Retirement:
Don't Lose Your Sense of Purpose
What
Will Retirement Be Like?
"It
will be great to do what I want when I want."
"Whew,
no more office politics to deal with!"
"At
last, the government will be paying me for a change."
"I'm
finally F-R-E-E-E!!"
These
statements reflect some of the positive things about retirement
that almost everyone looks forward to. Unless it's due to
illness, the reason most retirees leave their jobs is because
they want to, not because they're pushed out. So for most,
that last day on the job is a joyful one filled with an
invigorating sense of personal freedom.
But
many retirees are not prepared for another feeling that
often follows that last day of work: a profound sense of
loss.
You've
Got Company
A study sponsored by Civic Ventures, Temple University,
and the Center for Intergenerational Learning surveyed retired
people of all economic levels, and found that the majority
had one thing in common: They felt lonely. It wasn't for
lack of friends, family and active social lives. Instead,
it was a loneliness for the kinds of relationships they
had established during their working years. Almost all workers
are part of teams of some kind, and those teams have daily
problems to solve, solutions to work out, new ideas to introduce.
An
architect who spent her life drawing plans had an office
full of people who understood her work and appreciated her
creative new ideas. A science teacher of many years had
near-celebrity status among his peers and his students,
who always seemed to be talking about the cool things they
were learning in his class. The manager of quality-control
at an auto-assembly plant felt pride in his team and got
a special thrill each fall when the new models came out
and he saw them on the road.
At
retirement, they may all have one thing in common: loss
of a sense of purpose. The architect's purpose was to create
satisfying designs, the teacher's to stimulate young minds,
the quality-control manager's to assure that his company's
products measured up to top standards. What will replace
the job satisfactions that were so much a part of their
identities?
These
days, with rumblings that social security might not last
and with health care costs escalating alarmingly, many retirees
find that instead of feeling the total freedom they dreamed
about, they are haunted by worries about whether they have
enough money saved to actually enjoy their retired years.
The fact that people are living so much longer than they
did a decade ago should seem like good news-but the prospect
of how to finance all those extra years is troublesome to
many people when they leave the workforce.
It's
a fact that retirement can be an unsettling time. But it
doesn't have to be.
Many
people have a different view of retirement. One respondent
in the study mentioned above said: "I like to
think of myself as retiring TO something as opposed to retiring
FROM something."
In
other words, retirement shouldn't be a stopping point,
but a continuation of the journey through life. Why
toss all the experience you've gained through years of working?
You're one of the "wise ones" now. There are people
out there who value you.
A 2005
comprehensive study released by AARP and Towers Perrin,
a human resources consulting firm, showed that many employers
are beginning to recognize the value of older workers. It's
that old-fashioned work ethic-you know, expecting to actually
show up on time and give a fair day's work for a fair day's
wage. In its September, 2006, Bulletin, AARP honored 50
US employers who are "friendly" to older workers.
But
doesn't going back to work defeat the whole idea of being
retired? Isn't it supposed to be time to stop showing up
for work when someone else says you should? You wanted freedom,
remember? Do you have to give that up to regain that sense
of purpose?
Absolutely
not.
Thousands
of people of all ages are making money in home businesses
that allow them to be their own bosses and retain
the exhilaration of the freedom to run their own lives.
At the same time, they're able to generate extra income
to bulk up the nest egg and provide substantially more financial
security for the 20, 30 or more years to come. Freedom from
financial worry is just as important as freedom from job
demands if you're going to enjoy the rest of your life.
And as a home-based entrepreneur, you can still enjoy all
the dreams you planned. As long as you have a computer and
a phone, you can run your "home" business from
anywhere you call home-including your vacation cottage,
RV, or even your favorite beach.
If
you're retired, or soon will be, now is the time to get
started. You already have the skills you need. With a little
extra help from the experts, you can fine-tune them and
start right away to put a sense of purpose back in your
life.
Just
fill out the form below for additional information on a
home based business that you can operate that will fulfill
your needs.
