If you are retired and thinking about looking at other employment and engagement options, this article has some valuable insight. George Jerjian un-retired and did research into how other retirees are dealing with the change in lifestyle and purpose.
“Retirement means different things to different people. I did a deep survey of more than 15,000 retirees over the age of 60, and asked them one question: “What is your single biggest challenge in retirement?”
Below is a small selection of responses I received under the most cited categories:
Regret:
- “I miss doing the work that I love.”
- “I don’t think retiring is for me. I want to go back to teaching.”
- “I’m not sure what to do with my time. I feel lost.”
Health:
- “Keeping my mind healthy and adding value to the world.”
- “Fear of dying in pain and discomfort.”
- “When you’re 70 with a heart condition, you don’t get that many more bites at the apple.”
Identity:
- “Fear of losing my identity created over a lifetime.”
- “People do not see you anymore.”
- “Feelings of rejection — internalized, not voiced.”
Here’s what this tells us: The biggest retirement challenge that no one talks about, in my experience, is finding purpose.”
Read the article here.
