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WITI CAREERS
Think Protirement, Not Retirement
Since the beginning of the 20th century, approximately 30 years have been added to our lifespan and these years have been added to the middle - not the end of life. These "bonus" years are often referred to as the "third age" and can be one of the most fulfilling periods of life, as baby-boomers and pre-boomers seek to live creative and purposeful lives. Instead of retirement, people at midlife are welcoming these years as a period of protirement! The term "protirement" was coined by Frederic Hudson in the early 90's to define this new desire to "begin anew" - to not be limited to the traditional options of retirement but to embrace "an increased drive toward living life to its fullest on a day-to-day basis." Protirement is an act and attitude of looking forward to forging a new life chapter - proactively and fulfilled. "Third agers," especially post 9/11, are asking what their life purpose is. Often their desire to express meaning in their lives equates to new careers or continuing existing careers in new ways. And, according to a recent AARP survey, for a very significant number of retirees, gainful employment is part of their future planning. For many, retirement at age 65 isn't financially feasible. With 30 extra years to provide for, most boomers will outlive their money as they have under-saved or lost savings in recent years; pensions are not as common as previously and social security has not kept pace with the rising costs of living. Currently, it is estimated that 10,000 people retire daily. As the first wave of boomers reach 65, this number will swell and as it does, a shortage of skilled workers is projected in the workplace Protirement, thus, is an area of interest not only to individuals, but to the corporate sector as well. New patterns of employment will emerge to accommodate these converging trends, including staying on full time, scaling down to part time, job sharing, mentoring, contracting and working on a temporary basis. Midlife may offer the possibility of changing careers completely - whether in line with a life passion, to contribute to society (such as becoming a teacher), or to finally try that "other" career that was long ago left behind. Boomers who wonder "what if I had..." can launch a whole new career at midlife and find out! For many boomers, entrepreneurship, including franchise ownership, is a desirable option to consider. Midlife represents an excellent point to take stock and examine who we are, what matters most to us and what our purpose is. We've changed. We're not the same people we were when we entered our careers; but knowing what road to take next can be daunting. By examining our values, identifying our innate talents, understanding what motivates us and reflecting on our life experiences we can reinvent our lives to make the third age the most fulfilling time yet. Following are some exercises and questions to help you start thinking about your next life chapter - your protirement. 1. Start a protirement planning journal. Let this be where you place all your ideas as they come to you about what you'd like to do "some day." Cut out pictures that represent your desired future and paste them into the journal: pictures of places you'd like to travel to, of how you'd like your home and surroundings to look, of the work (whether paid or volunteer) you are doing. Are these pictures similar to your life today or different? Allow yourself to dream. Don't edit!Hopefully the questions above have gotten you to start thinking about possibility in the future. Following are a few examples of real people who exemplify an attitude of protirement rather than retirement. Bernie K. was fortunate enough to have spent his entire career doing the thing he loved the most: playing the violin. He had a successful career as a studio and performing musician and retirement at 65 would have been unthinkable. He loved what he did, was good at it and by continuing to work was able to maintain the professional relationships that were an important part of his life. While others retired along the way, Bernie kept working. In fact, he received his last paycheck at the age of 89 and only stopped working professionally because his hearing and vision were becoming problematic. Now at 91, he still spends several hours a day "practicing," works in his garden, gets together with colleagues to play string quartettes about once a month, and has taken up cooking and baking. Mr. and Mrs. S. retired from careers as teachers and school counselors. At ages 56 and 60, they anticipate many more years of vigor, ambition and hard work. They were fortunate to capitalize on a soaring real estate market in southern California and after selling their home, bought a new one in Florida on a large piece of land. Their protirement career? Papaya farmers! Bonnie G. had become progressively more interested in Yoga over the years. She studied to become a yoga instructor and proactively retired from a successful sales career, to open her own yoga studio. I hope this article will help you to think positively about midlife as an exciting new chapter to look forward to. No matter what your present age is, it's never too late to review, rethink and reinvent your life.
What is your point of view? Please post your thoughts on the discussion board.
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When Social Security was enacted in 1935, retirement age was set at 65 and people lived an average of 3 _ years more. People looked forward to receiving social security and pensions and spending their later years with hobbies, leisure activities, family time, travel and perhaps some volunteer work. They had worked hard all their lives and now looked forward to winding down and reaping the rewards of their hard work. That was old paradigm. That was also back in the time that people stayed in one job, one industry, and often worked for only one company during their work life.