Recommended Reading

In her latest book Revitalizing Retirement: Reshaping Your Identity, Relationships and Purpose”,Nancy K. Schlossberg, EdD., provides us with a Unique book, packed with essential insights, compelling stories and a road map to genuine fulfillment. Early on, she defines retirement as a phase, not a stage, pointing out that countless Americans who are +50 retire to new lifestyles that include meaningful work in the 3rd age of life. She encourages readers to reshape their identity, relationships, and purpose The discussion covers several coping skills that deal with accepting change and what to anticipate in midlife transition and decision-making.

Each chapter contains several stories from actual retirees that demonstrate the numerous ways of finding what matters, self appreciation and happiness. There are short quizzes and discussion questions at the end of each chapter so that the reader can reflect on what they have read and see exactly how it relates to their own lives. This book is a must-read for anyone considering retirement in the near future as well as current retirees who may be struggling to find happiness in their daily lives.

Welcome

Welcome and glad to spend a few minutes with you, exploring “What’s Next?” and how we may create synergy and partner to explore new options for your future. As a Life Planner, specializing in transition and reinvention, I work with individuals and couples in a carefully guided Reinvention Process. During this process, we will take stock of your life, clarify dreams, talents, goals and challenges to then identify the steps necessary to intentionally create a meaningful life.

If you find that one (or several) of these questions describe where you are, Life Planning may open the door to your future:

Questions:
Are you:
Adjusting to a major life change?
Full of dreams and ideas but lacking a path forward?
Contemplating retirement from your current work?
Concerned about downsizing, job loss?
In a rut?
Restless and not fully engaged?
Yearning to learn?
Desiring to be passionate about something?
Wanting to make a difference?
Wondering if there is a better or different way that you can live your life?

Life Planning can be invaluable to those in midlife needing to address these dimensions:

• Purpose, meaningful work
• Community service, civic engagement
• family relationships
• friendships, affiliations
• physical health, fitness, nutrition
• emotional, spiritual well-being
• learning and creativity
• recreation,leisure, travel
• financial needs, resources
• lifestyle, location, housing

We call this life stage the “3rd Age”- the time between 50-75 when we can revisit and focus anew on the 3-legged stool:

• Financial Planning
• Health Planning
• Life Planning

You may feel like a pioneer, contemplating an elected or unelected transition midlife and clear that the experience of your parents is quite different than your circumstances and world today. Our generation is developing a new template with countless options for this 3rd Age, many choosing to continue working, but with new parameters, others choosing
to retrain, start and grow businesses, travel and volunteer, locally, nationally and internationally, to name a few. With increased longevity, changing economic times and terrific “social capital” and resilience in our 50+ population, we are rewriting the face and meaning of that phase called retirement.