What Now?

In 2024 I was laid off from a job at a "Wall Street" Firm that I had for 28 years. I turned 61 that year. I've been in the industry for 40 years. I was well positioned to retire but had no intention to retire until at least 65. It was an unexpected jolt to my system, but I had planned for this with my side hustle in real estate, so I knew I would be ok. I went back to school to become a Health Coach, because I wanted to do more. You see, I was always used to doing multiple things, so just doing Real Estate, although very successful, was not enough. I reached a point in my life, that I had enough experience that I could help others through those experiences.

One question though people always would ask is What's next? What are you going to do now? It's kind of an expectation, I guess, when you finish with one thing, people are curious about what you will do next. What if I wanted to do nothing? I certainly have many friends who retired earlier and are living the life they want, involved in hobbies and organizations. They often ask me, why I just don't enjoy retirement.

But what if my idea or your idea of retirement is different. I tell people I'm retired from my previous line of work, but endeavor to retire from a new line of work. I guess I'm not ready to relax yet and that's ok.

The question, "what are you going to do now", just doesn't apply to retirement. It can apply to any life event.....getting married, having kids, retiring, empty nester, etc.

Don't answer the question with what they want to hear or what's expected. You decide what is next for you. And sometimes that can take time and requires patience with yourself. In my case, it was going from a high stress 24/7 Executive position to literally waking up the next day with zero responsibility and nothing to do. Talk about a shock to the system.

Big life changes, like losing a job, getting married, having kids, losing a loved one, being an empty nester require time and patience to figure out. Don't be too hard on yourself.

As for me, I'm not sure what the next chapter will be, but I'm fortunate to choose the path and pivot if I have to.