The consolation prize for getting older is wisdom and maturity. As we Boomers approach retirement, we can examine our choices of if and when to retire, and what to focus on with the rest of our lives. What will be the purpose of our new life?
There’s a lot being published that’s uplifting and suggests that the later years just might be the prime of life; not a time to be afraid of or to regret.
Discover your life purpose
Modern Elder Academy
There’s even a Modern Elder Academy where we can take a (costly) retreat and plan what to do with ourselves in the mature, later stage. It was founded by Chip Conley after he left a 25-year stint as a CEO in the California hospitality sector to mentor the young founder of AirBNB. Next, he wrote Wisdom@Work and later started up the Modern Elder Academy.
The Academy hosts mid-life guests in a luxurious small-scale resort on the Pacific coast of the Baja Peninsula (near Todos Santos) to spend a week exploring their life’s journey. The main goal seems to be to design and direct the rest of their life. Creating a vision for their future, rather than seeing their life as an extension of their past.
Chip is a good example of a Boomer with “Phase 1” career success, and then a launch into a “Phase 2” career that is a whole lot more than the simple notion of “retirement”. The Modern Elder Academy also speaks to the opportunity of the affluent Boomers, as they embark on their later stage of life brimming with enthusiasm. Consistent with healthy aging and wellness they are reinventing themselves and finding new purpose in life.
We’re the healthiest and most privileged generation yet to walk the planet. The Academy is really expensive, but it has a wait-list and its business is booming.
Life Purpose in Retirement
The commentators referring to three stages of life. In the first stage, childhood and adolescence, you are dependent on your parents and the focus is on education and life skills. A second stage is adulthood focused on relationships and marriage, career, and child rearing. The third is the one more focused on the fulfillment of the self – that final stage that used to be called “retirement”.
Retirement can have so many potential variations
Many Boomers are choosing to consult on a part time basis in their field, or to work part time in a completely new field. Some are launching entrepreneurial ventures, and many want to seize the opportunity to do more volunteer work and “give back”.
This does not mean the traditional variations of travelling, spending more time with the grandkids is not still a reality for some. However, retirement, no longer seems to mean “slowing down” the way it used to.
When considering retirement, it helps to reflect on the physical, emotional, spiritual, and community aspects of our being. These ‘domains of being’ can be considered in assessing our lifestyles – where we are and where we want to be. They can also be used to measure our wellness on a holistic basis. This reflection might even influence our choice of housing format.
Freedom of choice
We have the choice and, in many cases, the freedom to choose what we want to do with our time. Be deliberate and intentional with what you choose to do. This will keep you well and help you find your life purpose and, ultimately, fulfillment.
