As a retirement coach, I often ask my clients: What would you do if someone handed you 25 years of freedom? No deadlines, no meetings—just time to spend however you choose.
Take a moment to really think about it. Would you savor slow, peaceful mornings? Dive into a passion project you’ve been postponing? Or perhaps spend more time with loved ones, exploring new hobbies and interests?
How would that feel—exciting, maybe a little overwhelming?
What does retirement mean?
What is retirement, anyway? According to Statistics Canada, “retirement refers to a person who is aged 55 and over, is not in the labour force and receives 50% or more of their total income from retirement-like sources.”
I’m not sure I like this definition. In school, a teacher once told our class that you can’t use the word you’re defining in its definition. In my older years, I’ve become more particular about words and often consult a dictionary. This definition seems to focus solely on money and the workforce.
The Cambridge Dictionary offers another take: “the act of leaving your job and stopping working, usually because you are old.”
I object to this description too. Do we ever really stop working? Not all work is tied to compensation. Tell a stay-at-home parent they don’t work, and you might get an earful! And don’t get me started on the “because you are old” part. A good friend of mine retired at 50, and I know people who stopped working even earlier.
Neither of these definitions reflect who I am or what’s possible for me—and not just because I identify as semi-retired.
What do you want?
I recently spoke with a couple of people who were so excited to retire. They reached that milestone, left their paying jobs, and suddenly had the freedom to do whatever their hearts desired. Yet, each admitted something surprising: they had no idea what they wanted to do next. They hadn’t set any clear intentions for this stage of their lives—and they’re not alone.
In her book Lessons Learned in Retirement: Retiring with Purpose and Passion, Mariella Hoy writes: “Retirement is one of the biggest life transitions we go through. It can affect almost everything: how much money we have, our identity, our routines each day, who we see, our sense of purpose, and even when we sleep.” She also notes that “one in four retirees is likely to feel confused and troubled after the retirement honeymoon.”
That word—retirement—carries a huge identity shift. Think about it: when we meet someone new, one of the first questions we ask is, “What do you do for a living?” This question focuses on the human doing part of us rather than the human being. So much of our identity is tied to what we do—the roles we play, like manager at Company X, spouse, or parent. But those titles don’t speak to the person we are at our core.
And let’s be honest, “Who are you?” isn’t exactly considered polite conversation! Yet that’s precisely where I help people focus—on rediscovering and redefining their core selves as they navigate this exciting new chapter of life.
Do you have a specific goal for retirement? How will you make it happen?
For me, the most pertinent question became: Who do I want to be in my retirement years? And then: How do I live as that person?
Don’t get me wrong—there are still things I want to accomplish. I’m far from done being productive.
At 60 years old, I’ve had an incredible start to retirement. Over the past five years, I’ve:
- Completed a solo motorcycle ride across Canada and published a book about the adventure.
- Spent countless hours reflecting on what truly matters to me as I reshaped how I approach the world.
- Earned certifications from two coaching institutions and launched a fulfilling career as a certified coach.
- Produced seven seasons of a podcast and rediscovered the joy of painting purely for the love of it.
- Joined the Board of Directors and became a facilitator with the Writer’s Collective of Canada.
- And, most importantly, reconciled with my husband after a five-year hiatus.
Not bad for someone who was deeply unhappy with their life just five years ago!
Intentions and Actions: Moving Towards Your Goals
My participation and training with the WEL-Systems Institute made me realize that who I am is the key to moving through my world. I didn’t have to, and couldn’t possibly, control everything. My life shifted to one of intention and choice. In my late 50s, I finally began to feel comfortable in my own skin—what an amazing feeling!
When I began my coach training at Coach Academy in Montreal, I was fascinated by a concept our facilitator, CEO Nathalie Blais, shared about goal setting. She quoted a Harvard University study that revealed 83% of people don’t set goals—and she connected that with the likelihood of success.
For example, simply having an idea about something gives it a 10% chance of coming to fruition. But when you consciously decide to set a goal around that idea, the success rate increases to 25%. Adding a timeline boosts it to 40%. Planning and writing down how to achieve it takes that number to 50%. When you share your goal with someone you trust, the chances grow to 65%. And when you ask someone—like a coach—to hold you accountable, the success rate skyrockets to 95%.
