What a popular topic this is within the Life Coaching community! So many people are coming to retirement or just sick-and-tired of the present work they are doing prior to the expected age! Today within the corporate world there is much confusion, lack of appreciation, and a real sense of personal vulnerability for the employee! Very few organizations offer pensions now and IRA’s can be dwindling down with the volatility of the stock market. With life spans and the cost of living increasing, it is no wonder that people are trying to decide exactly what their lives will be like in the not too distant future! How will they handle the new and unfamiliar challenges awaiting them?

To quickly acquaint yourself with how the term “retirement” evolved, it really developed out of political, social, and economic concerns of existing governments and is a fairly recent invention. This is not a long standing right of passage that has been assumed through the ages. Nor has it been “set in stone” through our DNA. Before the 18th century the average life span was between 26 and 40 years. Only a few lived beyond this age where they would find it difficult to work. In 1883, Otto Von Bismarck, Chancellor of Germany, made the rule that anyone disabled from work by age or sickness with proof would receive care from the state. President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed the Social Security Act of 1935 which made the work force pay for their own particular retirement. In 1999, The American Association of Retired Persons actually abbreviated its name to become AARP Inc. They did not want their name reflecting a focus on American retirees. They realized the original blueprint was dramatically changing! People were getting emotionally involved in a whole new “lifestyle process” and were realizing they had many more years to enjoy it!

By becoming focused and clear about your future, you can explore possibilities today never available before. And these new opportunities are being created daily! The new development of college majors reflects the fact that job descriptions are being re-envisioned to meet our rapidly developing scientific and economic needs of the future.

In Part 2 of this series we will explore some of the new and exciting questions being asked by me and my clients and the thought-provoking answers you will want to discover!