The 60 Year Career

A forty year career looks daunting when you first start out. Now try a sixty year career. A recent Wall Street Journal article by one of our favorite journalists, Carol Hymowitz, lays out the rationale for a longer work life. Circling in and out of jobs and careers will become the norm says Carol. We agree. Longevity is the reason.  We are living healthier, longer lives that will permit us to try new careers, sample jobs, and go back to school not once but several times over the course of a sixty year career. You will get to REWIRE early and often as your life unfolds.

The key is to extend a forty year career over a sixty year period. You work the same amount of time spread over an additional twenty years.  In a traditional forty year career, we try to compress too much work in our lives. Families suffer, relationships suffer, and the person working suffers. It's a kind of lose lose for all concerned.  The sixty year career permits us more time with loved ones, being present for important life events.  Important is defined by the individuals involved. It could be a sports or cultural event where your child or grandchild is playing, going on an extended vacation with those you care about, or freeing up time to care for older parents or grandchildren. It also gives you more time for self care.  

The article suspends the traditional straight line career ladder. In its place will be a maze or "jungle gym." The directions will be changing and so will you. In order to prepare we all need to become more adaptable. That includes the worker and the employer. Easier said than done, we know. The aging population and the need to get the job done will force employers to be more embracing of older workers. Older workers will need to reciprocate by keeping up on their skills and learning no ones.  Working in teams with younger workers will be mandatory.  Adjusting to each other will take time, but that is the future.

What will really become essential is knowing your DRIVERS, the emotional rewards you get from work beyond the money. Aligning your DRIVERS to the jobs you select during the sixty year career will make the time go faster and the work a lot more fulfilling.  It should be an adventure not a sentence!

Resolutions Aren't Just for New Year's Eve

News flash: You don't have to wait until the start of a new year to make resolutions that will improve your life, reset your behaviors, or start yourself on the path to new experiences.  Resolutions on New Year's Eve often end in the trash bin along with the party hats and champagne bottles from the night before.  Before you make any resolution regardless of the time of year there is a step you will be well served to take....it's called " looking inside yourself."

We asked several of our readers who are REWIRING Champions how they approached making resolutions.  Almost unanimously they said: We took the time to look inside ourselves and to understand what really is important to us now. We wholeheartedly agree. Self introspection and hence self awareness are often the best guides for making important resolutions or decisions of any type.  Asking yourself what is important to you, what achievements do you aspire to (big or small, at work or at play), what can you do to improve yourself or the world around you can be life altering.  It's true, the longest journey starts with the first step and procrastination is real but it is our loves we're talking about. Starting off with achievable goals builds confidence once they are achieved. Then you feel more comfortable to continue to the harder goals.  Think of resolutions as a ladder.  The first few rungs are easy. The higher you go the task becomes more difficult and the tighter the grasp required to hold on and reach the top. Slowly and steadily resolutions can become realities, just like reaching the top of the ladder.

Among the resolutions most often mentioned by readers who have contacted us are finding a not for profit and committing time for volunteering; going back to school to take a course (online or in person); traveling to a place never visited before; helping out a family member who may be stretched for time or who is aging and needs support; and enjoying an activity in greater depth such as music, art, woodworking, hiking, golf, etc. The resolutions are your own so let the kite out and make some regardless of the time of year. You can begin to REWIRE anytime. Resolve to do so. How about NOW?

Who's Your Role Model?

Today the Wall Street Journal had a wonderful article about the life of Frances Hesselbein. Frances recently passed away at the age of 107.  She was one of the country's great nonprofit leaders and a role model for all who aspire to success as leaders and managers. She was the CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA where she brought the organization into the 20th century with new programs and initiatives that would aid girls in becoming successful business leaders not just homemakers.  Management guru Peter Drucker was her role model.  She invited Drucker to consult at the Girl Scouts which he did.  Frances eventually left the Girl Scouts and became the founding head of the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management.  Her good work resulted in the group changing its name to the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Forum.

