Retirement As You Want It

Do You Wonder What To Do In Your Next Act?

If you have left your mid-years' career, or intend to do so soon, and wonder what you'll do to fill your hours with challenging, delightful, meaningful things, then check out the excerpts of all my past TV shows on YouTube. You'll be delighted to find short previews of people who've left Wall Street, corporate life, advertising, teaching, social work, and many other careers and have started something entirely new.

Some are "encore careering" for pay, some as a volunteer, some part-time, some entrepreneurial. But, some qualities are central to all these people. They are excited, invested, passionate, curious, open, receptive. They are engaged in their lives.

To the left (above) is Riva Berkovitz, who discovered macro-photography in her 70s. That's me on the right. Below to the left is Amy Lampert, who left Wall Street to start her own business "demystifying" investments for women and youth. And the image on the right was painted by former businessman turned artist, Fred Mandell, whose video clip will be up on YouTube very soon. 

 

Caregiving of Older Americans Presents Opportunity for Encore Careers

Boomers are turning to elder caregiving as encore careers either by necessity as their parents become more dependent or by choice as they elect re-training in gerontology-related fields.

The Caregiving Project for Older Americans, the International Longevity Center - USA, and the Schmiedling Center for Senior Health and Education have teamed up to coordinate and disseminate information to recruit and train caregivers via community colleges all across the US.

Aside from hands-on care in elders' homes and facilities, what opportunities might arise to service the needs of this growing part of the population? A few come to my mind. Are any of these on your radar screen as you determine how you will earn income to supplement your diminished investments and savings after you leave your mid-careers?

• Developing more multi-generational communities
• Creating networks of associations to provide services to aged people who live distant from their families
• Designing of residences that allow people to age in place
• In-home services to buttress independence
• Shopping services
• Respite programs
• Financial ombuds-persons to oversee elder financial abuse
• Online and telephone support to caregivers of family members of people with Alzheimer's and dementia
• Travel companions for the elderly or disabled. Photo here from PenPalTravel for service that performs these functions.
• Nutrition consultants for people who live alone
• Exercise coaches and fitness centers for the aging population

Any other ideas that match your area of expertise? Please add to this list by Commenting below.

Japan's Women's Baseball Team Runs Again After 50 Years

The Osaka Silver Sisters, (see video) who were stars of pro baseball in their teens and twenties, are now in their 70s. Fifty years later, eleven of them decided to resurrect their team and challenge a young men's team in a Saturday game after practicing for an hour on Fridays. "The ladies often ask me to pitch faster," says the captain of the men's team, in awe of the women's spunk and stamina. Khosaka, the 75 year-old captain of the Silver Sisters, insists they'll play till they're 80. She likes to catch behind her back, like major League Baseball star Ichiro Suzuki.

Despite some health problems the women are overjoyed to be back on the diamond, competitive as ever, feeling great when they get a hit and run fast enough to make it to first base on time. Khosaka schools her children to send her off in her baseball uniform when she dies.

What an inspirational story. See the whole article here. What do you do to keep your body moving and challenge yourself in your later years?

Money is Topic for TV Documentary Series Called "Life (Part 2)"

Are you following the TV series called Life (Part 2)? This week’s episode tackles the issue of MONEY! Why does money seem to send a message of love or not enough love? Who pays expenses when the kids want to move back in? How do adult kids, who may be struggling themselves, help their parents when they need daily  care? Who gets what after parents die? Tune in to the panel that is discussing these perplexing questions this week.

 - Social psychologist Jane Adams, author of When Our Grown Kids Disappoint Us,

- Ross Levin, a financial planner and columnist for The Minneapolis Star Tribune

- Public radio "personal finance guru" Chris Farrell explains that the "Boomer generation does not want to appear greedy." 

In addition, host Robert Lipsyte sits down with Dr. Marianne Legato, author of Why Men Die First, to explore the different ways that women and men age. Dr. Legato tells Boomers what they need to know about the facts of life for the second half, including who loses their sex drive first and when the sexes start looking alike.

Money is Love – www.pbs.org/lifepart2  and http://www.pbs.org/lifepart2/watch/money-love

The corresponding YouTube video featuring Jane Adams is located here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmX-YavBO3c

 

 

Looking for a Low-Cost Active Authentic Leaf-Viewing Trip?

