Wednesday, December 10, 2008

REWIRED CAREERS- Meet The Purpose Prize Winners


I'm always looking for stories and ideas to share with you about people who have rewired or are in the process of rewiring and I have to say that the 6 NEW Purpose Prize winners blew me away! Their stories, their achievements, their honesty about their trials and tribulations were inspirational and I want you to meet them.

The easiest way to read these fascinating stories, and maybe get some rewiring ideas of your own, is at http://www.purposeprize.org/index.cfm.

The creators of the Purpose Prize are Civic Ventures and Encore.org with financial support from The Atlantic Philanthropies and The Templeton Fund.

The innovative winners who have made such an impact on the lives of others receive a substantial monetary award.

I happen to be a member of the Encore Leadership Network, and I know that we are already looking for next year's winners...so nominate someone---or even yourself--
at: http://www.purposeprize.org/nominate/nomination-begin.cfm.

We are living in challenging times and often someone else's story just might be the catalyst to get us to think differently about our work options, or the story could contain a nugget of an idea that sparks a brand new idea...either way, let the sparks fly! And no matter what-- remember getting an idea to pursue takes time! Be kind to yourself.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

RETIREES? REWIRING AND OFF TO WORK THEY GO!


Recognize these characters? They are the famous Walt Disney Seven Dwarfs from the Disney movie SNOW WHITE. Why have I featured them so prominently, because I think they have a positive message for us about work.

A real life person, Lee Iacocca, also has a positive message about work. It was the July, 1996 FORTUNE cover featuring Lee Iacocca with the headline- "HOW I FLUNKED RETIREMENT" that was the catalyst for us to write DON'T RETIRE, REWIRE! Lee Iacocca said he flunked retirement because he had underplanned his life, his activities, not his finances. Today it's a different story. Today's economic crisis, the surrounding chaos and impact on our investments, is driving many people into considering going back to work, if they're not there already. Lee Iacocca hadn't planned it, but he has rewired several times....he has gone back to work...sure it was to buy businesses, to write books....maybe not our league, but the key is is that he is doing work he enjoys!

Work is only a bad four letter word if you hate what you're doing!

I am a "realistic optimist," not a Pollyanna, and maybe it sounds corny but I think we should adapt the tune that the seven dwarfs sang-----"hi ho hi ho it's off to work we go..."

Much of the media is reporting the horror stories. They're not giving their readers or viewers any sense of hope, or any tactics or ideas to pursue. I'm known as the "rewiring guru" and I take that title and coinciding responsibility seriously so I'm here to give retirees a few ideas...BUT THE TRUTH IS, THESE IDEAS WORK FOR PEOPLE REGARDLESS OF THEIR AGE.

1) Before you charge out, use the ZEN philosophy- You can't see your reflection in rushing water.

2) Think about how you want to work. --Do you need full time, part time, seasonal, or flex time and how do you define that for yourself?

3) Try combining your interests and your skills. Yes, times are challenging, but go after work that you think you'll like and that you would look forward to doing.

4) Your resume tells some of your story, but why not create an accomplishment sheet for yourself. Having a list of your successes will help you recognize all you have done and allow you to determine what might be applicable to a new work situation. Plus it will help those you are networking with understand you better!

5) Manage your expectations.

We're all in this together and I hope to be sending along ideas with some regularity...and remember...breathe...

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

STAYING AFLOAT WITH SOME REWIRING IDEAS


The book, A TALE OF TWO CITIES, begins with the line, "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times" and for many that line sums up life today, both here and abroad. For over 15 years I have worked in the areas of executive search, and personal and professional growth and development. Writing DON'T RETIRE, REWIRE! was a logical output of that work since so many of us Boomers were looking ahead. Well we're still looking ahead....but the future has changed and for many it's pretty fuzzy. Many people feel betrayed by life, their employer, WALL STREET, and the government. As one friend said, " there's no place to run, and no place to hide!" So , breathe, and let's begin.