We had the privilege of meeting Frances on several occasions. Her enthusiasm was infectious as was her thoughtfulness and kindness.  She took pride in helping younger people with their careers. Her business prowess helped hundreds of nonprofits become financially stable.  Her impact was the incalculable success helping those organizations achieve their missions of helping others.  What a legacy! What a role model!

Having a role model is important at any age.  It really comes in handy when you approach or are already in retirement.  Ask yourself, who are the people you aspire to be like? Whose retirement activities represent what you would like to be doing? Perhaps it is someone who has ventured into a new retirement career, taken a part time job, taken on a volunteer role, or are completely devoted to the exploration of an interest or a hobby. Having a retirement role model is a great way to start you on a journey to a healthier, more active retirement.  Staying active and committed to something in later years ends up extending those years and making them much more satisfying and fulfilling.  In so doing you may become someone else's role model.

We may not have the long life opportunity that Frances enjoyed, but we can learn from her commitment to continuing to make a difference in the lives of others and in so doing made a difference in her own life.  Her famous quote was, "The purpose of life to is love and be loved. In that order."  Loving what you do is a step on that journey especially in later life. Now ask yourself, "Who's my role model?"

Find a Hobby at Hobby Lobby

Rick and I recently went to Hobby Lobby. It was my first time and Rick's second.  We strolled the aisles looking at all the resources for people with a hobby.  We laughed that if you didn't have a hobby when you walked in, you probably would when you left.  Unfortunately, many retirees don't have hobbies or interests.  We receive emails frequently from readers who lament the absence of a hobby or an interest in their life.  They report that time drags. They are envious of their friends who can spend hours on end with their hobbies.  The envy isn't misplaced.  There are tremendous benefits to having a hobby: physical and mental.  

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal authored by Beth DeCarbo entitled
Why Hobbies Are So Important in Retirement highlights the benefits of having a hobby including improving the risks of cardiovascular disease, creating a new sense of identity, improved cognitive performance, creating a buffer against depression, and enhancing the feelings of productivity which leads to joy. Beth has interviewed numerous people who are examples of improving their lives through hobby.

It doesn't matter if you collect stamps, coins, old cars, matchbook covers or rare books. Travel, sport, cooking, etc. all fit the bill. They don't have to be expensive to be fun and fulfilling.  What's important is the intention to be engaged in something that interests you and expands your thinking at this life stage. If you are having trouble finding a hobby, stroll Hobby Lobby or any other hobby emporium. Talk to others about their hobbies. There is plenty of information on the internet to get you thinking.  As one reader said, "A new hobby made my life so much more enjoyable.  I jump out of bed and look forward to the day."  That's what we refer to as a REWIRED future!

Using Your Brain

Using the brain never stops. We have blogged about this frequently because it is so important.  Incredulously, we still receive comments from readers indicating that retirement signals the end of learning.  We were stunned to hear that intelligent people were viewing learning as having an end date. They were saying when I retire I can put my brain on permanent pause.  In fact, continuous learning is one of life’s great joys. What most people aren’t aware of is the extreme positive impact that learning new things, getting new things(yes getting new things), seeing new sights, and experiencing new activities have on the brain.  It can slow memory loss, the onset of dementia, and keep individuals functioning a high level well into later life and old age.  A recent article in Buffer.com that focuses on this topic should be mandatory reading for everyone not just retirees.  If you want to be a REWIREE, not just a retiree, read the article.

Learning, whether in a formal setting, taking an online course, or simply Googling something you didn’t know before stimulates part of the brain called the substantia nigra/ventral segmental area or SN/VTA.  It triggers the motivation center of the brain.  We learn and we get motivated.  We frequently meet retirees who are taking courses or embarking on travel learning.  They seem to be happy, engaged in life, have a broader social network, and a motivation to learn more.  Longevity is not a curse for them. It is a gift of time that permits these individuals to keep on learning and having more energy that stimulates and motivates them.  It is a fabulous cycle of learn, be motivated, learn more new things, be happy, etc.  

