“You’re semi-retired,” my wife said to me two years ago.
Hmm. I was not as busy with work as I typically was, but I did not think I was “retired.” I was plenty busy with work I wanted and volunteer projects I enjoyed.
Upon reflection, however, I realized — duh, me, we’ve been married for 45 years — that my spouse was correct. I am semi-retired, and I now embrace it.
The challenge for anyone in my stage, or any stage of life, is to move ahead with purpose, and that often means redefining it. In my work with executives retiring, I cite the advice that my friend, the eminent executive coach and author Marshall Goldsmith, gives to those pondering retirement: Have a plan.
Plan your new purpose
The key to planning is knowing your purpose. When you are actively building your career, your purpose is more evident. It should be reflected in what you do and how you help your team succeed. But when you transition to retirement, then what?
Military personnel experience this when they transition from service. The intensity of their commitment to colleagues, cohorts and country will never be as strongly felt as when they wore the uniform. They must find a new purpose, and it is not often easy. Such unease accounts for the difficulty veterans have in finding a role that suits their commitment to service in the civilian sector.
For the rest of us, we too must dig deep, though it need not be as difficult. Designer Ayse Birsel, author of Design the Long Life You Love, advises finding purpose in what makes you happy and fulfilled. Columnist Steve Lopez, author of Independence Day: What I Learned about Retirement from Some Who Did and Some Who Never Will, says your purpose need not be grandiose. Some folks can find purpose in taking their dog for a walk.
Theresa Amabile, an emerita professor at Harvard Business School and author of Retiring, says that transitional retirement can be an option. I am pursuing that avenue in my state of “semi-ness.”
My pursuits
My purpose now may be defined as the pursuit of passion. Pursuing a passion for me means four things: piano, poetry, podcasting and prosperity. Let’s take them one at a time.
Piano gives me a way to share my avocation, chiefly in retirement homes and hospitals. (After all, I am told that’s where all the talent agents congregate.) I recently joined a band comprised of women and men my age. We have a ball playing everything from rock to jazz, pop to classical, as well as compositions by members of the band.
Poetry is a new pursuit for me. I have been writing verse — free, mind you — for a few years now, and I have incorporated it into a few of my books. My style is observational, looking at life and what it offers me and people my age. (No surprise there.)
Podcasting, the buzzword of the 2020s, is a passion project. Since the start of this decade, I have interviewed more than 250 thought leaders and doers from the worlds of academia, business, journalism and the arts. My guests are mostly authors who are promoting their most recent books, and we get together for good conversation that shines a light on their work and their message.
My final pursuit is prosperity — not in terms of wealth but rather a sense of joy and fulfillment. I play golf, do photography, get together with friends, spend time with grandsons, travel with my wife and so on.
These are my pursuits, and I share them to let you know there is life after work. The point is to plan for it, practice it and pursue it.
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.
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