Once you cross the over 50 mark, it's not a time to worry about getting older or put as much emphasis on career or how much you earn.

It's a golden moment in which we can pause to reflect and take stock of the most important things in life: family, friends, a more relaxed lifestyle and social connectivity. Many say it's the best time of our life. Our children probably have their own homes and families, in which you are undoubtedly an important part. You may feel a little lost with all this undiscovered freedom. But the truth is, it's almost like going back to those teen years, with limitless potential for fun and enjoyment! With the world at your fingertips once again, it's an opportunity to live your life the way you want. Find out what you love doing and take pride in new hobbies, new passions and try new things you may not have previously had the chance to do. They all say life begins at 50, I couldn't agree more. As an example, after I hit this milestone, I achieved some great things, including pioneering an innovative living, care and lifestyle solution with my latest venture（冒险事业）—Odyssey Lifestyle Care Communities.

Odyssey celebrates life's journey and aims to provide affordable high-end permanent living arrangements, within a community setting that delivers increasing levels of care. Built around a resort style environment, the Odyssey model has set an excellent example in the industry by demonstrating the power of putting people first.

As a passionate advocate for consumer-directed care models of service, I think the Government's recommendation of Australia adopting a rights-based system in their final report of the Royal Commission into Aged Care, is certainly a step in the right direction.

Odyssey's model is driven by a people-centred approach that places residents at the forefront of all our decisions, which is why we decided to incorporate and invest in technologies that ensure health and safety.

It's called the Bank of Happiness, but it has nothing to do with money. Founded a year ago in Estonia's capital Tallinn, it's a forum in which more than 2,000 members from Estonia and other countries connect to offer or receive services free of charge.

The site carries more than 500 ads in English, German and Estonian from people offering or seeking all kinds of things, including teaching and tips on cooking. The website is also translated into French and Spanish.

Founder Airi Kivi says the goal is to make people think and act with their hearts. "After the worldwide outbreak of the pandemic, I thought, ‘Wow, our bank is perfect for the crisis and a lot of people are unemployed and they can use it to harvest what they need.'"

So how does it work? It's simple: You sign up using your real name and post what you are offering or what your need is, as long as it doesn't involve money or products.

Masseuse Terge Reintem says she signed up when she was unemployed because she needed to improve her skills by learning from others. But she stayed on even after finding a new job because she says it feels good to volunteer. "If I discover a new technique, I want my bank customers to first experience it," Reintem says, adding they are often nicer than the paying ones.

Member Veronika Davel says she infringed the rules with her first request when she asked for a product: a computer. But she did it unknowingly. Later, she began offering services of her own on the bank's website. "The main thing I really could offer was English," Davel explains. "There was a young girl who needed to have better English for her job and I gave her a hand."

The site has many more offers of help than requests for it. That's as it should be, Kivi says, adding that the bigger reward comes from giving.

Recently I've been drawn to books which motivate me to look at myself, and hopefully make me a better "me". The Courage to Be Disliked, by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koya, has a title I just can't go past.

The book has taken Japan by storm, using the theories of philosopher Alfred Adler to create conversations between a fictional philosopher and a young man. The conversations cover many broad, interesting and sensitive topics. The philosopher character sticks by the theories of Adler, and explains how we are competent to determine our own lives, and be free of the influence of past experiences and others' expectations. It's a way of thinking that allows us to develop the courage to change and to ignore the limitations placed on us.

These often complex topics are played out in a conversational style between the two men. While it's easy to follow the conversations, the topics will knock around in your own head as you work out whether you sit on the side of the philosopher, the young man, or somewhere in between. The book is well-received by readers primarily owing to the fact that it presents two well-balanced viewpoints in the arguments. You'll find yourself doing household chores, or at your keyboard, unpacking all the information in your mind and coming to your own conclusions.

You will wholeheartedly agree on some points and want to throw the book at the wall at others. Its content is polarizing (两极分化) and I certainly don't agree with everything the philosopher or the young man says, but I think that's the point. The Courage to Be Disliked is there to start a conversation with yourself and do some slightly uncomfortable soul-searching.