After nearly twenty years of retirement planning helping thousands of people retire, we have noticed patterns regarding the way retirement affects someone based on characteristics of their job, vocation or background. As a wrap-up to this series on retirement case studies, we identify the biggest struggle each vocational background has during retirement. We also point out the one thing everyone has in common.
The Blue-Collar Worker
- Not becoming bored
- Having a new routine
- Finding new tasks that add value
The Business Owner
- Being able to step-away
- Releasing control
- Finding a new identity outside of the business
The Executive
- Finding new ways to lead others
- Feeling a loss of identity
- Transitioning from success to significance
The Teacher
- Missing the students
- Not being as socially-connected
- Utilizing skills and talents to add value
The Support Staff
- Miss serving people
- Miss feeling needed
- Feeling a loss of control
The Stay-at-Home Mom
- Struggling with becoming empty-nesters
- Desiring the feeling of being needed
- Dealing with a retiring husband
What do they All have in common?
Purpose: No matter your background, having purpose will be the most important theme of retirement.
“Imagine you are a tree. You began, just as every other tree, as a sapling. Over the years you developed and grew; you were watered by the rain and fed by the sun. Eventually, your branches spread wide enough to provide shade and bear fruit for the people who surrounded you. This is the picture of a fulfilling life, a tree fulfilling its purpose. Retirement does not have to be the autumn of life. Instead, it can be the springtime, a brand-new season of flourishing, feeding others, and fruitfulness in daily life. In over a decade of work, I have seen this proven true time and again.”
~Ben Taatjes, Repurposed: The Untold Story of Retirement in America, Page 42.
Want more?
Listen to the full episode of Retire Repurposed here:
Jerrid Sebesta
Co-Founder of Retire Repurposed