The concept of "rewiring" is not age or life stage specific, so it's not surprising that I have been doing some programs for outplacement firms, churches, and non profits to help people look at the future and their job options with a new set of eyes.

My talks haven't just been about tactics and strategies but about pain, being angry and in denial and how you need to rewire some of your energy and time so you can face the future more positively. I'm going to offer ideas on job hunting but also on keeping your sanity, and that is the focus of my blog today.

Here's a few basic ideas we need to be doing:

1. Breathe. Feel your stomach go out when you inhale. Focus on your belly. Slow down.
2. Eat. What foods are you eating? Junk or comfort food? Go for greens and protein.
3. Listen. What are you saying to yourself? Is it negative or positive? Don't depress yourself.
4.Watch. Watch what you're viewing on TV. Don't overload on financial news or politics!
5.Fitness. Get off your duff. Take a walk. Go to the gym. Walk
around the office. the block, the company parking lot!
My goal is to have you rewire some of your energy---even in a small way---do something different. You need it; I know I do!
Stay tuned.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Interview with Brian Kurth of Vocation Vacations

An interview I recently did with Brian Kurth of Vocation Vacations is now available as a free downloadable podcast in the iTunes music store. Just search 'vocation vacations' in iTunes to find it. You can also listen to in mp3 format here.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Rewirement Tips - v.3

There are so many things to consider as we face the future. The concept of Rewiring® should touch on all aspects of our life--- if we let it. Here are a few more tips to contemplate your future; the reality is, they work for people of all ages! You’ll see that there’s a few tips that I keep reinforcing, such as Know Yourself! The reason I keep driving this message home is that too many people want to skip this most important step…they just want to just go and do; that will work for awhile then you’ll come up anxious again. Spend some time getting to know yourself; I bet you’re a very interesting person!

Accept the Future as a time of endings and beginnings. Think about what will end in your life, and ask will you miss it? Ask what you want to end, and know why you won’t miss it. Also cite what you don’t want to have changed.

Acknowledge how you handle change. Do you run from it; thrive on it; embrace it; lead it? This insight should guide your planning.

Keep your values close. Our values are our anchors. Is work your anchor? Recognize that the absence of work may leave you feeling adrift.

Go on vacation. Do something totally different the first week of your new life. If you know that change is hard for you, and that the first Monday of your new life will be tough, be away.

Take the time to know yourself. It’s a journey well worth taking. As a start read Don’t Retire, REWIRE to gain insights, then if you want more go hire a coach or talk to a role model or mentor, you don’t have to figure out your life alone.

Listen to yourself. Take one off-beat idea you have and play it through. Let the kid in you emerge. There may be a whole other side of you dying to get out.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

If You Plan to Work in Retirement, Here's A Few Rewiring Tips!



Today’s workplace is competitive, challenging and more complex than ever! So whether you’re looking for a new job because you have to or just because you want to, I’ve compiled some job- seeking tips for everyone, but especially for people 50+. I advise people to take an inward journey first, that they look inside themselves and answer a few questions, BEFORE they take action! I'm seeing too many people going the route of "READY, FIRE, AIM! and then wondering WHY they didn't hit their bullseye!

Follow the Boy Scout motto and Be Prepared to answer some basic questions before you jump into looking for a job. Too many people say they want to go back to work, or want new work options but can't articulate what it is they want!

We need other people to help us uncover opportunities so we need to make sure--- coming out of the gate--- that we have our act together! You need an elevator speech ready to go! So here are some questions and tips to get you thinking. Many of them are pretty basic…in fact you may think they're too obvious!

So my question is: CAN YOU ANSWER THEM?

1. Know WHY you want to work in retirement. Is it for pay, intellectual stimulation, community, driver fulfillment? Other?

2. Where do you want to work. For your former company on a reduced schedule, for the competition, as a consultant, as an entrepreneur,for a non-profit?

3. How do you want to work? Part time/full time/flex/seasonally?

4. Do you have the technology skills you need? Are you willing to get them?

6. Did you review your past accomplishments? Do you know what's important to you?

7. Have you identified the skills you want to use in your next act? Just because you have a certain skill DOESN'T mean you have to use it!

