When is the right time to retire?
What metric do you use to determine that? Age? Financial security? Family dynamics? Tiredness? I find the idea of retirement a really interesting concept.
I know many people get into career positions with retirement benefits deeply rooted in their decision to commit. 30 years of public service or being vested in retirement benefits with corporations is attractive when considering a position. This drive for retirement security often keeps people from entrepreneurship or committing to small business that doesn't offer that same benefit. People see 'work' as limiting and retirement as freedom to do what they WANT to do instead of being locked into a job.
I'm at the age where those who started on an early career path to retirement are making the move. Others around me are doing the countdown. "Only 12 years to go.... " "I have to just wait out eight more years...."
What if I said I don't plan to retire? I don't; not in any real sense of the word. I love what I do. My life's work, my business, my vision for what we do and how we do it is a big part of what I'm called to do and who I'm called to be. 'Not retiring' is a foreign concept to many, many people who have made retirement an integral part of their thinking.
I hear the naysayers already....How long can you keep this pace? You have to plan for the next generation of leaders to step in. What is your succession plan....? Just wait, you'll change your mind in a few years. These are valid points and good questions. Succession planning in small business and nonprofits is key to being sustainable. But let's think about this....have you evolved throughout your career into new positions and new roles or have you done the same role and 'job' for decades? I like to think of my eventual role as counselor, advisor, and leader, not retiree. A hard stop to working, i.e., retirement, is what i resist not a change in role. Consider this:
People in their 60's and 70's have gained tremendous wisdom and developed significant skills. These need to be used to their fullest, not shelved in retirement. I wonder how much we are missing out on by failing to capture on the lifelong experience and advice many retirees may offer.
We all need to feel useful and contribute to the world around us. This need for purpose doesn't end at a certain age or financial attainment. Staying engaged in meaningful work is critical to our mental health and social sense of well-being.
There are many other arguments to be made, but you get the picture. So what say you? Are you willing to reconsider the paradigm of retirement and join me in my commitment to continued contribution through meaningful work? Let's get a dialogue going before the expectation of MY retirement forces the conversation forward.
-Mindy Muller, CFRE, President/CEO of CDP
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