The Best Second Act Awards

Today I'm delighted to announce the first annual Best Second Acts Awards.

Yes, SecondAct.com is handing out awards. How better to celebrate those who reinvent themselves in amazing ways even -- especially -- in these most challenging of times?

For the next eight days, we'll be showcasing the year's best of the best -- stories of innovators, dreamers and career makeover wizards who break barriers and forge new paths at midlife. They show the rest of us how to do it, too.

To cap off an exceptional year here at SecondAct.com, we'll count down our winners for 2011, starting with today's announcement of the Best Second Act in Sports.

Follow along as we announce our winners:

• Best Second Act in Sports (Day One)
• Best Celebrity Second Act (Day Two)
• Best Creative Second Act (Day Three)
• Best Second Act Comeback (Day Four)
• Most Inspirational Second Act (Day Five)
• Best Second Act Making a Difference (Day Six)
• Best Second Act Reinvention (Day Seven)
• Best Second Act Game-Changer (Day Eight)

Our SecondAct.com editorial team wrestled with selecting the winners of these awards because there were so many worthy contenders. But in the end we felt there were standouts. These are the game-changers. They are rule-benders. They are more interested in reinvention than retirement. And they get things done.