8. Are you open, adaptable and flexible? Or closed to new ideas and set in your ways?

Before you head off to a recruiter, a job board, or a networking lunch, have the guts to talk to yourself about what you want and need from your work and your life.
Labels: plan of action, working in retirement, rewirement, tips

Friday, August 1, 2008

Is Writing A Novel In Your Future?

To me, there is nothing better than reading a good novel. Why do I tell you this? Because over the past several years of traveling the country speaking to audiences about their futures, I have heard more people say,"I want to write the Great American Novel one day." But they openly admit they have no idea of how to get started. So for all of you future writers, I am thrilled to introduce you to literary agent and author, Evan Marshall, who has made novel writing easier than ever before! Evan has turned his best selling book on how to write a novel, "The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing" into downloadable software and it's great! and available at here.

Many people are deciding to rewire and get new skills at the height of their careers. Evan is a perfect example. On top of his day job as a literary agent, he used his nights and weekends to master a whole new skill set--software programming--in order to create the software himself. He told me that "no one knows The Marshall Plan better than I do, so I'll write the software!" But how to begin is always the question regardless of the topic.

Evan took night classes at County College of Morris, enrolled in an on-line course through the Montclair School of Continuing Education, and read several textbooks in his spare time! Although a New Jersey resident Evan found help all over the world. He posted problems on expertsexchange.com, got feedback from a fan in Australia, and hired an expert programmer in Pakistan, who bid for the job on elance.com.

Best of all, Evan listened to his fans who had been asking him for years to turn his book into software. He also listened to himself,and decided to go for it. Three years later he is thrilled and so are his fans!

So,do you have a book project,or idea, you've been thinking of doing? Don't deprive the world of a great novel, you now have the software to get started; Evan has done the legwork for you!

Oh, if only life were always this easy!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

EXPECTED the UNEXPECTED

When I hear the comment, "Oh well I've just come to expect the unexpected," or "nothing surprises me any more," they are usually uttered with a heavy sigh and from a more negative standpoint. Many people think that when you expect the unexpected that you are assuming something bad will happen. Being a "realistic optimist," (an attitude that I think we all should be adopting right now) I expect good things to happen to myself and others. And am thrilled and excited when an unexpected cool thing occurs! Which was what happened last week when our book DON'T RETIRE, REWIRE! and our idea of rewiring was a focal point of Jane Brody's column in The New York Times.

I believe that we need to work hard, work smart, and live by the Golden Rule and sometimes with doing everything else right, we also get lucky! It is challenging times at the ranch and Jane's words rewired some of my thinking! I was in Battle Creek last week doing an AARP program, entitled WORK @ 50...Getting Rewired for Your Next Act. The audience of 250 people were eager for new ideas and insights so Jane's comments and my AARP audience has caused me to do the unexpected....I am going to start offering more HOW TO FIND WORK Tips and ideas in my blog and on my website.

So when something unexpectedly wonderful happens to you, think of how you can use it to make something unexpectedly positive happen for someone else!

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Looking For Meaning and Purpose In All the Right Places

I tell people NOT to eavesdrop on other people's dreams, because what one person considers heaven, you might consider hell. I give myself the right to eavesdrop. I view it as part of my on-going research. I see myself as a "social voyeur" so if you have that title then eavesdropping goes with the territory.

Recently a lot of folks have been telling me they need to rewire because they need to find new meaning and purpose in their life. They have gone stale at work and at play even in their relationships. When I ask how they define "meaning and purpose" I usually get a blank stare or quizzical look----"meaning and purpose" are great words but I believe it it up to each of us to define those words for ourselves.

Many Boomers say they want to do new work in their next act...to have a retirement career, or as my friend and author, Marc Freedman , calls it...to have Encore Career. If you are one of those people looking for new work that touches both your life and society then get ready to do some personal due diligence by reading the latest survey from MetLife and Civic Ventures on the topic.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

So What Are You Waiting For?

