If you have achieved these 5 things by 60, then you’re winning at life

  • 3 min read

There’s no universal scoreboard for life.

Some people measure success by the size of their bank account, others by the legacy they leave behind, and some by how often they smile on a Tuesday morning.

But if you’ve hit 60 and you’re wondering where you stand, here’s a refreshing thought: success doesn’t have to be flashy. In fact, some of the most meaningful achievements are the quiet ones—felt more deeply than they’re ever seen.

So, if you’ve checked off these five things by the time you hit your sixties, I’d argue you’re not just doing fine—you’re winning at life.

Let’s get into it.

1. You’ve cultivated deep, authentic relationships

At 60, your social circle might look very different than it did at 30.

Some friends fade away, others stay, and a few new ones come in when you least expect it. But here’s the real question: do you have people in your life you can truly be yourself around?

Whether it’s a partner, a lifelong friend, or your adult children—you’re winning if:

  • You’ve learned to love and be loved without conditions.

  • You can pick up the phone, share a laugh, or cry in someone’s presence without judgment.

  • You’ve let go of toxic ties, even when it was painful.

Psychologists have long pointed to the importance of social bonds for long-term well-being. The Harvard Study of Adult Development—one of the longest-running studies on happiness—found that good relationships were the single biggest predictor of health and fulfillment as we age.

So if you’ve got even a handful of people who truly see you—and you see them—you’ve already won more than most.

Ask yourself: Who do I call when something good—or bad—happens? Who truly knows the real me?

2. You’ve made peace with your past

By 60, life has probably thrown a few curveballs.

Maybe you made decisions you regret. Hurt people. Got hurt. Took a path that didn’t work out. Or maybe you lived a life others expected of you before carving your own way later.

Winning at life doesn’t mean having a perfect track record. It means learning from the past, forgiving yourself (and others), and not letting old wounds define your present.

There’s a quiet strength in looking back and saying:

  • “I did the best I could with what I knew.”

  • “That chapter hurt, but it helped me grow.”

  • “I no longer need to carry this.”

Making peace doesn’t mean forgetting—it means softening the edges so your past no longer steals joy from your present.

As the Buddha once said, “You can’t travel the path until you become the path.” If you’ve managed to integrate your experiences—good, bad, and everything in between—you’re not just surviving. You’re evolving.

Ask yourself: Is there anything I still blame myself for that I’m ready to release?

3. You’ve found something that gives you purpose

By 60, you might be retired. Or you might still be working. Maybe you’ve raised children, launched a business, cared for someone through illness, or contributed quietly to your community.

But beyond roles and titles, have you found a reason to get up in the morning?

Purpose doesn’t have to be grand. You don’t need to save the planet. Sometimes, purpose is found in:

  • Taking care of a garden and watching it bloom.

  • Mentoring someone who looks up to you.

  • Writing your thoughts in a journal that nobody else will ever read.

Having a sense of purpose has been linked with better physical health, longer life spans, and even lower rates of cognitive decline.

And here’s the thing: purpose often shifts over time. What gave your life meaning at 30 may not hold the same weight at 60. But if you’ve stayed curious enough to keep searching—and humble enough to reinvent yourself when needed—you’re doing better than most.

Ask yourself: What makes me feel useful, alive, or connected to something bigger than myself?

4. You’ve taken care of your health—not perfectly, but intentionally

Let’s face it—our bodies change.

Maybe your knees don’t bend like they used to. Maybe you’ve got a few more pills in the medicine cabinet. That’s life. But winning at 60 doesn’t mean having the blood pressure of a 25-year-old.

It means having awareness of your health, respect for your body, and the discipline to take care of it.

That might look like:

  • Moving your body every day, even if it’s just a walk.

  • Getting regular checkups, not waiting for a crisis.

  • Saying no to things (and people) that drain you.

  • Eating in a way that supports your energy, not your ego.

And it’s not just physical. Mental and emotional health matter just as much—arguably more. If you’ve developed coping strategies, built emotional resilience, and know when to ask for help—you’ve cultivated real strength.

As Buddhist psychology reminds us, “The mind is everything. What you think, you become.” If you’ve protected your peace, preserved your joy, and honored your limits, you’ve taken care of the most important home you’ll ever live in—yourself.

Ask yourself: Am I treating my body and mind like they matter?

5. You’ve learned how to truly enjoy your own company

This one is subtle. But powerful.

By 60, most people have spent decades rushing—working, parenting, chasing, achieving. But eventually, the noise fades. The kids grow up. The career slows down. And what’s left is… you.

Are you comfortable in that silence?

If you can sit with yourself—without distraction, without judgment—and feel a quiet contentment, then you’ve reached a place many never do.

True happiness, as many spiritual traditions suggest, isn’t found in constant stimulation. It’s found in presence. In peace. In the ordinary.

