Retirement Is A Misnomer

Transition From Career ⇒ New Beginning

Retirement is a word that no longer fits!  It's a misnomer for today's population of people transitioning from their careers into a future of their own design.

Years ago when our daughter, then three years old, asked her grandfather what he did.  He explained he was retired.  She didn't understand.  With a puzzled look she told him, « But you don't look tired. » 

She was right.  He didn't look tired.  This 74 year old had just retired from his second career of ten years.  When her Grandpa Jim turned 62 he decided that he was ripe for a new challenge before being put out to pasture.  So he left the ministry, began studies and became a stock broker.  He then re-retired ten years later as Vice President in a major brokerage firm, feeling even more vigorous than at 62.  He was a pioneer for his times.

Today starting a new career or activity is commonplace.  We are following dreams to improve the world, living passions, winning races, authoring books, creating new products, teaching in foreign countries, and setting new records as we  seek new challenges to develop our still untapped potential.   We are traveling, teaching, earning degrees, testing new tecnology.  We jog with our i-pod, send messages on a blackberry and surf the net.  At the same time we are often juggling the care of our grandchildren and parents.

Oh yes, it's time to find a meaningful term to define this new transition.  Retirement is associated with departure, retreat, seclusion, reclusion, resignation, pullback, pullout, withdrawal.    It may be the departure or withdrawal from a position or occupation, but it is definitely not seclusion and uselessness unless we choose for it to be.

Let's find new terms to replace this archaic word, retirement.  A good beginning is "encore choices", which indicates that our journey can take any direction we decide as we weigh the opportunities that surround us.  It keeps us in a position of decision, action and power.  

Other positive expressions for this transition are refirement, third act, challenged anew, impulsion, re-energized, stage of enlightenment… Choose whichever you prefer. The transition from your career is into a new beginning! Make it with confidence and age esteem.

Bonnie Fatio