What if your most significant impact, your most authentic joy, and your deepest purpose were still ahead of you?
What if the second half of your life was the beginning of your most meaningful climb?
We’ve built careers, raised families, and checked off the to-do list of adulting.
But now… maybe for the first time, we’re hearing an inner whisper. Perhaps it originates from the mind or maybe the heart. It doesn’t matter.
What matters is what it says:
"There’s more. And it matters."
Climbing the Second Mountain — the letter you're reading now — is for those of us 50 and older who are asking the big questions that, before age 50, we’d simply dismiss.
But now, they seem more urgent.
Question like…
Now that my job title or parental role no longer defines me, who am I?
What do I genuinely care about?
How can I leave behind something meaningful?
Some call this their second act. Others call it a purpose project, an encore career, or a legacy mission.
I call it Climbing the Second Mountain.
Let’s talk about what that means.
You see, most of us spend our early lives climbing what David Brooks coined as the “first mountain.”
It’s the western culture's chorus that compels us to climb:
Acquire an education.
Find a career path.
Make money.
Buy the house.
Raise the kids.
Achieve. Achieve. Achieve
And we do it.
Like hamsters on an exercise wheel, some do it with great success.
But then—something shifts.
For some, it’s a loss. A divorce. Their retirement.
For others, it’s more subtle—a quiet ache. A feeling that there must be something more.
And that’s when we find ourselves in the valley.
The valley can be disorienting.
It can be painful. But it’s also fertile ground.
Because that’s where we begin to hear the call of the second mountain.
This second mountain isn’t about status—it’s about service.
It’s not about climbing higher—it’s about climbing deeper.
It’s about legacy. Love. Community.
Perhaps, faith. Creativity. Contribution.
It’s about asking a compelling question:
“What do I want to give the world before I go?”
I’m not here because I’ve mastered the second mountain.
I’m here because I’m climbing it too.
I wanted to create a space where we can explore this path together.
Because here’s the truth:
This stage of life is not a winding down.
It’s a waking up.
It’s not about fading out—it’s about stepping in to what truly matters.
You have wisdom, time, freedom, and perspective now that you didn’t have in your earlier years.
You have so much to offer. 😊
And this letter? It’s here to support you, challenge you, and remind you that the best parts of your story might still be waiting to be written.
So let me leave you with a few questions to carry with you until next time:
What might your second mountain be?
What’s the thing you can’t ignore any longer?
What story do you want your life to tell?
If you haven't already, click on over to www.BazMorris.com and download my free guide, Identifying Your Second Mountain. There are five worksheets and templates to help you discover your second mountain.
Free Download!
If this edition spoke to you, I hope you’ll share it with a friend, and most of all—start thinking about what your second mountain might be.
Because the climb may be personal, but you don’t have to do it alone.
Until next time,
—take a breath, take a step, and keep climbing.
Baz
P.S. Want to tell me something? Hit 'reply' and have at it! I always answer.
