This is Not About Retirement
Retirement, as it is commonly understood and typically executed, is a deeply flawed model. We’ve built a cultural script where people spend decades trading their energy and efforts for a paycheck. That is so wrong. People are retiring because they have run out of meaning and purpose.
By the time this is published, I will be 73 years old. I am still startled when I am asked when I am planning to retire. Hopefully, these inquiries are a reflection of the change in my hair color and not a reflection of diminished contributions to their lives! But it does seem to be such a “normal” kind of question for people to ask when they see someone who is clearly, at least chronologically, starting to fit the profile, when people often do leave their vocations. That is kind of sad, because it reflects so poorly on us and our relationship with work.
Now, I am not typical, and I am sure you aren’t either, but the “typical” career path I see involves people getting a job at an early age to provide income. Many, even most, seem to gravitate to a career path that at least reasonably correlates to their interests and skills, and to the degree that it does, they not only get a paycheck, but, though harder to measure, just as important…job satisfaction. They work, sometimes change jobs for better pay and/or a better fit for their skills and interests, get promotions, and upon reaching the back side of middle age, they often have mastered their role. The challenges that once provided them with those intangible, non-monetary benefits have largely disappeared, often seemingly being replaced with challenges that just drain them. At that point, they are only working for a paycheck, and when the bank account/financial plan says they have enough money that they don’t have to work, they retire. They often cross the financial goal line with their eligibility for Social Security. And, if this is where somebody finds themselves after 30-40 years in the workforce, then they probably ought to retire! And that is what I mean when I say retirement is a flawed model. And this fits the path for millions.
The inherent flaw in this model is so clearly apparent in what I’ve laid out that nobody should miss it, yet on a practical basis, as people live their lives, they do. When a vocation ceases to provide suitable non-monetary benefits, purpose, and meaning, they don’t address that. They just endure it. That’s so unfortunate, so sad, and so unnecessary.
There is a difference between working for money and working for meaning.
People are excited to retire because they have enough money, but the real problem is that they have run out of purpose and meaning.
I’ve written previously about how I think “work” should work for us, back in Issue 6. So I won’t repeat myself other than to say this: “Healthy” work, work that energizes and feeds you, should be about more than money. Indeed, from my purely philosophic point of view, our vocational choices shouldn’t be about money at all. Money is a byproduct, not a goal. And I’ve always understood that. Each of my career iterations has been primarily motivated by something other than money. It has always been about finding the appropriate challenges, challenges that feed and energize me. Challenges, the right challenges, create meaning. This distinction has not always been as clear to me as it is now.
I’ve always enjoyed making money and still do. But I discovered a while back that I have crossed a financial threshold, and I have more than enough money. I do not have to work to meet financial obligations or to maintain my standard of living. Yet, I still feel a strong need to work. I “need” to work.
That realization, that I do not need to include money in any of my motivations, has certainly changed how I view a few things, but it has not changed the fact that I “need” to work. There are two aspects to this. First, as a human being, I firmly believe that when you stop growing, you start dying. The evidence that so many people start declining more rapidly after they retire is overwhelming, and most of us have heard the stories about how “Uncle So-and-so” retired in great health and was dead two years later. People mistakenly equate financial independence with life fulfillment.
So, I know that I need to engage in things that keep me properly stimulated and progressing. Of course, I realize these things don’t have to be “work,” but it also doesn’t mean it can’t or shouldn’t be. I am already doing some of those things. I ride my bike four times a week for cardio. I am lifting weights. I’ve also restarted playing the piano this year and find that incredibly stimulating and rewarding. This is all good. But there is a piece missing in all this, which leads to the second aspect. None of those things is about serving others. They are all about me. My basic purpose in life, what brings me fulfillment, is to help and serve others. There are many ways that can occur, but what has worked best for me, and seems to impact the most people, is through my vocational choices.
I’ve always insisted that my vocation provide me with appropriate challenges, and when occasions have arisen where it no longer served that purpose well enough, I changed it. So, should (more likely when) the day comes that my current vocations are no longer providing me with the challenges I want and need, I probably won’t say, “Well, time to retire.” I suspect it will be something more along the lines of, “What else might get me really excited that I can do to help others?”
And, if you have read this far, I hope it has dawned on you that this newsletter has not been directed only to those approaching retirement age. It is directed to you, regardless of where you are in your journey through life. So many “retire” from their search for meaning and purpose and just wait for the financial finish line to appear.
Are you one of them?
If you found this issue helpful and want to hear more from Greg, be sure to subscribe to his podcast, Pants Around Ankles Prevention, where each episode delivers a punch of truth to help you wake up, gain perspective, and live with greater clarity and purpose. Listen and subscribe now on Apple Podcasts or YouTube.
This issue was originally published by Greg Hayne on Substack.