Reinvent Yourself in Retirement
I worked for decades as part of Corporate America and can’t say that I enjoyed the experience very much. I can, however, say that I learned a lot during my 45 years of full-time employment. Certainly, I learned about each job I had at the time and worked to develop the skill set to help me succeed. This involved everything from flipping hamburgers on a grill to managing a retail store that was the largest in the company and managing a staff of hundreds that coordinated the delivery of baked goods on over twelve thousand routes across the United States. I learned a great deal about managing the greatest resource any company has: its employees. I passed on the best advice I have ever been given to everyone who reported to me: you need to reinvent yourself every year. Our business and the competitive environment in which it operated were changing so fast that the skills you learned yesterday were not necessarily the ones that were needed for the future. As I approached the finish line we call retirement, I knew that advice still applied because you need to reinvent yourself in retirement in the same way you made changes to your resume throughout your working career. Retirement does not mean that you stop learning new things. In fact, it means you have the time to explore those interests that always intrigued you. They can be turned into meaningful hobbies rather than activities that will help you pass the time. You can even do the same thing required of almost any employee who has a position of responsibility which is to make annual goals. I can already hear the groans but stay with me for just a bit.
Reinvent yourself in retirement through new hobbies and interests and by learning new things.
Retirement is a big change for most people because you suddenly go from a calendar full of meetings, conference calls and projects to a blank slate. If you’ve spent forty or more years always being told what to do, the change can be daunting and uncomfortable. If you reinvent yourself in retirement, you can be the one in control of your calendar rather than being at the mercy of the “new” company-wide initiative that every manager needs to implement. How many times have you experienced that? Anyone who has gone through that process for any length of time longs for the day when they don’t have to put up with it anymore and they think that a day with nothing to do will be the best thing that ever happened to them. It probably will be and the next day might be just as good. But when you start to put together weeks with meaningless activity, most people become dissatisfied. They want more out of life. Sadly, some even go out and find a part-time job to fill their day. It doesn’t have to be that way if you become determined to reinvent yourself in retirement.
There are ways to do that, and they can be a lot of fun to do. Some people were fortunate enough to have a job that they loved in a field that held a lot of interest for them. Some of them actually never retire. They stay at their employer part-time or become consultants in that area and they’re very happy. I wish them nothing but the best and am very happy for them. But, as you can guess, not everyone had that experience. I didn’t. I couldn’t wait to get away from the day-to-day grind. For people like me, it’s necessary to reinvent yourself in retirement or you will find yourself bored and disappointed. The remedy is simple and that is to explore who you are. Almost everyone had a hobby or interest that they had to put aside because of “their job” and we think that’s just the way life is. But the secret to a fulfilling retirement is to re-kindle those interests. Revisit those old dreams. What were some of those things that you loved at some point in your life that faded into the background. Were you in a literature class thinking about how it might be fun to write a novel? Did you love painting but knew that making a living from your works of art might be too much of a struggle? Did you love history or politics but knew that wasn’t the life you wanted? Did you know every batting average and watch every game? Did you spend your time in business meetings thinking about that tee shot on the seventh hole? Tapping into those dreams and hidden fantasies is how you reinvent yourself in retirement, but you have to do it in a certain way.
Most people need structure and creating goals and activities related to those goals can help make any dream a reality. Study after study shows that people with goals achieve more than those who have none. You can attach goals to any dream that you have. Retirement can be your second career. The only difference is that it will be one that you create and that can make all the difference in the world. Never say you’re too old. Retirees are starting new careers and businesses all the time. Laura Ingalls Wilder didn’t start her “Little House” series until she was 65 and Frank McCourt was 60 when he wrote “Angela’s Ashes”. Harlan Sanders started Kentucky Fried Chicken at 65 when he got his first pension check and realized it would not be enough to give him the retirement lifestyle that he wanted. These people are proof that you can reinvent yourself in retirement.
Whatever dream you decide to pursue, give it all the effort it deserves. At some point in your life, it meant something important to you. To me, that’s reason enough to take your effort seriously. There are many ways to turn an interest or hobby into a business if that’s what you want to do but there are also some activities that give you a sense of fulfillment without ever putting a dime into your bank account. I know someone who spends hours in front of a canvas painting landscapes with no intention of displaying them to anyone. She wants to develop her skill and enjoys the challenge. That’s what retirement is all about. Don’t be afraid to nurture that creative spirit within you or to try new things. Explore your surroundings and see as much of the world as you can because it’s time to Enjoy Retired Life!
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