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My guest today is Jim Paulk, who is 92 years old. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy as well as a Navy veteran, he retired from Procter & Gamble as an executive. Afterward, he worked as a consultant, volunteer, fundraiser and, more recently, as an author.
In fact, Jim did not start writing books until he was in his late 80s. Yet, his books are preserving remarkable stories about love, adventure, perseverance and people who helped shape history.
He was married to his wife, Pat, for 60 years before she died nine years ago. His marriage shaped one of Jim’s strongest beliefs that relationships are often the most important things we develop in lifetime.
His latest books, “How I Found Love,” shares stories about many different forms of love, while “Shaking Up the World” preserves stories of people whose accomplishments made a significant impact on others.
Jim’s story reminds us that purpose does not have a retirement age. We can continue learning, creating, serving and contributing for as long as we are willing and able.
There is something especially encouraging about hearing a 92-year-old man talk enthusiastically about relationships, writing books, preserving history and helping other people.
For Jim, meaning and purpose seem to come largely through relationships and service.
He does not believe he accomplished anything significant entirely by himself. Everything involved other people. Even when he was leading a team, Jim considered himself the least important person because he believed he needed everyone else more than they needed him.
Jim also continues to honor Pat, his wife of 60 years. Royalties from his first book support a scholarship fund he established in her name at the University of Delaware to help students to become teachers. Royalties from his other books support the Naval Academy Foundation.
At 92, Jim is still using his ability to organize people, gather stories and write books to preserve experiences that might otherwise be lost.
He also demonstrates the importance of giving back. In crediting the Naval Academy with helping shape his life, Jim continues to support it financially and through fundraising.
Regardless of what happened earlier in life, whether you are 52, 72 or 92, there may still be books to write, people to encourage, relationships to develop, stories to preserve and contributions to make.
If you would like to connect with Jim, you can email him at jimdpaulk@yahoo.com or find him on Facebook.
His books, “How I Found Love” and “Shaking Up the World,” are available on Amazon.
That’s all for this week’s show. If you’d like to start living a more meaningful life, I encourage you to download our free guide to finding purpose, which is available at www.forwardfrom50.com. I’ll have another inspirational interview on the next episode of the Forward From 50 podcast. Thanks for listening. If you like this show, please consider leaving a review wherever you download the episodes.
