When Marie Langworthy, 65, of Columbia, Conn., retired as a school administrator, she also did a self-analysis and decided to supervise student teachers during the day, teach technology skills to adults at night and work as a writer on the side.
People who are retiring sometimes just think about getting another job doing the same thing they've done all their lives, Langworthy says. "But they really need to step back and go through a self-discovery and self-assessment process and ask: 'What do I really want to do? What do I enjoy doing? What am I good at?'"
Langworthy and Duckworth have written Shifting Gears to Your Life and Work After Retirement to help people take a look at themselves in a totally different way. "We want people to open themselves up to possibilities they never knew existed," Langworthy says.
Duckworth agrees. She worked for years as a career-change counselor helping displaced workers, homemakers and 55-plus career changers find new job opportunities. And she and Langworthy interviewed hundreds of retirees.
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People need to put careful thought into what they're going to do in retirement, Duckworth says. They need to research it, read about it and determine exactly what they want to do.
The authors suggest asking yourself a series of questions: Do you have a creative side that has gone unfulfilled? An interest you have never been able to explore? Do you have an entrepreneurial urge? Humanitarian interests? An adventurous streak? Have you dreamed of a role as a teacher, guide or mentor that you'd like to fulfill?
"Our goal is to help you come up with a mission statement for the ! rest of your life," Duckworth says.
The authors have identified seven different paths that retirees might take. Most pursue a combination of several of these:
• Life of leisure. Many retirees cultivate at least a partial life of leisure, pursuing hobbies, sports, passions or interests, such as fishing, golfing, sailing, gardening and writing, Langworthy says.
This is one of the traditional views of retirement, and a lot of people stop there when they could combine this with other things, Duckworth says. For example, she says, "I met a man who retired as a corporate executive, and his dream was to move to the mountains and have time to read. That was as far as his dream went. Before the first year was out, he had read 232 books, and then he closed the last book and said, 'Now what?' He needed a longer dream, so he became a real estate agent."
• Life of the volunteer. Volunteerism can provide structure, meaning and purpose to retirees' lives, can offer opportunities to establish social contacts and can lead to fulfilling paid employment. "Volunteers often say it's more rewarding to give than receive," Langworthy says.
• Life of a traveler. Some people enter retirement with a bucket list of places they want to visit and experiences they want to have. Rather than just travel as a visitor to places, "I suggest staying in places for a week or more so you get to know the people, not just see the museums," Duckworth says.
• Life of engaging new work. This is work that's something completely different from what you did most of your lifetime. "I know a retired accountant who got a job doing landscaping at a golf course, and he loved it," Langworthy says.
• Life as an entrepreneur. Retirees are often primed and ready to create a business that may contribute to the health, happiness and well-being of others. This involves identifying a need that could be fulfilled and going after it. Give yourself permission to explore ideas, Duckworth says.
• Life as a c! reative. ! These are people who create art, music, new ideas, services and solutions to complex problems. They may be doing this to make a living or for pleasure or for both. "Coming back to your creative self is one of the glories of retirement," Duckworth adds.
• Life of a student. Some study for the pleasure of learning or to train in a new area of work or to become skilled or knowledgeable in an area of interest. "There is a thrill that comes with learning new things," she says.
If you don't like the first few paths you pursue, then try something else, Langworthy says.
She told her grandson the other day that what she really wanted to be was a film editor or cartographer, and he said, "Well, why don't you?"
Retirees "have so much to contribute," Duckworth says. "We've got tremendous experience. We need a social movement where every retiree is planning the next phase of their lives and making contributions until they're 80, or even 90 or 100."
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