Failing Retirement?

In recent days, I have been in several conversations with friends about retirement—some contemplating leaving a full-time position, some already in that reality. I have often said that I have failed retirement. I have “officially” retired twice but continue in several roles, including my work with Summit Coach Training. Perhaps it would be better to say, “I have negotiated retirement in the way that works for me.” And that’s the key. Everyone is different and each must identify their own path in this third phase of life.

Here are four things that I think someone contemplating retirement should consider.

Retire TO something rather than FROM something. When leaving a full-time role, we often think about what we are leaving behind rather than what we are entering. We may have a mythical view of retirement as having all the time in the world to do what we want to do. But what do we want to do?
If you don’t plan your time, someone else will. This is the corollary to the first observation. There will be well-intentioned people who, when they learn you are retired, will come up with just the right thing for you to spend your time on. It may be a well-meaning spouse, adult children, church leaders, or neighbors. Maybe one of these ideas will fit your passion, but always remember one of the perks of retirement is the ability to say “No.”
How will you continue to live out your giftedness? In one of those recent conversation, a friend mentioned the idea of “calling out your best self” in retirement. We had been talking about the gifts that God has given to each of us, those that we have invested in our ministry roles. These gifts don’t just go away when we leave a ministry position. They are still part of who we are. The challenge is finding the best way to use them.
Finally, but perhaps most important, where will you find joy in retirement? What are the things that you have wanted to do, but just did not seem to have time to pursue? If you are still physically and mentally agile, this is a great time to relish your daily blessings and seek out new challenges.

Everyone is different. Hopefully those things that we have learned through the years will guide us in our decisions during this phase of life.

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