I bet that some of you reading this blog right now have been thinking about making some changes in your life....could be at work, at play, in your home---it doesn't matter what you are planning to do. Imagine that I am a little voice speaking to you and asking, "so what is stopping you from moving ahead?" Or as I like to say---"what is stopping you from rewiring?" I am NOT necessarily talking about big changes; I'm talking about any change that you say, or have been saying, that you would like to make.

While giving a speech last week I discovered that I was facing an audience of procrastinators. I found myself saying from the stage---"Recognize, you're not getting any younger; there is never a perfect time to enact change, and lastly, and sadly there is no guarantee that you will be here tomorrow...so why not make the change now?" Many people told me they wanted to try new things; take up a sport, learn French, or that they liked their life but just wanted more fun, and good times in it. Most of the things they mentioned were quite do-able.

Then on Friday afternoon we learned that Tim Russert had died. He was a boomer; one of us, and his death was a shock. But as I watched TV and read about him, I smiled because here was a man who truly lived a life he loved.
Sometimes we can be shocked into change. I know I've been.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

"Drivers" Can Enhance Your Vacation

We just came back from a two week vacation in Paris; truthfully it was to not only have fun but to also celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary in a city we both love! We had an incredible time, even with a weak dollar. A few friends and associates had wondered, "wouldn't it be better to wait until the dollar got stronger? and our responses was, "and when does your crystal ball say that will be?"

First tip---You can always find a reason for not doing something! You don't even have to look that hard! So my advice is, accept that reality, prepare for it, and then get on with it.

Second tip ---For us, it wasn't just about going to Paris, it was about what did we want to do, to see, to experience there? We had subscribed to France Today magazine and used their great site(http://www.francetoday.com/) to see what was going on in Paris. As some of you know, in doing our research for our book DON'T RETIRE, REWIRE! we identified 85 reasons why people work beyond money, but we also discovered that these "drivers" as we call them, are a part of our DNA and apply to our total life.

Third tip---You can also use those drivers to plan your pleasures! Rewiring isn't just about work! One of my drivers is "to have new experiences" and another is "to be current!" I hate to miss out on anything, so we ordered tickets for the Camille Claudel exhibit at the Rodin Museum (http://www.musee-rodin.fr/) and booked an outstanding guide to tour Giverny(www.giverny.org/monet) Claude Monet's home, where he painted the famous waterlily series. and we're glad we did because there were waiting lines for both!

Fourth tip--- One of my co-author/husband's drivers is "to have freedom," so our goal was to create a vacation experience that would fulfill both of us! We didn't fill every minute but rather left time for just sitting in the Tuileries Garden and pondering life, devouring a chocolate dessert at Angelina's or munching on a baguette and letting the world go by!

Fifth tip---Discover what makes you tick (it's a key part of rewiring) then go out and create the life that makes you tick!

A bientot!

Saturday, May 10, 2008

REWIRING Is NOT Just About the Big Stuff!

As I travel the country, it doesn't matter whether I'm talking to an audience of Boomers, Gen X-ers, retirees, rewirees, or pre-retirees, I leave and never know for sure how, or if my message to rewire their energy, regardless of age or stage of life, is getting through to them. Think about it...as a speaker, I'm there and then I leave. I often sit on planes and wonder "Did I make a difference?" "Did they get a new idea or two?"

This week I got my answer from a friend who called on Friday and said, "Ok. I took your advice, I'm doing a little rewiring. I want you to know that I'm walking back to my office. I didn't hop right into a cab after my meeting (she lives in New York City). In fact I'm noticing the tulips on Park Avenue, the number of dogs on the street, and that New York is full of tourists!"

"So how does it feel?" I asked. "Actually it's kind of nice because I'm reflecting on my meeting and what my client said in a different way!" I was ready to say "see how easy it is," when she continued with, "And if I walk just right I can still check e-mails on my Blackberry!" Okay, so she hadn't broken a habit, but she was trying something new. She had rewired a little bit of her energy...That's what matters..and she was actually noticing things around her. So maybe it's time for you to drive a different way to work...or listen to a new cd or radio station. It doesn't matter what you do, just re-route some of your energy and see what happens!Maybe nothing...maybe a lot!

