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One of the first questions we are asked, and ask someone when first meeting them is “what do you do for a living”. Whatever your job is, when it is lost due to retirement or restructuring resulting in layoffs, people begin grieving not only the loss of their livelihood, but an entire lifestyle that changes due to forces beyond their control. Derek Thompson. writing for The Atlantic, defined “workism” as “the belief that work is not only necessary to economic production, but also the centerpiece of one’s identity and life’s purpose…”
People over 60 want to work as long as they can. While some seniors are lucky enough to have found jobs post retirement, other people 60 and older with years of experience are unable to find jobs; their sense of loss of identity is challenged because they are now not allowed to continue being productive because of negative stereotypes that are prevalent in our culture against people age 60 and older.
My recommendation to seniors who want to continue to work well into their “golden years” is that to keep trying and never give up. With the baby boomers now between 73 and 55, retiring at 65 is not an option for the majority of them. The Next Happy: Let Go of the Life You Planned and Find a New Way Forward
shows how people who retired from jobs they’ve held for decades can begin to let go and look inside themselves for where their “next adventure” will take them. It may be challenging and scary at first, but ultimately, it may be as fulfilling, or maybe even better, than the career they left behind.
My recommendation to seniors who want to continue to work well into their “golden years” is that to keep trying and never give up. With the baby boomers now between 73 and 55, retiring at 65 is not an option for the majority of them. The Next Happy: Let Go of the Life You Planned and Find a New Way Forward
shows how people who retired from jobs they’ve held for decades can begin to let go and look inside themselves for where their “next adventure” will take them. It may be challenging and scary at first, but ultimately, it may be as fulfilling, or maybe even better, than the career they left behind. It is hoped that employers will begin to hire seniors based on their experience and not on their age. I would rather reflect on my life with “I hope I left this world better than it was when I came” than “I wish I had spent more time at home”. It is my wish that readers of this article can say the same when they look back at their own lives.