Goal setting can seem like a foreign concept in retirement. After all, isn’t retirement about not having to do anything else? Many people have ideas: spend time with family, travel, volunteer, get in shape, eat healthier. But how many of the things on your “someday” list are likely to become a reality?
Here’s an Insight:
We often overestimate what we can accomplish in a single day, while underestimating what we can achieve over the course of a year—or even a decade.
This is where the power of long-term planning really shines. Retirement isn’t just about having time; it’s about how we use that time to create a meaningful and fulfilling life after years in the workforce.
And let’s be honest—after decades of work, you deserve a retirement filled with joy, purpose, and the freedom to live life on your terms.
Joy
For me, joy was a big one. Brené Brown defines it as “an intense feeling of deep spiritual connection, pleasure, and appreciation.” I needed to learn how to be happy in the moment—and that required figuring out what genuinely made me happy and letting go of the attachments to expectations. My training with WEL-Systems Institute showed me how I was moving through my world using a very narrow filter.
Joy is not dependent on accomplishments; it’s the feeling that arises when I am fully present and engaged in the moment. I can find joy in the simplest things—my dog chasing his tail, watching the Mallard ducks on the pond I pass every morning, or listening to the stillness as snow gently falls in the late evening.
In those moments, I am reminded that joy doesn’t always have to be earned or tied to a “goal.” It’s already here, just waiting to be experienced.
Purpose – this took a little more effort
How do you define purpose? For me, when I took early retirement from IBM at 55, it wasn’t the “end game” I had envisioned my entire life. Instead, I had reached a point where I needed to find meaning in my work that simply wasn’t there anymore. I wanted to look someone in the eye and know I had truly helped them in some way. Sending off endless emails and processing tasks behind my laptop felt like an unending cycle of meaningless to-do lists. The volume of work kept growing, and every task I completed was met with more tasks to process.
At that time, I wasn’t financially ready to retire. I was separated from my husband and didn’t own my own home. I had to continue paying rent and supporting myself before I could tap into my nest egg a few years later.
Finding purpose can be a challenge
But here’s something important to remember:
Finding purpose in retirement can be more challenging than joy. While joy often springs from simple moments, purpose requires deeper intention and self-reflection. It’s about connecting with what truly matters to you, beyond the titles or roles you’ve held in your career.
I had to dig deep to figure out what my purpose would be in this new chapter. At first, it felt like a daunting task. After all, how do you define your purpose when you’ve spent years identifying yourself by your work or external labels?
Through coaching, reflection, and experiences like my solo motorcycle trip across Canada, I began to uncover new dimensions of purpose—ones that were rooted in personal growth, service, and the pursuit of passions that had long been neglected.
Purpose isn’t a fixed goal. It can evolve and shift, just as I did. But when you tap into what gives your life meaning and aligns with your values, you start creating a fulfilling life—one that doesn’t need external validation. For me, that’s meant coaching others through transitions, creating meaningful connections, and embracing the freedom to explore and grow at my own pace.
The First Reflex is to Focus on Finances, But That’s Just One Piece of the Puzzle
Yes, financial planning is critical. Having enough saved for retirement gives you the freedom to pursue your dreams. But what happens when your financial ducks are in a row, and you suddenly find yourself with 25 years (or more) stretching out in front of you?
At that point, I was more certain of what I didn’t want than what I did. After a lifetime of ticking off tasks on to-do lists—tasks that were almost always for someone else—I knew that I wanted to create my own list. A list that mattered to me.
But before I could do that, I had to change how I was living. I had to give myself the gift of time.
That’s where many people find themselves feeling a little stuck. What do you do with your time now? How do you stay engaged, excited, and energized in this next chapter of your life?
This is Where I Can Help
As a retirement coach, I help people like you look beyond the numbers and create a meaningful vision for life after work. What does your ideal retirement look like? What passions, goals, or projects do you want to pursue? And most importantly, how can you design a life that truly aligns with your values and dreams?
Retirement is not just an end—it’s a new beginning. It’s your opportunity to invest in yourself, rediscover what excites you, and foster your personal growth.
Starting January 15th, 2025 at 2pm Eastern, you can jump into my 4-part series on the possibilities of retirement for you offered through Zoom. It’s a Group Program with registration set to open in December. Interested? Click below.