Retirement as Regeneration
The decision to leave a long-term career can be easier than deciding what's next. And in that void is where anxiety can emerge regarding what's waiting – or not waiting – on the other side of that choice.
Part of this is because we have an outdated view of what can follow a long-term career. More and more people are foregoing the traditional idea of retirement, one of pure recreation or leisure, and reframing it as a time of regeneration.
Retirement as we know it today is a fairly new concept. For most of human existence, people worked until they were unable and then they relied on their family and their community for assistance and support.
It wasn't until the 19th century at the apex of the Industrial Revolution that pension plans came into play as a way for companies to retain their workers. In the next century, government supported retirement plans were created, promising time for leisure after decades of work.
But the interesting thing is that not all workers wanted to stop working. This idea was met with some resistance because people wanted to continue to contribute in some way, instead of heading off to a retirement village to stay “active” with others who also had leisure time.
But now we are in a new century and a number of factors have challenged our idea of what retirement can be. And some of these factors are:
The rising cost of living, especially around health care;
The fact that most companies no longer offer pension plans and we have to rely on government funding and personal savings;
Life expectancy rates have increased;
The nature of work has changed. Technology, attitudes and flexibility make it possible for people to still contribute while not working a traditional nine to five job; and
Our desires have changed. The desire to use our time for meaningful activities, to contribute, to learn, to develop, to continue to grow, along with the desire to contribute to our community, using the wisdom and the skills and the experience that we've gained for the greater good.
There have been early pioneers in this space who have had a resurgence later in their lives and they can provide a glimpse into what's possible as we create new models for ourselves. Here are a few of my favorites.
The first is Louise Hay. She was a self-help author who self-published a book called Heal Your Body when she was 50-years-old in the 1970s. She started giving talks at her church congregation, and as a result, people started to come to her for counseling. It was through these counseling sessions she realized that by healing your inner self, your outer self can be healed as well.
So she wrote what she called her Little Blue Book and printed 5000 copies, which eventually sold out. Her work got the attention of a mainstream publisher and that book, retitled You Can Heal Your Life, became a New York Times bestseller with 50 million copies sold and earned herself a seat on Oprah’s couch.
In Los Angeles in the 1980s, Louise utilized her healing philosophy with men who had AIDS, with loving affect. She also created a small publishing house in her living room called Hay House that went on to become a global powerhouse.
Louise worked until she passed of natural causes in her 90s. But her personal transformation work, through media and workshops, continues to this day.
Next is fitness icon Ernestine Shepherd, who became famous in her 70s for her bodybuilding accomplishments. It all started when she was shopping for bathing suits with her sister when she was 56-years-old.
Ernestine and her sister were looking at themselves in the mirror in a department store, and they were not happy with the reflection they were seeing. So they started taking aerobics classes together. Soon they made a pact. Her sister suggested both of them to get into the Guinness Book of World Records for being the oldest bodybuilders.
After they made that pact, her sister suddenly passed from a brain aneurysm. As a way to honor her sister, Ernestine started her bodybuilding journey.
In her 60s and 70s, Ernestine ran marathons, won bodybuilding titles, and ultimately got into the Guinness Book of World Records in 2010 as the oldest competitive female bodybuilder at that time.
Ernestine no longer competes, but she's still incredibly active at 86-years-old, with more than 90,000 followers on Instagram, inspiring millions of people around the world to get fit and stay active as you age.
Third is Frank McCourt. He was a New York City English teacher who retired after a decades long career when he was in his mid-60s. At the time of his retirement, his wife encouraged him to start writing his memoir.
Frank was born in New York City but was raised in poverty in Ireland. He wrote a book that is now known as Angela's Ashes, followed by several more successful books that have sold millions of copies. Frank also won the Pulitzer Prize for Angela's Ashes in 1997. But he didn't pick up a pen until he was in his mid-60s.
And how can we talk about early pioneers without mentioning Julia Childs? Julia was a chef who focused on French cooking, but didn't start that career until she was in her 50s. She went on to write the best-selling cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
Julia had her own unique style and was a pioneer in PBS television with her cooking show. She worked well into her 90s, speaking and making television appearances until the time of her passing.
The last example is Grandma Moses. She didn't begin painting until the age of 76. The reason why she picked up a paintbrush was because her arthritis made doing embroidery, which she loved to do, painful. Painting was easier on her hands.
Grandma Moses painted well into her 90s. Her paintings have been auctioned by Christie’s and one of her paintings, titled Sugaring Off, sold in 2006 for $1.36 million dollars.
It’s in the wake of these early pioneers where we see new growth shoots where retirement is being reimagined as a time of regeneration.
The word regeneration is defined as a new phase of renewal. But when you look at its synonyms, there are words like revival, restoration, reactivation, rejuvenation, rebirth, resurgence, and revitalization. These are words that you can just feel the green shoots of energy going through you when you read them. Conversely, the two words that are associated with the word retirement, are withdrawal and seclusion.
We're witnessing more and more people who are leaving long-term careers and choosing to continue to work. They’re leveraging their skills to freelance or consult. Some are pursuing new interests or reviving old passions that they hadn't had time to do in the past.
Post-career activities keep the maturing body and mind engaged with meaningful activities, encouraging purposeful growth and development. Why is purpose important? Because without a reason for living, or a reason for being, our desire and our capacity for living life to its fullest starts to dwindle. Without purpose, our capacities and willingness erode.
Purpose is what gets us out of bed in the morning. And that becomes really important when we don't have that place to go five days a week. But how do you find purpose in your life when you're feeling uncertain about the future, or maybe you don't know what your purpose is?
There's a purpose model I find very helpful when I coach. It includes four components to a happy and fulfilling life in an overlapping Venn diagram. The four components are:
Something you love to do, such as motivations, interests, or passions;
Something you're good at, such as talents, qualities, or potential;
Something the world needs, such as connection, contributions, and community; and
Something that you get paid for, such as a personal and professional exchange of value in some way.
Where those four circles overlap, that's the sweet spot of purpose. Let's take them one by one.
What you love to do. This is what gets you excited about the day, what you find enjoyable and rewarding. It could be a hobby, a project, an abandoned passion, or an element of the work that you've done in the past. Which activities give you energy? Those are the kinds of things that you want to include in a list as you start to collect and gather information.
What you're good at. What are your natural talents? What makes you unique? What have you accomplished? What skills have you built over the years? Make a list of those as well. Get some feedback from trusted individuals in your personal and professional life for some additional insight.
What the world needs. Who is part of your community and how has your community shaped you? What does your community need from you? How can you contribute to society and make a positive impact? Is there a current problem or challenge where you might be able to offer a solution? You can align these answers with the inventories you created of what you love and what you’re good at.
What you can get paid for. How might you make a living with this skill set or this offering that you're developing? Is there a market for an exchange of value? Does this exchange contribute to your well-being and align with who you are today? If earning an income is important to you in your post-career years, as it is for many, do some market demand research. For those where earning an income isn't necessary, you can de-emphasize this step.
The ideal state is where all four sections of the model intersect. You can start small by connecting two areas and gradually incorporate more of the model.
In summary, the future of retirement is still being written. But one thing is for sure, post-career life will continue to evolve. There are millions of us who are in this stage in our lives, moving from retirement, historically a period of decline, to one of regeneration, a future-focused period of growth, opportunity and contribution.
Taking mindful steps toward a life you love will ensure that you're prepared for this important transition: a second half of life that's brimming with purpose, happiness and fulfillment.
That's the type of regeneration I wish for you.
Journal Reflections: What does the word regeneration mean to you? Which early pioneers do you find inspiring? What elements of their lives would you like to include in your post-career life?