 

Learning doesn’t have to be just academics.  You might want to learn a new sport, a new hobby, how to cook a different type of cuisine, how to sail, engage in a new fitness program, or learn how to finally master some of the programs installed on your computer.  You can acquire new things. For example, a boat or a car you can work on or show off.  How about buying furniture you need to assemble yourself?  You pick it. 

 

Keep learning, experiencing, and REWIRING.  Remember you can REWIRE as often as you want. You and those who love you will be glad you did. 

Try Something New

We recently surveyed a group of retired individuals.  We asked them how they would characterize their of levels of enjoyment in retirement.  Many reported very positive feelings about this life phase.  Some used the phrase, "I go to bed at night looking forward to waking up and doing something I enjoy."

The common thread for all these positive people was that they added something entirely new to their lives. They began investigating activities, sports, and hobbies they had never participated in before.  Their inquisitiveness was eventually rewarded. Most reported that it didn't happen overnight. Most tried something and decided it wasn't for them. They didn't stop there. They continued their exploration   If there was a common theme it was that they were all willing to try, fail, and dare to discard, so they could move on to something else. Their secret sauce was persistence.   

Identifying the activity was just the start.  The real catalyst was that they were willing to devote time to learning something new.  They acknowledged to themselves they were beginners. They were unashamed to ask questions, try and fail, and try again. You could call it Retirement Bravery.  

The range of the groups new activities was extremely broad and included painting, writing, collecting, learning to play pickle ball, croquet, and golf or embracing a musical instrument. All we can say is that guitar sales must really be up! 

Futurist Malcom Gladwell says that in order to become really good at something you have to put ten thousand hours of practice into it. At this stage, you may not have the ten thousand hours to put into whatever you choose to do. But the time you do devote to a the activity will garner a payoff in personal fulfillment. 

The group also cautioned that in order to find the time to pursue the new interest, you may have to say no to other things. You may have to limit the other activities you already have in your life including spending as much time with family and friends.

Time passes quickly. Wouldn't you like to do something that gives you joy?

Laboring On

Labor Day is here. It is the 128^th anniversary of the Federal holiday first celebrated in 1894.  Where did the summer go?  It seems we ask ourselves that question every year.  Labor Day is an important annual marker signaling the end of summer, the start of the school year for many, and the advent of autumn. Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner. 

There has been quite a lot of activity around work since Covid struck in 2020. New movements along the way include the Great Resignation when people began reassessing their employment choices and commitments and decided to take a break from work. Some have made their choices permanent. Others have re-entered the workforce in higher paying jobs, new careers or gone back to school for additional credentials. 

 

Quiet Quitting is also very new trend.  This occurs when people who are employed decide to do the minimum required to maintain a paycheck.  For them long work hours, employer access to them 24/7, and going the extra mile are a thing of the past.  Their co-workers are none too happy with them because the work still needs get done. Personal relations at work get strained to put it mildly. With such low unemployment numbers, employers are reluctant to fire people when it is so hard to replace them. 

 

Working remotely is here to stay.  It doesn’t have to be working from home. It could be from a Starbuck’s, on a couch at the local shopping mall (we have witnessed this), from a beach house, or even another country.  Eliminating a commute is a tasty benefit.  Technology has given workers leverage they never had before. Some employers are demanding workers return to the office. Let’s see how that works out. With over 8 million jobs waiting to be filled, workers have choices and can often call the shots. 

 

The other trend is Un-retirement, where retirees of all ages are leaving leisure behind and returning to the workforce. Inflation has a way of galvanizing people to want to work.  So does boredom. After all, with longevity you can be retired longer than you were in the workforce.  Scary thought.  The greatest number of people over the age of 65 are now in the workforce and more are joining daily.

 

For all workers who are thinking about retirement or are already in it, remember: You Retire From something and you REWIRE to something which just might include a new job.  If you decide to go back to work part-time, full-time, start a new career, or volunteer you will have plenty of company. HAPPY LABOR DAY.