So you did all that society expected of you: got an education, found a worthwhile job and worked for 45 or 50 years, reared a family, paid off a mortgage and now you have retired. But retirement feels like a black hole into which you have jumped, or been pushed. Suddenly you have lost your identity as a respected worker; there is no longer any reason to get up early to catch the commuter train or bus; the children have all left home; there is nothing to fill your day except tidying the garden or garage, washing the car, again, or shopping.
In the past, society had expectations of you and yours. Education, work, family and home ownership, were all respectable and valued goals achieved within recognised guidelines. Where are the guidelines for a successful retirement? What does a meaningful retirement look like? The recent expansion of lifetimes to include a quarter spent in retirement has yet to be fully acknowledged by Society – there are no inherent values, widely held expectations or recognised goals. When you retire, you are on your own, adrift, without a destination or a compass.
The Three Rules for Retirement (see previous blog) could have prepared you for this dilemma, otherwise you may find this new existence hard to cope with, even threatening. One person I discussed this with recently described her experience of retirement as ‘weird’. However, you are not alone! The numbers of retired people increases daily and many of them have good advice to offer. So join a club, enroll in a course, challenge yourself, develop new skills and expand your thinking, and make your retirement the best time of your life.
Renaissance not Retirement 