Awful, purposeless retirement

Back in the olden days (mid-March), I wrote a quick post regarding this article, which is about the difficulty many people experience in finding meaning and purpose in retirement.

I didn’t end up posting it at the time. Other topics seemed far more pressing.

Having just re-read it, it applies equally powerfully for all of us facing big questions about who we are and what we do. This pandemic has brought those questions to many of us earlier than we expected.

The experiences described by those interviewed in the article absolutely resonated with what I hear from clients about the critical need to look beyond just financial planning when it comes to retirement. They often find themselves feeling adrift with deep and serious consequences for their sense of purpose and wellbeing.

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In tackling this, it helps to take the broadest possible view of life. The domains I suggest fleshing out are:

  • Friends and community

  • Relationships and family

  • Physical health

  • Occupation and impact

  • Sense of fulfilment

  • Leisure and recreation

  • Enjoyment and engagement

  • And yes, finances.

What does success in each of these mean to you?

By planning widely, you focus on more than just your problems. You find you are tapping into your resources and creativity across a range of spheres.

By thinking both broad (whole of life) and long (five to ten year idea of how “success” might look), your current challenges sit in a more manageable perspective.

Perhaps pick one area and spend some time thinking about what it means to you. If you were to fast-forward five or ten years and this area was 100% tip-top, how would it be? Then: coming back to today, what insights can you take from this exercise that will be useful for you?

If you’d like to work together on this in more structured way, let me know.

Take care of yourself and others

Madeleine Shaw

I work with clients from executive leadership teams to the front line, helping them:

  • Make clearer decisions about what they want, and

  • Adapt faster and more easily to change and transition.

I use deep purpose as a key to unlock powerful thriving in work and life.

Interested in more?

1. Follow me on LinkedIn to stay connected
2. Click here to read more about my Encore: Transition to Retirement Program, to assist with transition to and beyond retirement.
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Madeleine Shaw