Make the Next Chapter Your BEST Chapter!
A recent college reunion with classmates in our mid-60’s has given me the opportunity to reflect upon how career and life choices are made. Like me, many of them aren’t ready to put away their work clothes but finding one’s personal “why” after decades of full-time employment can be overwhelming.
Regardless of one’s age, there’s so much you can and should do throughout your life to set yourself up for happiness and fulfillment after a full-time career ends and “work” is no longer a top priority. Begin by thinking of your life as a portfolio of activities and interests, that will shift and hopefully diversify and expand over the decades, if you plan.
Here are my top four tips on how you can start planning now for life after full-time employment ends.
1. Think and Plan Long-Term. But Test the Waters Now! Today’s flexible work arrangements afford employees a unique opportunity to explore living in new places. What would it be like to live outside the U.S.? In a rural or small community? How might you fare in a non-English speaking country? What about access to and affordability of health care, public transit, tax consequences? Many of us in our 60’s are asking these questions now, but younger workers have unprecedented opportunities to build their knowledge base and explore alternative living arrangements, with the flexibility to do a few “test runs” earlier in their careers. Two great examples of how testing the waters can set you up for a fulfilling retirement:
My friend Lorrie’s work arrangements enabled her to test the waters on two fronts: geography and job sharing. Extended stays in Florida, France, and Portugal have allowed her to test out different places to live in retirement. Job sharing is now letting her test whether she’s ready for part-time employment.
My friend Maureen tested the waters by following two passions before she retired from full-time employment. She obtained certification to teach and taught an online course while still working, setting her up for a smooth transition to a fulfilling adjunct role. She also joined the board of a local library, and in retirement was able to assume a more active leadership role.
2. Network! Hopefully at some point in your career, you will no longer be tied to a single sector, industry, or profession. You may wish to take on new volunteer roles or revisit a past career aspiration (which in my case has been working in a public school environment with teens and young adults). Start diversifying and expanding your networks now, by attending community events, volunteering, going to alumni events, and taking courses.
3. Re-Brand. One of the most challenging career shifts I have seen friends and colleagues navigate is the loss of a longstanding institutional nexus when full-time employment ends. “Letting go” of that former identity can be tough, but it’s essential.
Taking the time to develop a personal brand, apart from your past professional and employer’s identity, can be immensely creative, liberating, and anchoring. Start by designing a personal calling/business card. Consider creating a webpage or website. Give yourself a novel title, and work on your elevator pitch so that when you are asked the all too frequent conversation starter: “What do you do?”, you have a story to tell!
4. Know Your Why. The freedom to develop one’s new personal “why” is the reward for a long career. What do you value now? What are your deep motivators? What lasting impact do you want to have on the world? To find and design their why, many of my classmates are working part-time in the community and serving on nonprofit boards, running for local elections or working on political campaigns, performing creatively in local theater and music groups, and taking up new hobbies and courses. Not only are these activities rewarding, but they are also good for our cognitive health, and truly do make the world a better place.
Summer is a great time for planning. Need help writing your next chapter? I’d be happy to set up a short-term coaching arrangement and co-create your action plan.