So You're Gonna Retire

The New Retirement Age

Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you only spend it once. - Lillian Dickson

Basics of the Journey

Retirement used to mean you were “over the hill” – a sign you were getting old – or more importantly, that you were already there! But this has changed dramatically over the past two decades. More and more people are choosing not to retire, or to retire and then unretire. Many have decided to try out an entirely new career, a new job and enter “worktirement” as well as a new way of life. Over 70% of people thinking about retirement these days plan to work after they retire. There are now people in the work force who are in their 70’s, 80’s and even 90’s. For them, the question is not “Should I retire?” or “When should I retire?” but rather, “Why should I retire? I like working.”

When plans for your actual retirement become a reality, the most important question to ask yourself is, “What am I going to do with myself after I do retire?” Some folks don’t retire until they are simply no longer able to do the work, or maybe they have totally lost interest in their jobs. Work has stopped being rewarding. Others just quit, and walk out. Some are forced to retire. People are retiring younger, in their 40s and 50s with several decades of productive and meaningful years ahead of them. They now have to plan for the rest of their lives, without their career or work to consume their time – also without a job that provides financial security and increases personal self-esteem. Others don’t ever plan to fully retire and will continue working, full-time or part-time well after retirement age.

Indeed the entire retirement scene has changed, but what is clear is that any retirement – including your retirement – involves a major adjustment. One of the problems is that you have had little practice for the experience. Even taking a longer vacation, or going part-time, isn’t really the same as totally quitting work. Retirement needs serious planning and preparation for the many changes that will occur. And you don’t have to make aging the focus of your retirement. You can learn to enjoy the journey, the changes, and embrace the fact that many events in your new life will not always be predictable. But planning can help you cope with the experience. Retirement should be the wisdom years, and you can share that wisdom in many forms.

Retirement symbolizes the “wisdom years”.

So share your wisdom.

Life after work sets you on a new journey – one of the greatest and potentially rewarding adventures of your life. It changes nearly everything you do, even the way you think. If you’re to be successful and benefit from the experience, you must plan. In retirement every day is a “day off”. You no longer have to think about what you are going to do on Monday. You no longer have to worry about what problems you will find on the job tomorrow. You’re free to do as you wish. If you don’t want to work any longer, and have the finances to do so, you don’t have to work. However, if you want to work a few days each month, or even try a new job, you can that too. “Retired. Don’t want to. Don’t need to. You can’t make me.” Retirement is a time to leave your previous work world behind, with its stresses, problems, deadlines and yes, even some of the people.

But it’s also a time to look for a new direction, a new purpose, and a new outlook on life. You may want to travel to those places you’ve always wanted to visit, or put in a garden, enjoy your hobbies, paint the house, or move to a different part of the country - or the world. You may want to try out a different job on a part-time basis, start your own business, or get involved in all those things that you couldn’t do when you were working full-time. Many retirees enroll in college courses, join volunteer groups, organize community events, and become social and political activists. During the first couple of years after they retire, they are so busy, they often wonder how they ever had time to work!

For others, retirement unfortunately evokes feelings of uselessness, of being “put out to pasture”. It’s a sign of the twilight years of life and that “old age” is closing in. They feel unproductive, no longer useful or valued by what used to be their job, their friends, their families or colleagues. “Yesterday I was the corporate boss. Now I’m nobody.” “I used to be an engineer…a secretary…a teacher, but I’m not anymore.” In a society that frequently doesn’t value older people and their wisdom, retirement can be a daunting experience. “What do I do with the rest of my life? I’m not that old. I have a lot to offer and I know a lot more than these young kids do.”

The worst evil of all is to leave the ranks of the living before one dies. Seneca

Perhaps finances are a problem and there just isn’t enough money coming in to meet your needs. That could mean you are forced into getting a job that you don’t really want. While some people approach retirement from a negative stance, others look forward with a sense of anticipation. “I’m going to volunteer with kids to help them learn to read.” “I’m going to get involved in church groups and politics.” “I can teach computer skills to older adults at the library.” “I can get a part-time job at a supermarket.”

So now that you’re going to be retired, exactly what are you going to do with the rest of your life? What happens next? What will you do with your time? Who will you see? What will you do with your days, your weeks and all of the years ahead of you? What will make you feel good about yourself and that you’re contributing to the world around you as well as the people you care about the most?