Coming Of Age
It all starts with the idea of retirement. In one of the first meetings I have with each new client we discuss this idea. What does retirement look like to you?
If I were having this conversation 20 years ago with clients their answers would be much different than what I hear now. The answer used to be: “stay with my company until age 65 when I can start drawing my pension. Then I want to relax, visit family more often, travel, and play more golf.”
That idea has now been flipped upside down! Companies don’t offer pensions. People don’t stay forever in jobs they don’t like. And I had one client who told me, “the idea of sitting around all day sounds worse than death!”
Honestly a lot of people become depressed when they retire. You know when you are at a dinner party and someone asks what you do for a living? It’s a natural conversation starter because it’s the quickest way to get to know someone. We hold a big part of our identity in our job title. And so one day we are supposed to just stop working and lose that identity?
I have a number of clients who are already financially independent and have been for years. However they are still working in the same high-stress job, paralyzed by the thought of “retiring” and losing that part of their identity.
Depression can set in when someone feels like they’ve lost part of their identity and no longer has anything to contribute to society.
But this is completely false! Who has more skills and life experience? I would argue that they have the most to give back! And if a person has reached financial independence, they now have the freedom and availability to share their knowledge with the community.
Thankfully, retirement is no longer just an age when you stop working. In fact, I hardly ever use the word “retirement” anymore. Instead of asking clients when they want to retire, I ask, “what do you want to do when you become financially independent?” That changes the answer significantly. Now I hear answers like: volunteer more, start a business, or move to another country. It feels like the beginning of a new life, not the end of an old life.
I recently joined the Advisory Council for Coming of Age.This is a program of Travis County Health and Human Services and Veterans Service. Their mission is “Inspiring individuals 50+ to explore their interests and strengthen communities through civic engagement.” There are two main focuses:
- Help people 50+ explore their futures, become community leaders, pursue lifelong learning, and engage in meaningful volunteer service.
- Help nonprofits more effectively market volunteer opportunities to recruit and retain skilled, passionate, resourceful volunteers age 50+.
I love this group because they are an acknowledgement that life doesn’t end in retirement.
If you’re struggling with how to live the next chapter of your life, I would encourage you to reach out to Coming of Age to receive guidance on where you can best use your skills and give back as a volunteer. The world has a lot to gain from what you have to offer. I’d love to have this conversation with you also! I love to dream with clients about what is possible with their future.
One last thing. Another perk of being on the Advisory Council for Coming of Age is that I get to serve alongside Jim Spencer. I’ve been a big fan of his my whole life. People are allowed to have a favorite sports player or movie star, why not a favorite meteorologist?! If you remember my “cone of uncertainty” comment from my weather forecast blog post, I’m pretty sure I stole that from Jim.
