But What Now?

If you could be anything you wanted to be when you retire (i.e., grow up), what would you be? It’s a fair question. When we were young, we had a chance to be whatever we wanted to be, at least that’s what some of us were told, but most of us chose the path of least resistance, i.e., studying to be something that had the greatest possibility of getting us an income. Granted there are plenty of people who are working in their dream jobs. I’ve mostly done ok with my choices, but I’m still working for someone else.

How many of you wanted to be an artist or an actor? I got to be an artist when I worked as a draftsperson and I got to be an actor when I acted in community plays. I know I can chose to do that again. What about a beach bum? Ah, bum rap that one, let’s call it something else. Professional surfer, anyone? How about clam digger?

The unfortunate truth all too often is we “become” something we’re totally not suited to be. How many of us really dreamed we wanted to sit behind a desk and take orders from a clueless bureaucratic boss? I’m thankful that my career path didn’t head down that direction entirely (only sometimes).

When you retire do you have dreams of doing nothing at all? Maybe becoming a monk or a nun spending all day meditating will be your ticket then. I only say this because I hear that some people are terrified of having nothing to do once they no longer work. It’s like we lost our ability to choose personal direction.

These days it’s likely that you and I will need to continue to bring in money doing something because sadly our retirement accounts have lost money. I don’t want to work the rest of my life in a job that isn’t fully! satisfying. I have a timeline I’m willing to do that, but at a prescribed time I am prepared to leave it and do something else.

Luckily for me, I enjoy some of the things I do. I especially enjoy the technical part of my job. I don’t enjoy the red tape and other unmentionables I won’t go into here. I also love creating websites, which I do in my off-time and I think I might even enjoy writing more once I have some real time to do it.

How about being a rock musician? I remember when I was around 10 years old my father asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up and I stupidly said a rock musician (or something like that). He told me to sing him a song right then and there and prove that I had what it took. I sang a Beatles song. I remember it was “It Won’t Be Long.” Interesting choice, huh? At least it wasn’t “Not a Second Time.” And, for some reason, I was terrified of failing. That I was given this one opportunity to make it real and I blew it. We’re so fragile that way when we’re young.

But, alas, now we’re older and wiser and we’ve had all this time to dream about what we’d rather be doing, or we’ve been spending our off-hours doing what we’d rather be doing than what we’re doing at work.

Viva la retirement, grab it by the horns and go for it.