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.