Rewiring is not about big changes only...it's about trying small changes on for size and seeing how it feels.

Monday, March 10, 2008

How Are You Doing On Those 2008 Resolutions?

This headline triggers a range of emotions from guilt to regret to joy. It all depends on whether you’ve pursued any of the goals or changes you said you wanted to make in your life this year. Funny, we make plans, have good intentions, then life gets in the way. It happens to all of us. It might seem obvious to you but I think that the goals that we pursue are the ones we really want. We give a lot of lip service to ourselves…..Some people call it the “woulda, coulda, shoulda’s,” and I also call it the “yeah, buts..” We have a million excuses for why we can’t do something.

I knew that I needed to rewire some of my own energy this year; I had gotten out of balance, and too focused on other people’s lives, forgetting my own. Admitting that I needed to rewire was the first step. Then listening to myself about things that I said I wanted to do was the next step. An inner voice kept saying to me… “you’ve been wanting to get into yoga.” I had done yoga in India in December, loved it, and verbally made it a priority, but did nothing to make it a reality. Yoga is great for getting in touch with body, spirit, and soul, (www.yogabasics.com) so I thought that would be great for my rewiring journey. When I looked at my travel TO DO List I saw that KRIPULA a Retreat Center in the Berkshires had been on the list for three years (see what I mean about postponing things!) and I decided to go there for the Retreat and Relaxation weekend. Another one of my goals was to spend more quality time with friends. I didn’t just want to “do dinners.” So when a friends said, “I’m into yoga and would love to go to KRIPULA,” I knew there was no stopping me! All of the excuses were removed. I picked up the phone and got us a reservation. My husband said he’d have his own retreat weekend at home while I was away. (remember we don’t rewire in a vacuum!) Getting away allowed me time to reflect, take stock, and more importantly live in the moment, which isn’t always easy. The weekend was fun, fulfilling and a success for me and I had the chance to combine several goals.

Why am I telling you this? It’s an idea that might work for you. Maybe you should try repackaging a few goals. Getting rewired is about changing your mindset, then about changing your actions. When I looked at my goals, yes I actually wrote them out, I saw key themes that supported my desire for more balance and centeredness in my life. It’s just a beginning and I know I’ll make up excuses for why I can’t do yoga or see a friend but at least I’ll be more aware of my own excuses! I’ve also learned to breathe differently, (something I can do anywhere) and even discovered FitTV a channel that offers Namaste Yoga. It’s not even Spring yet and I’m on my way!

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Rewirement Tips v.2 - See the Big Picture

There are so many things to consider as you contemplate your future. You need to see the "Big Picture", as best as you can, and you also need to look at your daily life and think of how it will be impacted if you retired or as we call it rewired! To help you with your thought process here are more tips to consider:

Accept retirement as a time of - and for - change.
Think about what will change in your life, and what you want to change. Also cite what you don’t want to have changed.

Get to know yourself.
Make time to discover who you really are. Spend time alone each day. Don’t negate your own ideas. Capture even your off-beat thoughts in your journal, and refer to it often.

Determine what you want in retirement vs. what you need.
Wants and needs are two different things. Needs are what you have to have, and wants are what would be nice to have. Create a checklist for each.

Fill in the blanks on What happiness is---.
Think about your current life and jot down what in it makes you most happy. Also note what’s missing that you would like to have.

Talk to former and current work associates about their retirement plans.
Openness can lead to answers and solutions. Find out what has been successful and what would they do differently. Create a composite of traits and activities that you admire in others’ retirements and would seek in your own. Discover to what they attribute their success.

Try phasing into retirement.
Many employers will consider transferring employees to jobs with reduced responsibilities, schedules and pay as a step prior to entering full retirement. Investigate opportunities within your organization.

Talk to family members.
Share your retirement plans with those close to you. You and your family need to communicate at this time. Don’t risk having them feel left out or being the last to know. Don’t be swayed by their comments if they don’t work for you. If you hit communications roadblocks with your partner, consider counseling.

