Why Reinvention is the Key to a Fulfilling Life After 50

And how to make it happen

Jerry Keszka

Courage to:

Reinvent Yourself: He embodies the power of reinvention, demonstrating that it's never too late to change careers, pursue passions, and create a life you love.

Defy Convention: Jerry challenges the status quo and encourages others to break free from societal expectations and forge their own paths.

Embrace Authenticity: He champions transparency and truth, inspiring others to live authentically and express their unique voices.

Prioritize Freedom: Jerry values freedom and flexibility above all else, showing others how to build online businesses that support their desired lifestyles.

Meet

Jerry Keszka

: Plus50Forward

Q: Tell us a bit about your background.  

I was born in the late 1960s in Poland's lake district. I spent my childhood connected to nature—clean-water lakes and magnificent forests. 

Like everyone else, I was raised believing in education and hard work. So, I ended up with a couple of diplomas, including PhD in Animal Cytogenetics. 

But the reality of adulthood hit me hard. Fixed working hours and salaries wouldn’t give me the freedom and lifestyle I wanted. 

I decided to reinvent myself and change my career to pursue my passion for fashion and beauty. After gaining experience in the area and creating a new portfolio, I moved to London. 

It was exciting at first. My work was featured in top magazines, fashion shows, and TV programs. I started freelancing in London. After a few years, I moved to Australia and lived in Sydney and Melbourne. 

I worked for some of the top companies in the world, and many people would die for those jobs. 

But behind the scenes, my life was anything but glamorous. I worked crazy hours, including weekends, and I ended up being exhausted and burned out. 

I knew something had to change, but I didn´t know how. 

In the meantime, I followed my curiosity and tried writing on every platform to share my experience and work. I had blogs on Blogger, Tumblr, and WordPress. I didn't make any money at first, but I have learned many skills, like building websites, landing pages, lead magnets, growing an email list,  writing newsletters, and writing content. 

But when I started writing on Medium, all my previous experience paid off. After three months, I became a top writer in entrepreneurship and productivity, making four figures regularly every month. 

Later, I became obsessed with building an email list, writing a newsletter,  creating offers and products, and converting the audience into paid clients.

That is what really makes you successful. 

Q: If you had to choose an SEO keyword for your life, what would it be? 

It is challenging to use one word as I follow my curiosity, love trying new things,  learn, travel, and continually grow as a person.

But if have to use just one word it would be:” Reinvent”  

Q: What are your hobbies, passions, obsessions, or what excites or inspires you? What sets your soul on fire?

I have multiple interests, including anything related to nature, the digital economy, marketing, tools, psychology, education, and writing.

Corporations have convinced us to focus on a narrow area of expertise. I disagree with this as it prevents humans from personal development and growth. 

Our ancestors had multiple skills. They could build houses and had an entrepreneurial mindset. They exchanged their skills and self-made goods and products, which is how they made a living. 

Business is about selling services and products. 

The Industrial Revolution stopped it and put them into factories and offices. We were not born to spend life in a factory or a cubicle. We are natural-born hunters, nomads, and explorers. 

I am passionate about health, travel, and food. But I like great food, so you will never see me eating fast food or drinking frenzy drinks. 

I love people with passion and purpose who enrich humanity and oppose a mainstream, predesigned lifestyle.

My heroes are people who break rigid rules and injustice and live on their own terms. 

Q: What is the most courageous thing you’ve ever done? 

My friends say I have done many courageous things, like walking away from a scientific career after my PhD or moving to London with £ 150. 

But the most courageous thing is that I am not afraid of any changes and reinventing myself. 

Q: Why do you write on Substack? 

I am new to Substack, and I love it.  I started my publication Plus 50 Forward at the end of July this year, and I already have about 665 subscribers, and my community is growing fast. 

I tried many different platforms, but Substack is my favorite. The quality of the people is second to none. I get terrific feedback and have already made great connections, and I constantly discover new, fantastic people on the platform. 

My writing took off on Medium and I can recognize some writers from there. I discovered many amazing writers here on Substack but have never seen them on Medium. And some of them have been there for years. 

That simply indicates that the Medium algorithm favors only certain authors, and it is much harder to discover talented writers, even with serious recognition. 

An example is Veronica Llorca-Smith. We have started about the same time on Medium and I have never seen any of her articles there. I didn’t even know that she existed and I discovered her straight away on Substack. 

So Substcak is much better for discovering quality creators, networking, creating community, and monetizing skills. 

I mainly write on Substack to create a strong community and support for people over 50 who want to thrive in life, reinvent themselves, and take advantage of the digital economy. 

Q: What are your values as a writer/creator/leader? 

Transparency and telling the truth.  

We live in a toxic culture that values profit over people,  conformity over creativity, and competition over cooperation. 

I tried to live a predesigned by society life, but that made me financially illiterate, miserable, unhappy, and on the verge of a nervous breakdown. So, I broke all the rules and created my own path. 

It was not easy, but I earned the freedom of telling the truth because I am not part of any establishment or organization I must be loyal to. 

Respect must be earned, not forced by any made-up titles or privileges. I care what people do, not what they say. 

I aim to show people there are better ways than blindly following the crowd. 

Life is full of different flavors and colors. But you will never discover them when you follow the same patterns as everyone else. Then your life becomes black and white or grey. 

I love life and want to share my passion, experience, and lessons with others. 

I tried different careers, professions, and paths but nothing brings greater satisfaction than solopreneurship. It gives you real freedom.

I help people over 50 build lifestyle-friendly online incomes and thrive in a changing world. 

Q: How do you connect with your readers/team? 

I write a weekly newsletter, answer comments on my Notes, leave feedback on other newsletters and Notes, and use group chat and private messages. 

Sometimes I even hop on a Zoom. 

I will introduce soon new ways of communication, so watch this space.

Q: Why did you join the Connected Community project, and how do you find it so far? 

I was excited when you invited me, Magdalena. I am a big fan of your writing. The Connected Community project is such a great idea. I find it very interesting as a place to discover new ideas, inspiration, and people. 

I have also seen some amazing people who subscribe to my Substack and participate in your project. I am really excited about Substack, and I want to spread the word. 

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Jerry Keszka

would love to hear from you!