A 67-year-old who ‘un-retired’ shares the biggest retirement challenge ‘that no one talks about’

I found this article inspires healthy questions about what your next act could be. A few good quotes from this article...

"Retirement means different things to different people. I did a deep survey of more than 15,000 retirees over the age of 60, and asked them one question: “What is your single biggest challenge in retirement?”

"Here’s what this tells us: The biggest retirement challenge that no one talks about, in my experience, is finding purpose."

"In other words, what is it that you are going to do once you leave the workforce? You can retire from your career, but you can’t retire from life."

"In fact, a 2021 study of 12,825 adults over the age of 51 published in the Journal of Applied Gerontology associated a strong purpose in life with healthier lifestyle behaviors and slower rates of progression of chronic illnesses."

"Finding purpose can also help retirees find new side hustle opportunities that bring in income, helping to ease financial concerns."

The article explores the Japanese concept of "ikigai", translated as your reason for being

A short test of the concept can be summarized: "...think about whether that activity allows you to answer “yes” to any combination of those four questions:

Are you doing an activity that you love?

Are you good at it?

Does the world need what you offer?

Can you get paid for doing it?

Finding purpose leads to a more meaningful, healthier life. Exploring entrepreneurship in the second half of life can benefit communities and markets you love. Finding that purpose can also bring significant benefits to you.

Link to the full CNBC article by George Jerjian. June 15, 2022.