EPISODE NOTES
This week on Five Minute Friday, we’re taking on a big cultural myth — one that desperately needs a modern-day reboot.
You’ve heard the phrase “The Golden Years” your whole life, right? That overly sentimental term that sounds like it was pulled straight from a 1970s retirement brochure — smiling couple, pastel sweaters, beach walk, soft-focus camera lens… maybe a gentle flute solo in the background?
Yeah. That phrase.
Here’s the problem: “Golden Years” unintentionally suggests winding down. It paints retirement as a mellow, static stage meant for rocking chairs, sunset-watching, and slow-motion pancake flipping. Nice, but… not exactly inspiring.
And let’s be honest — gold doesn’t bend.
It’s inflexible.
Exactly the mindset we do not want heading into retirement.
In this episode, Bob challenges the whole idea and makes the case for a full-on rebrand:
- Retirement isn’t a final act — it’s an encore. And not a quiet one. Think pyrotechnics, laser lights, a guitar solo, and a crowd screaming for more.
- These aren’t years to coast — they’re years to level up.
- Instead of “Golden Years,” maybe it’s time to call them:
- The Prime Time Years
- The Bonus Round
- The Heck Yeah Years
Bob shares his own journey — how he initially fell into the “slow down” mindset after retiring… before quickly realizing he wasn’t built for that. Launching this podcast, exploring new passions, learning new things — this stage of life didn’t shrink him. It expanded him.
And the invitation to listeners?
Define this era for yourself. Boldly. Loudly. Honestly.
If someone says, “Enjoy those Golden Years,” feel free to reply:
“Nope — these are my Shining Years. My Bold Years. My Heck-Yeah-I’m-Still-Here Years.”
Because retirement isn’t the end of the road.
It’s the off-ramp to everything you finally have time to do, pursue, build, and become.
Life doesn’t fade after 60 — it gets brighter. And remember, in retirement, Soul Meets Body.
Join us as we post new episodes weekly!
Connect with Bob: BobbyP@theretiredmindset.com, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, TheRetiredMindset.com.
VIDEO
TRANSCRIPT
Bob: 0:06
Hey mindsetters, Bob Preston here, and welcome to another 5-Minute Friday. Your quick burst of insight, laughter, and a little kick in the pants for living your best life in retirement over the weekend. Well, I’m here today on the front steps of my mountain home in Mammoth Lakes, California. I’m also recording this late. Sorry about that, as I missed a Friday post because I had a super chaotic Thursday and Friday, thanks to my retirement gig, working as a supervisor on the mountain ski resort safety team in Mammoth.
Bob: 0:48
Such an amazing thing for me to be doing in retirement. Going out on skis each day to help anyone having trouble on the slopes, out of their skis, injured, whatever it might be. And our opening day was Thursday, and the second day of the season was Friday. So it’s been really busy for me, but so fun. Helping our guests launch for their 2025-26 ski season at Mammoth Mountain. So here are a few clips of that, so vibrant and full of energy. Hopefully you understand where I’m coming from.
Bob: 1:21
But I thought this was a great opportunity to, I guess, take a segue to today’s topic. And oh yeah, it’s a juicy one, right? And we’re talking about why it’s time, long past time actually, to ditch the phrase golden years. I have had it with that phrase. And you know it, right? The one that sounds like it came straight from a 1970s retirement brochure with a smiling couple and matching pastel sweaters, walking hand in hand on the beach. Yeah, that one. Every time I hear the term golden years, I picture a soft-focused TV commercial where someone’s flipping pancakes in slow motion, smiling way too hard, and there’s this gentle flute solo playing in the background, you know, maybe retiring over to their rocking chairs or something like that. But here’s the thing: the phrase drips with this weird mix of nostalgia and decline.
Bob: 2:17
It’s like saying, Hey, congratulations on making it this far. Now grab your rocking chair, enjoy the sunset because you’ve earned it. No, no, no, no, no. These years aren’t the final act. They’re the encore, and I’m not talking about one of those quiet acoustic encores either. I’m talking about full pyrotechnics, laser lights, guitar solo, crowd on their feet screaming for more and more. And here’s what bugs me most about the phrase golden.
Bob: 2:44
It implies we’ve hit some mellow, static phase where we’re supposed to just chill and coast. But life doesn’t come with cruise control button. At least in my life it doesn’t, right? We finally have time, wisdom, and freedom, and that’s when the real living can begin. So I ask, why label it like it’s some trophy for surviving middle age? I mean, let’s face it, there’s a reason gold doesn’t bend. It’s inflexible, right? And that’s exactly the mindset we should be avoiding in retirement, okay? You see, I say it’s time for a rebrand.
Bob: 3:21
Forget golden years. Let’s call this era something different, like way more honest, fun, and energizing. You could pick your term, I guess. How about primetime years? Finally free to do what we actually want to do, or bonus round, like a video game when you’ve earned extra lives and all the points really start racking up. Or maybe just, I don’t know, freedom years? I don’t know. You could probably come up with one that labels your life. That’s got a nice ring to it though, doesn’t it? The freedom years where we get to design our days on a regular basis instead of just filling them.
Bob: 3:56
When I first retired, I’ll admit I thought I’d slow down. I don’t know, maybe nap a little extra. No, I’m just kidding. I realized very early on that that’s not who I am. And I didn’t want to fade into a recliner and watching TV. No, no, no. I wanted to level up, right? I wanted to bring it up a notch. So I started exploring. I started creating, learning, launching this podcast, for example. And guess what? I feel more alive and more curious and more driven than I did in my 40s. Okay, sure, my knees ache a little bit more now when they go downstairs, but hey, they still work and pretty damn good, I’m not gonna lie. And that’s a win in my book.
Bob: 4:40
So here’s my challenge to you, mindsetters. Next time someone says, ah, you’re in the golden years, just smile and say, Nope, these are my shining years, my bold years, my hell yeah, I’m still going years. Because retirement isn’t the end of the road. It’s just the off-ramp to everything you never had time for before. At least that’s how I like to view it, and I hope you agree with that, and you’ll view it that way too.
Bob: 5:05
Come on now, let’s make it retirement, life beyond the ordinary, where soul meets body. Because we’re out there shining, growing, experimenting, and living out loud. All right, that’s it for this five-minute Friday. If this episode made you laugh, think, or roll your eyes, whatever, just a little. Hey, do me a favor, like, share, subscribe, or leave a review to help spread the word. And remember, life doesn’t fade after 60, it gets brighter.
Bob: 5:35
And so I’ll see you next Friday. Until then, keep your mindset retired, but your spirit fired up. And just remember in retirement, soul meets body. Hey, thanks for joining me today on another Five Minute Friday. We’ll see you next week. The retired mindset, Five minute Friday. Short episodes in five minutes or less.