Boomers constitute a large number of people who've taken to the rail trails in eastern US this fall. What better way to see the backyards of some old towns, pedal along well groomed trails, see gorgeous colors, and challenge your body to a part of or the whole of the Great Allegheny  Passage, following the rail track from Washington DC to Duquesne,  PA.

USA Today's Jayne Clark describes "crossing six soaring bridges, burrowing through four mountain tunnels, journeying over the Eastern Continental Divide and taking in miles of jaw-dropping vistas." What better way to spend a few days for people of all ages who have a similar desire to be close to nature, to keep their bodies in motion, and to enjoy the camaraderie of like-minded people, all for very little money.

Which Industry Sectors Value Boomers' Expertise?

Are you one of many mature Boomers who've officially "retired" from your mid-years' career and realize that 1) You don't have enough money to support you for the next 30 years, and/or 2) You are not quite satisfied with your current life of being out of the workforce and seek the challenge and camaraderie of employment?

225 Best Jobs for Baby Boomers, written by Michael Farr and Laurence Shatkin, career experts, reviewed studies about which industries employ people over age 50 and what is the projected growth of those industries. They discovered that at the top of the list are some of the same fields that have been attracting Boomers who are looking to contribute in a meaningful way to their neighborhoods and society - health care, education, and community service.

What's Next.com elaborates on which sectors provide the most satisfaction to those of you who want to combine a meaningful next career with strategic opportunity in the coming years. 

* Health Care - especially personal and home care aides scores highest in Farr and Shatkin's book with tremendous growth opportunity. Even in Feb. '09, WHat'sNext.com reports, with the economy in the doldrums, hospitals and long-term care facilities added 27,000 new jobs while the economy as a whole shed 690,000 jobs. The stimulus bill has added impetus to new hiring. Even ancillary positions, such as music and art therapy are now in more demand.
* Green careers are expected to be a hot growth industry. Energy efficiency and renewable energy enthusiasts are likely to find jobs in this burgeoning sector.
* Non-profits are often hiring dropouts from the corporate sector, especially experienced fundraisers and finance.
* Teaching will free up 1.5 million jobs in the next decade as many retire. If you've never taught before or been certified to teach, there are innovative transition programs especially for people who are facile in math and sciences.

* The US government will experience a shortage of  workers in health, security and law enforcement, and administrative positions, needing to fill 273,000 positions by 2012, according to the Partnership for Public Service. In 2008 there was an initiative aimed at attracting older workers, called FedExperience Transitions to Government.

Although older boomers still struggle in convincing corporate HR departments to hire or re-hire them, the forecast for the next few years looks more hopeful for those of you who prefer to earn income in the next period of your lives. Comment here about your experience in these fields. 

 

Making Flow Happen

Have you found yourself being completely absorbed in what you're doing, so much so that time passes effortlessly? When you are focused on what you're doing so much that you are not in the least self-conscious? You have a sense of control and know what your goal is ... but you're totally involved in the moment?

This describes a "flow" state, one that athletes and performers experience when they're in their best state. It's one that you and I can get into via many different kinds of activities. And, it exponentially increases our enjoyment of life, the more we can create those flow times. 

I'm reading a book called Flow in Sports: The Keys to Optimal Experiences and Performances,  by Susan A. Jackson and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the man who created the idea of "Flow."   I decided to read this because I have a book coming out in a few weeks about high level equestriennes, called Women Riders Who Could... and Did - and their life stories portray this flow state.

I, in my lowly state as an intermediate rider who started riding at age 50, get to experience the wonderful state of Flow almost every time I ride my horse, whether I'm taking a lesson, riding on country trails of our New England town, or practicing in the ring.

What do you do to experience Flow? Are you in that state of concentrated focus when you're playing with your grandchildren, when you're cooking a gourmet meal for friends, when you're doing some aspect of your work? If you're interested in finding out more about the Flow research, there's plenty of opportunity - much has been written about it.

Entrepreneurs Fare Better in Overall Life Satisfaction

"Be your own boss," wrote Sue Shellenbarger in today's WSJ "Work & Family" column. I always wondered why, when I hear my clients talk about their frustrations with their jobs, I secretly grin as I realize how fortunate I am to have taken the route of a solopreneur. True, I have no paid vacations, nor an employer based health insurance program, nor daily access to friendly colleagues. But, I have so much more ... in my opinion. Photo to the right is me at my local TV station, anchoring my own show, called "Alivelihood: New Careers As We Age" - 1 of the things I do as a solo entrepreneur.