So if you’ve learned to enjoy your mornings with a cup of tea, appreciate a quiet afternoon nap, or walk by the river without needing to document it for anyone—you’ve tapped into something most people spend their whole lives searching for.

Ask yourself: Can I be alone without feeling lonely? Can I be still without needing to be somewhere else?

Final thoughts: the real scoreboard is internal

If you’ve ticked off these five things by the time you’re 60, here’s the truth:

You’ve cultivated a life rich in meaning, connection, and peace.

That doesn’t mean it’s been easy. It means you’ve done the work—internally and externally—to grow into someone you can be proud of.

You’ve built relationships that matter. You’ve made peace with your past. You’ve stayed curious, kind, and committed to something beyond yourself. You’ve honored your health, even when it was inconvenient. And you’ve learned to enjoy your own company—perhaps the rarest skill of all.

That, my friend, is winning.

Not by anyone else’s standards—but by the ones that actually count.

And that’s the only scoreboard worth keeping.

Related Stories from Jeanette Brown

Picture of Lachlan Brown

Lachlan Brown

I love writing practical articles that help others live a mindful and better life. I have a graduate degree in Psychology and I’ve spent the last 6 years reading and studying all I can about human psychology and practical ways to hack our mindsets.
Your Retirement, Your Way

Design a retirement you actually recognise as your own

Explore the course

Related articles

Elderly woman in cozy sweater relaxes indoors with a book in a serene setting.

The most alive people in their second act aren’t the busiest or the calmest — they’re the ones whose weeks clearly reflect what they actually believe matters now

The 5 types of wealth that actually matter after 60—and why focusing on money alone quietly leaves so many people feeling unfulfilled

7 things retired people wish they could tell their 55-year-old selves

A cheerful couple having coffee and conversation in a cozy indoor setting, with a laptop on the table.

Most people don’t realize that a familiar face behind a counter can become the difference between isolation and just enough belonging to get through another week

Most people treat happiness like a destination they’ll reach after enough effort, sacrifice, and planning — and then spend retirement wondering why arriving at the place they’d dreamed about feels like standing in an empty room

The people who seem happiest aren’t the ones who eliminated struggle from their lives — they’re the ones who found something worth struggling for and let the joy emerge from the engagement itself

Load more

Most read articles

You don’t need a grand purpose in retirement—just a reason to get up each morning (and why it matters more than you think)

The Tuesday morning that changed Susan’s retirement

Senior woman with glasses writing in a notebook while sitting on a couch indoors.

The simple energy audit that completely changed how I design my week—and why it might transform yours too

Woman in hard hat using tablet for construction project in unfinished interior.

There’s a specific kind of clarity that arrives when you stop waiting for your second act to reveal itself and start designing it the way you once designed a career

She thought retirement would feel like peace—but instead, it feels like being handed a life she doesn’t know how to live

A mature woman in a reflective mood rests peacefully on a pillow indoors.

Retirement gives you time—but not direction: how to design days that actually feel like yours

Load more

Trending around the web

6 costly mistakes that routinely survive grammar checkers, AI tools, and self-editing — and that a trained proofreader finds in the first pass

6 costly mistakes that routinely survive grammar checkers, AI tools, and self-editing — and that a trained proofreader finds in the first pass

The Expert Editor
Psychology says people who over-explain every decision they make aren’t insecure about the decision — they’re preemptively managing your disappointment in them

Psychology says people who over-explain every decision they make aren’t insecure about the decision — they’re preemptively managing your disappointment in them

The Vessel
The psychology behind people who deflect every compliment, qualify every achievement before someone else can, and preemptively point out their own flaws

The psychology behind people who deflect every compliment, qualify every achievement before someone else can, and preemptively point out their own flaws

The Expert Editor
8 things mentally strong people do every single day that build the kind of inner strength that holds up when life gets hard enough to test it, says psychology

8 things mentally strong people do every single day that build the kind of inner strength that holds up when life gets hard enough to test it, says psychology

The Vessel
If you remain silent when others argue, say nothing when you could easily say something, and let moments pass that most people would fill with noise, you’re not weak or indifferent, you’re someone who has learned that silence is where you actually think, and that most words spoken in heated moments are just stress looking for somewhere to land

If you remain silent when others argue, say nothing when you could easily say something, and let moments pass that most people would fill with noise, you’re not weak or indifferent, you’re someone who has learned that silence is where you actually think, and that most words spoken in heated moments are just stress looking for somewhere to land

The Expert Editor
The 8 best editing tools for writers who care about voice, clarity, and precision — not just catching typos

The 8 best editing tools for writers who care about voice, clarity, and precision — not just catching typos

The Expert Editor
Load more

A letter now and then

Every so often I send out reflections, resources and practical tools on designing this next chapter — the sort of thinking I'd share with a friend over coffee. If it sounds useful, come along.

By submitting this form, you understand and agree to our Privacy Terms