Go out on top.
It’s great to set your own agenda and leave on a high. Prior to this year the last seven winning Super Bowl coaches retired after they won the Super Bowl.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Why Do So Many People Hate Today's Words?

What’s going on?

Having recently given presentations in Chicago, LA, San Antonio and New York, I have been struck by how vocal people have become about words they hate! Several years ago when we were researching ideas for Don’t Retire, REWIRE!, we heard rumblings about how many people disliked the word retirement. They didn’t like the image it evoked; they didn’t like the definition of the word and they couldn’t relate to it. We knew that our concept of rewiring would offer pre- and post-retirees an alternative way to think about and plan for their future. Although we created the term rewirement we realize now that we don’t care what people call their future life stage, we care more about how they live or “do” their future.

Now it seems that people dislike most words that have anything to do with aging! It’s like there is a rebellion going on. People have shot down the words-- Senior, elder, mid-life, older, mature…and the list goes on! When I started hearing people complain, it made me think about the first time someone said, “Thank you, “Ma'am! to me. All I could think was “What? Or the famous Robert De Niro line from Taxi Driver…”you talking to me?” I thought, “I’m still cool! How can you call me Ma'am?” It meant that that younger person, saw me as older, (notice I didn’t say old) and I was shocked.

AARP says that “60 is the new 40.” Studies cite people seeing themselves as 10 -12 years younger than they really are. So is it just boomers wanting to be younger? No. When a 90 year old woman told me that she volunteers and that her job is to take the blood pressure of the “old” people, I thought who is she talking about? She proudly said, “92 and 94 year olds!” This is not a boomer rebellion about certain words, this is broader and in the mind set of many. It was then that I discovered a great article in AGING TODAY, called WORDS TO AGE BY: A GUIDE ON STYLE AND USAGE. The link will take you to the November-December 2007 issue for at least another 3 weeks. Then it will be in "Back Issues" at the bottom of that page. When you get to the page, just scroll down to "Words to Age By." Although written for the media I think it is a good read for all of us!

So just to be safe if you see me on the street just yell out…Hey You! And I’ll answer.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Vacations Can Be A Good Way To Rewire -- If Used Properly!

We went to India during the holidays. It was the first time that Rick, my co-author/husband and I, had been away from our families for Christmas, and the first time that we had ever traveled with a group let alone a group on a bus! The result was an unbelievable trip on every level and I thank TRAVCOA for that. As much as some of us want or even need to be in control, there is something to be said for turning control over to others and having them supply the structure and schedules. India is a very complex country; made up of extremes (www.bestindiansites.com) and trying to understand India’s beauty and poverty forced me to live in the moment or maybe I was just ready to live in the moment.

Although I carried a Global Blackberry with me, I did not allow it to intrude on my trip. I wasn’t beholden to it; yes the work I do allowed me that freedom but I realize that going forward I will use my Blackberry as tool of freedom not as a tool to tie me down. It’s a head shift, but one I need. Once I began to reflect on why the trip was so terrific, I realized that I had allowed all of my senses to become a part of the Indian experience. I totally immersed myself in all of the sights, smells and sounds of a very magical country.

During a dinner conversation on the third night of the trip, I made a comment and a fellow traveler asked, what do you do professionally? I thought for a minute, and said, “I’ll tell you in few days.” Rick was stunned but smiled. I didn’t want to talk about rewiring. I didn’t want to talk about retirement or pensions, or life planning, or the mature workforce. I was on holiday! Later in the week I told people about DON’T RETIRE, REWIRE! and about my speeches and audiences.

When I got back to New York I realized that I had desperately needed time off from talking about the future and about other people’s next acts. I had rewired my own energy and come back to work ready to rewire America but with a greater understanding of myself and the world around me.

Do you hink about how you use your vacations? Or more important, do you take vacations?

Whether you’re on vacation or just doing life, try living more in the moment. Let me tell you, it takes practice, but the benefits can be enormous.