Shellenbarger previews results from a landmark survey of 100,000 people, conducted by the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which found that the self-employed exceed 10 other occupations in their reported life satisfaction. They experience joy and contentment in these domains:

• emotional and physical health

• job satisfaction

• healthy behaviors
• access to basic needs
• self-report of basic life quality

Frank Newport, editor of the Gallup Poll, says, "it reaffirms my view that the more control you have over your work, the happier you are." Despite the long hours and the felt need to always be "on call," people who perceive they are masters of their own fate feel more life satisfaction. They more often feel that they've chosen something to do that is meaningful to them, rather than working for someone else's agenda. 

In this period of tough economic times, many people in their 50s and 60s have felt out of control of their work lives. They might be more vulnerable to layoffs and take longer to re-employ. Those who have gone into business for themselves at least feel that their work ethic and perseverance can be rewarded. They believe that you have only yourself to blame if your business flounders. If it does, you can always devise a plan to get new business, to change your approach, to find a new market. Entrepreneurs, who by nature are optimistic, tend to be more resilient when disappointed; they bounce back and try another angle.

As a solo life coach, psychotherapist, author, and speaker, I am often excited by the prospect of a new client or one who's making a breakthrough, a new speaking engagement, or my next book being published. I don't have to depend upon my boss's decision about what I should do next - I decide myself. I have complete independence to reroute my decision, if the last one didn't pan out. I can make my own schedule. I can choose the ambience of my office and make it as feng shui as I  know how to do. I can choose my work colleagues and hire (or fire) the ones that don't meet my expectations.

If you're your own boss, what is your level of well-being? How often do you smile with contentment about a job well done, thanks or praise you just got from a customer or client, satisfaction about learning something new that fits beautifully with your business goals? 

Join the discussion here by clicking on Comment below. Or write to me at Karma@LifeSpringCoaching.com.

 

 

PBS Documentary Highlights Boomers' Challenges & Possibilities

A new 20-part public TV series called "Life (Part 2)," hosted by award-winning journalist  Robert Lipsyte and supported by the MetLife Foundation, launches on September 16th. The shows feature roundtables of famous boomers who are facing their later years and answer the question, "What does age got to do with it?" The trailers look intriguing and provocative; they highlight the radically different way that boomers are approaching aging - with aplomb, as usual. They want to grow old with style; they're redefining the aging process, as they've done with everything else, yet they recognize that there are limitations and challenges that they're facing.

The shows cover such topics as:

*How can boomers make marriages work for decades and feel vibrant and in love?
* How does the generation gap affect boomers in interviewing for jobs and in dealing with ones' adult children?
* How can boomers provide care for their elderly relatives and still maintain their own quality of life?
* How do boomers cope with body changes, when they have prided themselves on looking and acting youthful?
* How can they keep their brains in peak condition so they can continue to contribute to their communities and families?

Executive producer, Naomi S. Boak, described the series in Paul Briand's article in Baby Boomer Examiner: "The show is designed to inspire boomers' own self-exploration of how they can make a fresh start at any age ... of how they can live 20-30 more years of vigor, engagement and impact, defying ageist stereotypes while still having a clear-eyed view of the challenges that come with this new territory."

How's Your Pillow Talk About the Next Stage of Life?

Do you and your spouse yearn for different things for the next phase of your life? In About.com: Senior Living, Sharon O'Brien wrote about how Boomers are re-fashioning retirement, based on a Merrill Lynch survey.

Men, the survey found, crave relaxation and spending more time with their spouse. Women, on the other hand, see this next stage as freeing them to pursue new careers, personal growth experiences, and to contribute to their communities.

What prompts such differences in outlook? If the man has spent 30-40 years intensely immersed in earning a living, he's ready to kick back and refresh himself, slow down, and enjoy activites with his spouse. He wants out of the public sphere and into the private.

Many women, however, because of having taken years off to take care of their family, might see this time as freeing them to use their talents in the public sphere, either in community service, in employment or in starting a business.

Since the woman is often younger, she views her empty nest as an opportunity to try new things. Today's boomers-turning-60 view themselves as much younger than what we used to call "60," and are often fit and vibrant; staying home with a newly retiring hubby isn't as exciting as the idea of making a mark on the world, using their energy and skills to start something new.

 If you are in a couple that has different frames of mind about what's next, how have you communicated about it? How have you and your spouse negotiated ways to each get some of what you need in this critical period?

Click on the comment link below to contribute to the conversation.