Redefining Identity and Intentional Living in Retirement
What is your identity? How will that change when you retire? Jody Rollins discusses this and 16 other things that vanish when you retire in a great video on the non-financial considerations (17 things that Vanish after Retiring) in your first few years of retirement. Jody Rollins and her husband host the Retirement Transformed YouTube channel. Jody hits it right on the head - emotional, identity, and human interaction aspects of your life change in retirement. You can say it won't for you, but at least some of the 17 areas Jody hits on will impact you.
Knowing these areas will allow you to anticipate or at least plan for them. I've talked about this, but having friends outside of work is key. The people still working after you retire have much more structure and stuff going on in their lives than you do. They go on with their work lives once you are gone. I also suspect much of what you discussed with them was work-related. If you are still working, try to jot down the subjects of your conversations with your work friends. You'll be surprised at how many are actually about work-related topics. When you leave, those topics will gradually dry up as new people join; they have new challenges you don't know about.
Another area the Retirement Transformed channel hits on is separating your identity from your job. You are not an Executive; you are a person who has an executive role. You are a grandfather, grandmother, Mother, spouse, partner, etc., but not just an Accountant. What will you say, "I used to be a VP of Finance"? Okay, cool. So, will you be a used-to-be for the next twenty-five or thirty years? You didn't say I used to be a college student for the last thirty years. What are you doing now?
You have a different role now—you are a retired (Current Job). But you add value, offer friendship and support, and are so much more than an accountant. Embrace what you are now and what you offer, contribute, and experience.
Be intentional about how you want to define your next thirty years. This will give you value, purpose, and an identity. You are awesome, and the world needs to see that. You are so much more than you Used to Be.
Does this conversation resonate with you? Let us know in the comments below.