I am in the process of reorganizing my photographs. One of the most enjoyable fruits of the technological tree in my opinion has been the digital camera and all the cool software that has been developed for playing with our pics. I have been into the shooting of digital pictures for four and have even bought one of the fancy Nikon SLR models. Unfortunately, it is too complicated and not at all intuitive, so until I have time to take some lessons, it patiently waits for me to play with it. In the
Category Archives: Retirement
Slowing Down
I’m back from another week of leadership training and coaching, this
time at the Air Force Academy. What a great group of dedicated people
trying to transform their organizational culture to be more dynamic and
responsive in this rapidly changing world. The trip home was brutal—the
usual pain of getting through security, plus flight delays, lost
luggage and lots of equally distressed travelers helped create a
generally ‘down’ mood
Golden Years
One of the things I am noticing as I enter what is euphemistically referred to as my Golden Years is that the nature of time seems to mellow and ripen. On one level, the days pass slower, like watching an Oklahoma ‘hawk makin’ lazy circles in the sky’. On the other hand, the days and years seem to have passed in a flash—that only yesterday I was starting a business and driving my kids to school. I guess it just underscores how elastic time can be and that it is all about how well we live
Cruising for a Good Time?
I’m just back home from a one-week Alaskan Cruise. The entertainment
and food were pretty much as advertised—even if there was more of both
than anyone needs. The scenery was lovely, and the ship and crew are
amazing examples of a ‘packaged experience’ intended for everyone to
have a good time. Whew! I had so much fun, I’m exhausted. Well, not
quite… although it is remarkable how much there was to do and how
professional and genuinely friendly everyone was. I’m not complaining.
But
Approaching Retirement
It seems to me that everyone who is thinking about retiring should take some time to think about the future. When we retire, we’re not just entering another phase of life: we’re at the beginning of a new journey into an entirely new and very different territory. The closest analogy I can think of is the transition from my educational life in university into the world of work and career. No matter what I thought it would be like and no matter how much information and advice I got, it
Organizational Exits
I had breakfast yesterday with an old friend and client who is a government executive. We were talking about people we knew, many of whom had retired in the past few years. She was sad and disappointed to report that, although they had left voluntarily, many were resentful, feeling like they were tossed out and no longer needed. As we talked, I realized how seldom we take the time to manage the retirement process in large organizations in such a way that retirees feel acknowledged, appreciated
What’s the Game?
The early Boomer retirees are rewriting the book of what ‘freedom from having to earn a living’ means. Of course, there is the rush to enjoy some of the perks of our new-found freedom. But once the lustre of all that unscheduled time wears off, we’re faced with the realization that retirement can also mean the freedom to take on those issues we either didn’t have time for when we were younger or were afraid to risk what we had going at the time for. But for most, this freedom means
The Great Retirement Race
I saw this picture and began to wonder how many of us are racing toward
retirement with the same sense of urgency to ‘get it right’ that drove
us to get through college, find the best job, raise that great family
and participate in all those community groups and projects. Now, as we
turn down the home stretch, are we continuing to accelerate or are we
slowing down? Like Verna said over at Out of the Cube, we’re supposed to spend the first half of life acquiring everything and the second half letting go. So what’s the big hurry?
The whole phenomenon of the mid-life crisis really has little to do
with speed and everything to do with direction. The real question to
ponder: “Why are we moving so fast if we don’t know where we’re going?”
Couple this with the fact that a bunch of us are still working on the
question of ‘who we are’ and you have more of a midlife mystery than a
straightforward inquiry into velocity.
I like the metaphor of a racecar track for life because it seems to me
that, at the end of the
Going For It
Don and Steve are executive coaches who specialize in working with clients approaching their “second half’ to create what is next in their lives. Sometimes this takes the form of starting new business ventures. Sometimes it has to do with preparing for post-retirement transitions. Now I know that ‘coaching’ has become a term all kinds of folks are selling (and not always with sufficient education or experience) but these guys are among the best. Don will be contributing to this blog in
What Do Boomers Want?
I had lunch yesterday with a great friend of mine who is about my age and one of the ‘most alive’, talented and eclectic people I know. She is interested in everything and everyone and is as passionate about life as one can be. As a cancer survivor, she has been through a lot in terms of health challenges, yet is clear that she is not her body. She has never been more enthusiastic about her future and is an inspiration to all that know her.
We were talking about this blog site and my vision