Fitness Town

Retirement is the time of much-earned rest at the end of a lifetime of hard work. The manufacturing economy of the twentieth century created pension plans that were intended to finance years of worry-free living. With steady income, it was marketed that retirees could move to some pleasant, sunny locale and could just sit back and enjoy life.

Retirement communities that offered the convenience of condominium life, with golf course and country club amenities, sprang up in scenic locales. For many people, retirement represented a promised Shangri-La that awaited the end of many years of toil. Times have changed. With the world economy reeling, many have found their investment nest eggs dramatically reduced. Employers, faced with ledgers full of red ink, are eliminating benefits and staff. Add the rising costs of medical care and the increased life expectancies of today’s population, and the result is an equation that just doesn’t balance.

Many people are facing the fact that a comfortable retirement is not around the corner. Once accepting the idea of staying in the work force, many find a future that affords far more opportunities than they had imagined.

Folks who are thinking seriously about retirement have been around long enough to realize that life takes unexpected turns. One such development is a change in economic realities that means it just isn’t feasible for most people to stop working at the age of 50 or even 60. Increased life expectancies play a part in this scenario as well. In 2008, the average life expectancy for a citizen of Australia was 80.62, for Canada, 80.34, for the European Union, 78.70, for the United Kingdom, 78.70, and for the United States, 78, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. With another 20 or 30 years ahead, it becomes increasingly unlikely that an individual can retire at middle age and live comfortably on a pension or on accumulated wealth and investments.

Financial constraints aside, it is wise to consider whether 20 or 30 years of leisure is even a desirable state. It may sound tempting at first, but able people need meaningful work for psychological fulfillment. Therein lies the key: the work must be meaningful. Continuing employment, in order to bring satisfaction, must meet internal goals, and the goals of a 50-year old are quite likely to differ from the goals of younger workers. Early life goals center on establishing independence and creating a vocational identity. Later in life, goals are more likely to involve personal convictions and affinities.

Option 1: Bloom Where Roots Are Established

If the mature employee is fortunate, he or she has established a reputation as a highly valuable and knowledgeable person. Whether a self-employed professional or staff member, this person has accumulated years of expertise and priceless know-how. An experienced worker can usually do the work of two or three rookies, and probably twice as fast. When an older person decides to stay in their present position, they need to do three things: stay current, stay flexible, and stay interested.

Stay Current

Information and techniques that were once cutting-edge can become old quickly. It’s easy to forget that training that was once up-to-date gets stale in just a few years. Nowhere is this more evident than in the area of communications technology. The retirement age person who doesn’t use e-mail, doesn’t text, and doesn’t Twitter gives the impression of being behind the times. A person the same age who has taken the time to keep up with the new technology, however, portrays himself as sharp and competitive. People must also stay current with new developments in their respective field. Subscribing to journals and information feeds will keep long-time employees in the loop and ready to take on new assignments with ease. When retirement seems imminent, investing the time and effort to learn new skills isn’t a priority. When several years of productive employment remain ahead, there is plenty of reason to embrace new methods and ideas.

Stay Flexible

The world is changing at a phenomenal rate. In fact, one of the few things that today’s employees can count on is change. Work assignments and working conditions of the future may be very different from those of the past. An ability to see the work environment from new perspectives is essential as employers scramble to reposition themselves for future profitability.

Stay Interested

Surprisingly, all this change can have a stimulating effect on long-term employees. A bit of shaking-up can rattle loose pent-up creative energies and bring new interest to the old, familiar workplace. The veteran employee who emerges as a leader in some new area will be a welcome surprise to supervisors, and give younger colleagues some stiff competition along with experienced guidance.

Option 2: Get That Second Wind

Middle-aged people in good health are in a fabulous position. They enjoy physical well-being along with wisdom and knowledge gained from years of experience. In addition, their children are likely reaching adulthood and financial independence. The result is a time of life that combines physical ability with know-how, mature judgment, and a large measure of financial freedom. This is the perfect time to follow long held dreams and ambitions, giving mature worker s the freedom to relocate or start a business. She may be ready to downsize, shedding time-consuming and expensive possessions in order to free herself for new enterprises. People in their middle years can experience again the heady excitement of new beginnings, and having already negotiated the trials and tribulations of young adulthood they are even better equipped for success.

Option 3: Rediscovery and Personal Growth

Being laid-off when near retirement age, or forced into early and unaffordable retirement, are cataclysmic experiences. They can be nearly as disruptive as divorce or the death of a loved one, for they represent significant loss. Work is a defining element in an individual’s self-concept, providing a sense of identity and personal value. When work is taken away, an individual suffers a sudden crisis of self-hood that, if not handled properly, can lead to depression. Although never a ‘first choice’, such an event can also be the catalyst for great success and fulfillment.

Identity Matters

In order to weather such an experience and turn it into an opportunity for growth, an individual must separate his identity from his job. While it’s true that what we do makes up a part of who we are, our state of employment really doesn’t define our existence and the integrity of the individual is not diminished by the loss of a job. Personal qualities such as honesty, intelligence, skill, and loyalty are intrinsic to the individual, not to the job.

Define Goals

Every ending is also a beginning. The newly unemployed person is at a crossroads. It is time to take stock of the situation and determine goals. While one individual may desire financial security above all else, another may decide that a lower-paying job that is more personally fulfilling is the way to go. People can spend years taking their daily lives for granted, never thinking about other options. When daily life is forced to change, those options can lead to real plans and new adventure. There are quite likely opportunities to be found that did not exist 10 or 20 years ago. The experienced job-seeker who is interested in pursuing personal growth rather than top dollar should make that clear to prospective employers, who may be delighted to find that they can afford such experienced staff.

Make Plans

Plans need to be flexible, but they are important in the effort to reach goals. Plans with both short-term and long-term goals that are clearly defined provide guidance and incentive during the change process. Change, especially unexpected change, can be intimidating. For those living in the U.S, loss of insurance benefits is a big worry for those in their middle years. Alumni organizations, senior-citizens groups, churches, and others are now offering group plans for members, and these are often more affordable than individual coverage. Social networking provides support and interest as well as useful information and job leads. Well-articulated plans allow one to break the huge task of establishing new employment into small, reasonable bits that, steadily accomplished, will eventually lead one to success.

Rather than being ready to give up active employment, older workers may well be at the top of their game, ready to climb new heights of achievement. In addition, they have a wealth of experience and knowledge that enables them to create their own definitions of accomplishment. Having already proven themselves in the workforce, they are free to strike out in new directions. Postponing retirement can mean entering the most productive and fulfilling period of life. When the twenty-somethings of today become the sixty-somethings of tomorrow, retirement may well be reserved for the very elderly. Today’s role models will have demonstrated that the later decades of life hold tremendous potential for creative accomplishment and personal fulfillment.

Brenda Layman is a freelance writer who lives in Pickerington, Ohio, with her husband of 29 years, Mark. She is a fishing enthusiast (fanatic?) who firmly believes in the healing power of the human spirit. When she is not on the water or in the woods, Brenda spends her time writing for Greenmaple Wellness Inc. and Ohio Valley Outdoors magazine. Brenda is also the author of Song of Joy, a Guide to Recovery from Sorrow.

Brenda is also a regular contributor to the Fitness Town Health & Wellness On-line E-zine.  For more great articles like this one, please visit here and sign-up to receive our free newsletter once per month.

Healthy living to you and your families from all of us at Fitness Town.