are useful. They save you money, help you prepare, give you a sense of security, and make sure all your ducks are somewhat in a row. I love a good spreadsheet and a well-timed Skyscanner deal as much as the next person.

But here’s what not having a plan gives you — total freedom.

• The ability to wake up and say, “Let’s go there instead.”

• To stay longer because you’re loving it, or leave early because the vibe’s off.

• To change your mind.

• To say yes when something unexpected shows up.

A rough direction is always helpful. But very little beats the aliveness that comes with being flexible and open to change.

And before you think I’ve gone completely mad, just ask the thousands of fellow nomads in my 50+ Nomad Facebook group. Many of them are doing exactly the same, living by curiosity and courage, not a rigid itinerary.

It’s definitely a lifestyle choice, and it’s not for everyone. But even if you’re more of a planner, I encourage you to throw caution to the wind once in a while and let yourself move before you know exactly where you’re going. Whether you're travelling to a new country, starting a new project, or launching a side hustle.

Action creates clarity.

You won’t always have all the information you need before making a decision, but you can learn to trust your gut, start before everything feels ready, and believe that you'll figure it out along the way.

Because you will. You always have right?

7. Main Rule: Don’t Take Life Too Seriously, You’ll Never Get Out Alive

Life is hard. For everyone.

Even the people who look like they’ve got it all figured out are carrying something. Grief, regret, worry, loss, we all get a turn. Sometimes it feels like we’re the only ones struggling, but the truth is, everyone has a story. We’re just not always sharing it out loud.

And while we can’t avoid the hard stuff, we can choose how we show up in the middle of it.

Life isn’t here to be endured. It’s here to be lived, fully and generously. To be taken in with open arms, experienced for all it brings, and passed on through joy, wisdom, stories, and love.

Right now, what the world needs more than anything is joy.

Not forced positivity brought on by wine and a self help book (just me? 😉), but people who know how hard life can be, and choose to laugh, connect, travel, dance, and share anyway.

Happiness is a skill. It’s a practice. It’s a decision to fill your own bucket so you have something to give others.

That might mean doing more of what lights you up.

It might mean ignoring pointless arguments on social media, letting things go, and not taking the bait.

It might mean chatting to your neighbours, making a new friend, getting involved in your community, or hopping on a plane and exploring the parts of the world that make you feel most alive.

Choose curiosity over control. Movement over frustration. People over platforms and joy over fear.

As the old saying goes, the only two certainties in life are death and taxes.

So at the risk of sounding a little twee: it goes by in a flash.

What can you do today to live more fully?

Old Rules. New World. Your Move.

The old rules are broken.

For anyone outside the top one percent, life’s getting harder, not easier, and you can feel it. It’s in the headlines, on your phone, in your bank account, at your local café, and in the conversations you’re having with friends & family.

So maybe it’s time we stop trying to make the old mould fit. Maybe it’s time we choose different.

You’re old enough and wise enough to know the difference between what’s right and what’s just expected. Make choices that are good for you, good for the people around you, and good for the bigger picture.

Take back your time and live where you want, create income doing something that lights you up and shape a life that feels like freedom.

Even better? Bring others with you. Be the reason someone smiles today.

The world’s changing.

Are you?