Reinventing Yourself After Retirement

When I retired at 66, people kept asking me the same question: “What are you going to do now?”

For 30 years I had run a business. My schedule had structure. My phone dictated my day. Then one morning, the phone stopped ringing and I realized something uncomfortable. Work had given me identity. Completely. Without it, I had to decide who I was again. This retirement thing was suddenly much trickier than I had anticipated.

Retirement sounds like freedom. And it is. It is also space — a lot of space.

Space, or at least plenty of elbow room, can feel refreshingly wide open or slightly intimidating depending on the day. It’s like having an assignment with no deadline. That’s what many people long for, but oddly it’s not nearly as rewarding as getting something done in a timely fashion.

The first few weeks felt like vacation. I slept later. I cleaned out drawers I had ignored for years. I discovered drawers I never knew existed. I made plans to improve my golf game. I’m still making those plans and I am going to. Probably.

By week six, I understood something important. Rest is good. Everyone should try it. For a while. But. . . purpose is better.
Reinvention after retirement is not about becoming someone new. It’s about rediscovering parts of yourself that were buried under responsibility. Parts you’d set aside while hustling to bring home the bacon.

For me, reinvention meant writing. I had always told stories about my early years growing up in Philadelphia. Good, fun, amusing stories. In retirement, I finally slowed down enough to write them out. There is no standard formula, no One Size Fits All.

The process surprised me. It gave me clarity about mistakes I had made and confidence thanks to the growth that followed. It enhanced my understanding of myself. It was. . . gratifying.

Reinvention does not require a dramatic move or a new degree. Okay, sure, I wouldn’t mind a 69-year-old sixpack and bigger pecs like my neighbor Ralph. But I’ll be just fine, hunky dory actually, without those particular attributes. So — trust me on this — it can begin with small decisions.

Learn something. Volunteer. Pick up an old hobby. Call a friend and explore an idea (or local venue) together. The goal is not productivity. It is engagement.

At this stage of life, we have experience. We have perspective. We can tolerate most of life’s curveballs and still maintain equanimity.

Reinvention is simply choosing to use all our hard-earned skills in a new way.

Michael Perzel
Rick Mowat
50plus Magazine

Michael Perzel is a retired insurance executive turned writer. Rick Mowat is an award-winning writer & director. They are good friends.