Retirement Is Not the Finish Line!
Think of it as a starting gun going off...
The Retirementeering™ Newsletter
There’s a myth going around that's quietly destroying people. It seems harmless at first, maybe even reasonable, and it goes something like this: "You've worked hard, now it's time to slow down and take it easy, you've earned it."
If you were a hard rock miner for forty years or are physically disabled, you may indeed need to slow down and rest for the remainder of your life. But for many of us, especially in this second half of life, the concept of slowing down and permanently taking it easy is a trap. Because what starts as "rest" often turns into disengagement, which becomes decline, and decline left unchecked becomes a life that often ends too soon. Let's be honest. Society expects people over 60 to quietly go away, take up a hobby, watch the grandkids, play it safe, back off, and disappear.
But you don't have to, in fact, you shouldn't. Retirement isn't the finish line. It's not the end of your productive or creative life. It's not your cue to disappear from the world or settle into the lowest gear until the clock runs out. It can instead be an important pivot point and an opportunity to rearrange your priorities, not abandon them. You may now have more freedom than at any other point in your life, so what will you do with it?
You could write a book.
Start a business.
Train for a marathon.
Travel to places you've never been.
Learn a new language, mentor young people, or back a cause that fires you up.
People aren't finished at 60 or 70 — unless they believe they are. Of course, your body changes, so does your metabolism, your recovery time, and your patience for the noise and nonsense. However, your ability to grow, explore, contribute, and to live life large doesn't have to go anywhere. The actual danger in aging isn't with physical decline, it's with psychological resignation. The idea that accepting slowing down is your only option. The irony is that the more you move, engage, and challenge yourself, the better your body, brain, and spirit will respond!
Retirementeering is a mindset that retirement is not a time to withdraw and bide your time waiting for the end, but an opportunity to recommit to yourself, your health, your purpose, and your community. You need not disappear, and you're not done growing unless you believe you are. And you're certainly not dead, so while you're here, get out there and do something with your life!
20 June 2025 All Rights Reserved © Creative Process Consulting, LLC