From Retirement To Career Change

Who We Are in Our 50s,60s and 70s

As more of us are living longer, healthier lives readers of this blog remind me that the very dynamics of my questions posted a few days ago have changed. First I've been told to include the 70s because many people find those to be very productive years especially when focusing on giving back to the community. At the same time as more of the baby boomers reach their 60s many feel an urgent need to explore their midlife years.

I've also been told that the boomers not only want to better understand their midlife years but they want to regenerate and reinvent their lives. Part of the problem is that when we learn something we tend to look to our elders to give us the wisdom and guidance we're seeking. It is highly unlikely; however, that your parents, if they are living or other elderly can be our role models. They may tell us stories of the forties and fifties but the world was a different place back then. The memories and models of our parent's generation don't have the background information to guide us through these sometimes very dramatic and confusing times.

Our technology has made communication instant. Medicine and medical technology have given life when there wasn't any. Manufacturing jobs are greatly reduced. I understand that more women are working now then men. Values have shifted. Our sense of what makes a family has changed. Our problems and concerns are vastly different from what our role models experienced.

It is obvious that the struggles of those between the ages of 50 and 70 are vastly different from those of the last generation. I suspect that the ways in which this population finds fulfillment in the community will also be different.

Again, I ask for your comments and answers to my questions in the last post.

To your successful aging.

Ruthan Brodsky

Working In Retirement

One of the primary factors in living a healthy retirement is to maintain or establish social networks.  It is easy to feel isolated at home. Ask any mother taking care of a 6-month old baby. It can be a lonely time.

Questions About Being Between the Ages of 50 and 70.

A woman introduced herself to me at a monthly women's networking group last week. She was turning 50 and wanted to take a different direction in her career path only she wasn't sure about the specifics and how to go about doing it. She had been laid off of her corporate job for about a year and was hiring herself out as 'I'll do whatever you need done" which ranged from doing errands, dog walking, and cleaning homes to get them ready for sale.

She wanted to talk with me because she wanted something to do with the aging population. Her goal was to give back to that generation.

That brought me to thinking about the many nagging questions there are for those between the ages of fifty and sixty and for some up to seventy. They are sensitive questions and often too sensitive for someone to discuss openly. However they are familiar questions to most women and men who reach their fifties or sixties and are thinking about what happens next.

You may be familiar with some of these questions:

• Is it too late to start over?
• What do I need to do to take charge of my life?
• How can I find something to do about which I'm passionate before it's too late?
• Will I lose my job?
• Will I have enough money when I'm not employed?
• Will I face a major illness?
• Will I lose my health? my mind? my ability to walk and drive?
• Do I need to compromise on my ambitions? How about my goals?
• Will my family still want me? love me?
• Will I have friends?
• Will I be living a meaningful life for me?

These are frightening questions because they reach down to the core of our identity. Yet the 2 decades in our lives in which we try to answer these questions and assert our identify have been invisible, unexplored, and not discussed.

How about you? Have you ever asked yourself these questions? Have you talked about your answers with others?

I would like to know what you need to know so that I can help you explore possible answers. Tell me what you want to know about in the comment box and I'll put an outline together with the other readers' comments.

To your successful aging.

Ruthan

Working Americans Want to Work During Retirement

Most working Americans want to keep working when they retire. Regardless of their economic condition, 4 out of 10 people want to keep working because they enjoy what they do. Another 30 percent they will need to keep working because they need the money.

The fact is falling home values and losses in 401 Ks and other retirement accounts are forcing many Americans to re-evaluate their needs. The sad truth is more than half of those retired are concerned about money and wish they had saved more for retirement.

This economy has also upset the plans of those who expected to retire soon. Forty percent of these people are postponing their retirement.

This survey, published by The Business Journal in Youngstown, Ohio, gives us a slight glimpse into the stress that is taking place for those nearing retirement. In fact, the headline for an article recently published in the NY Times reads, For a Healthy Retirement, Keep Working. The article reports on recent research projects that showed people who work full or part-time after retirement have better health.

Isn't that an interesting take on what happens during what is supposed to be the golden years. What is your take on that? Do you think being productive keeps you alive? How many stories have you heard about people dying within one year of retiring? Can anyone explain the pattern?

Write your thoughts in the comment section and send.  I'm very curious about your ideas for working during retirement.

To your successful age whatever it is.

Testimonials That Work For Me

It doesn't matter if you have worked for 5 years, 15 years, or 30 years, testimonials are important to your business. If you are thinking of changing careers or you are making a slight deviation in your career, then testimonials become even more important for you.

What Are the Types of Testimonials?

The other day I wrote a testimonial for a business coach I had worked with for several months. He was very grateful and asked if I would download the testimonial on Linked In.

Ebooks Showcase You As the Expert

Writing and publishing an eBook is another great way to showcase yourself as the expert in your field. After all, you've been coaching attorneys or working with small businesses for close to 25 years. You do know something about what you're doing and you have success stories to prove it.

Create A System to Marketing Your Business With An Ezine

One of the reasons to start and distribute an ezine when you may be changing how you approach your career is to get more readers. More readers means you have more potential prospects as clients or customers. That means you can grow you business list of people who are interested in what you have to say. Every time you are key not speaker at an event or you have published an article, on line or in print, you can send a brief announcement to all these people.