Why keep working when you don’t have to?
Many of my executive clients are at a transition point in their career. Some have been downsized and are looking for their next role. Others are experiencing too much stress or too little satisfaction in their current role. And many are at an age when they are considering whether to leave the paid work force altogether.
Of course, many people don’t have much choice about whether and where they work. Their opportunities are limited and financial demands require that they stay where they are. But for people with good health, higher education, and sufficient financial resources, there are many options to consider.
If you don’t have to work, why would anyone continue? A job demands your time and energy. It limits your ability to hang out with friends and family, to travel to faraway places, to pursue your hobbies, or to just take it easy.
One of my favorite columnists, Peggy Noonan in The Wall Street Journal, helped me answer that question. She wasn’t actually writing about the question of retirement, but her words really resonated with me. Peggy wrote:
“(Americans) are about work. We respect it. We have an almost mystical attachment to the idea of it. We think ‘hard worker’ means ‘good American.’ Why do we work? To support ourselves. To belong to something. To build wealth. To be integrated into life, whether we think of it like that or not. To pursue a vocation or be part of an admirable profession. To not be alone. … There is a mystical element to it. When you earn your keep honestly, you are putting something into the world. You are pouring yourself in. It is an act of devotion whether you know it or not. … Work is an act of stewardship. It helps things continue.”
Her column goes on to quote Studs Terkel from his book Working:
Work “is about a search … for daily meaning as well as daily bread, for recognition as well as cash, for astonishment rather than torpor.”
How to decide whether to keep working
I know many retired people who are living active, joyful lives. They have found activities that provide them with meaning and satisfaction. But I know many others who are floundering, lonely, and depressed.
So here’s my advice: If you like your job, keep working as long as you can. If you don’t like your job and you have the option, find another job that offers what your job is lacking. If you decide it’s time to leave the paid workforce, craft a life after retirement that gives you the treasures that Peggy and Studs described:
A sense of belonging
Feeling integrated into life
Being part of something admirable
Connection to other people
Contributing to the future
Astonishment
If you would like to explore how to make the most of the next chapter of your life, contact me.
