A Personal Reflection on Words that Start with R like Retirement.
I consider myself a failure in retirement, and I’m proud of it.
When I was young, I assumed that at age 65, I’d stop working. I’d no longer have a job or go to an office. For some reason, I always associated playing golf with retirement, although I haven’t hit a golf ball since 1971 and I think it was at a miniature golf course.
Not sure I ever gave much thought to what I would be doing when I wasn’t an employee. Having started my career self-employed, I always imagined I’d book end the latter part of my career in that same situation. Happily, that’s where I find myself. Indepedent. Consultant. Doing my thing.
I have friends who are traveling around the world in their retirement like my friend Tom.
Another good friend Britt recently told me that he was done working and just wanted time for himself.
My friend Lars in on several boards but tennis and granddaughters takes up much of his time.
James, my childhood friend works a few days a month and like me, doesn’t worry about labeling it.
Having traveled a lot for business, that has little appeal to me except to go to Hawaii, where our grandson Bodhi lives with our daughter and son-in-law. BTW, he is hilarious.
My dad worked until he was 72 as a financial planner. He was my role model, and I remember him telling me that he just knew it was time to stop working, especially handling other people’s money. I wonder if I’ll have that same clarity in the future or if I’ll wander in and out of projects for another decade or two.
In 2015, at age 61, I broke my addiction to the W2 and was no longer anyone’s employee. I became a fractional CMO for companies and started my consulting practice, The Marketing Sage. For the last 7 years I have been figuring out my relationship with the R word. I’m definately not retired, and not sure how to describe this in-between period.
What will it mean to fully retire someday?
I love words and was curious about the root of the word retire.
A mid-16th century meaning of retirement is “from the French words – retirer, from re- ‘back’ + tirer ‘draw.’ So the word retire is based on the notion withdraw to a place of safety or seclusion.
My childhood buddy Larry says he isn’t retired; he is rewired. I like that idea alot.
Work, Retire or Something In Between?
I typically work about 25 hours on client consulting projects in a typical week. I also spend time marketing myself through this blog and other networking activities online.
I guess that since I withdraw to a place of safety or seclusion, aka my home, maybe I’m in the early phases of retiring. Although my dance card is filled up with exciting projects and opportunities through the end of 2023.
I love that my day consists of free thinking, creative imagining, and thoughtful observing. One of my favorite past times is to listen to people in grocery stores when they shop – what can I learn about why they bought brand X versus Y by hearing what they say or do. It is like anthropology, observing consumers in the wild.
Weird. Yes, but my trips to the grocery stores are like odd focus groups based on real activity and decisions.
Having time to have coffee or leisurely lunches with friends and former colleagues is rewarding. I don’t have to rush back to an office or run to the airport to catch a plane. And my day has far less meaningless meetings.
I love my marketing consulting work and enjoy being an advisor and counselor. I get to help start-up companies with crazy ideas and even giant megamedia firms like The Wall Street Journal’s CMO Member Network.
I’m working on a food project with a former buddy, Ron from my Slim Jim days that I’m excited about too. I’m advising and coaching an agency owner about a strategy for growth. I’m helping to network for my daughter Fanny’s business and spending about an hour a day connecting with people via LinkedIn to try and help them with their careers.
I even get to take packages to the post office for my wife for her Poshmark business. I like to say I’m in logistics and distribution for her.
Companies hire me to help them find their voice, craft a message, and to help them grow their revenue through thoughtful marketing activities. I get hired to find unusual names, taglines and strategic frameworks for growth.
No Cold Turkey For Me
I’m not ready to stop working cold turkey. Perhaps in a few years, I’ll cut back a little. But I wake up excited about the marketing challenges in front of me, and I am so honored to be asked to help and offer my perspective. I have the freedom to spend five weeks in Hawaii to be with family– and can still work remotely in the mornings.
I take each day as it comes, be grateful for all I have, and do my part to give back to my community.
If I can contribute value to companies, I expect to stay busy. Reading. Writing. Walking. Listening. Helping. Those are key to my being productive and happy.
I’m reading alot more – (twenty books in the last four months), to help keep me thinking, curious and learning. And like Adam Grant wrote about in Think Again, I’m rethinking a lot of marketing ideas.
Re: R Words
I guess I’m all thinking about all these words that start with RE:
Retired. Rewired. Resourceful. Relax. Relieved. Recharged. Resonate. Resting. Rebounding. Revived.
How do you envision your retirement? If you are retired, what’s surprises you?
What would you tell your younger self about this time in your life? How might you prepare for the day when you begin the chapter that starts with R?
You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. The conversation is free, and we can explore if working together makes sense. Watch a short video about working with me.
bruno-martins–c9N9RgjOPU-unsplash
