How do you get a purpose during retirement?

[naamplao]

I have been retired for three years now. I retired very early in life for a number of reasons.

First of all, and most important, I was able to do it financially. I planned for a pre-55 retirement since I was in my 20's so was prepared by the time it arrived.

Secondly, I went through a rather tough 2 years with respect to health problems 10 years ago including 3 major surgeries in 18 months. One of those surgeries was a result of a cancer in my appendix. I was very lucky and when the appendix was removed all the cancer came with it...I am an 8 year survivor with no reoccurance so although there is not a day that goes by that I don't think about the cancer and after 2 scares in the first 2 years post-surgery, I now believe it won't come back.

Lastly, and because of the lack of spousal support during these times....at the same time I divorced my work, I divorced my wife. I refused to spend what I feared at the time was "the rest of my life" with a woman who didn't love me.

I now travel at least 2 times a year to other countries and will continue to do so in the future. I have taken up photography again...wildlife photography which gets me out for hikes and is quite satisfying (like hunting without the messiness of the kill) and am now getting quite good at it IMHO. I do so volunteer work locally and have other hobbies as well.

However, I don't feel a sense of purpose anymore. Am I alone in this or is this a common feeling others have after retirement? I wonder about that alot...

 

[Monazwx]

How important was your career to you?
Maybe you're one of those persons who needs to keep working, (like, at a job, even if its on a part-time basis).

 

[done_got_old]

I retired last year earlier than I had planned. Initially it was a difficult adjustment to make. I've resumed activities that I had little time for when I worked.

Volunteering could give you the purpose you seek. Find something you enjoy doing. Schools could always use help.

 

[naamplao]

How important was your career to you?
Maybe you're one of those persons who needs to keep working, (like, at a job, even if its on a part-time basis).

I never kept a particular job for very long except while in industrial sales. In my working life I have had about 4 careers and eight or nine jobs. I would work at one for a while then either get bored or frustrated and switch to another job. I think I averaged about 2-3 years per job except as a salesman which lasted 15 years. In my old man's era I suppose I'd have been classified as "unstable". In my time I was classified as a "risk taker". Each new job usually resulted in more salary so I didn't lose out by switching.

I think about working again...but I don't want to work just for work sake. Most volunteer positions I have don't seem to be basically busy work that regular staff don't want to do....not very satisfying.

 

[EJFan]

i'm pretty close with a lot of retired members of my family (i'm only in my mid-30's) and i hear this sort of thing a lot. they're all leading full lives but i've been advised not to stop working (for a paycheck) until i have something to do. lol.

i'm going to think about this for a bit but the first thing that comes to mind is consulting of some sort or another. you sound like an industrial, experienced person who might be able to impart your knowledge on younger people entering the work force. you've accomplished an early retirement so you must have pretty sound financial skills. i think people around college age could use your insight to find a career or get guidance on how to plan their professional lives.

naturally there are resources at most colleges to provide these kinds of services but they aren't usually "real world experienced" like you are. i think you might be able to feed that risk-taker mentality by starting your own consulting service in this kind of field. parents are always looking for resources like to provide their kids with guidance.

more later if i can think of anything.

 

[wicked woman]

My parents ran a Bed & Breakfast in their home. Got them up in the morning. Had them getting paid for doing what they'd do for free if they knew you. They'd close up for the winter and travel. As a bonus, part of their home expenses were tax deductible.

I should add a caveat that the main purpose wasn't to make income...it was to keep busy. Making good money this way is difficult, especially if you need the income to pay for a mortgage.

Not everyone's answer...but worked for them for a number of years.

 

[naamplao]

i'm pretty close with a lot of retired members of my family (i'm only in my mid-30's) and i hear this sort of thing a lot. they're all leading full lives but i've been advised not to stop working (for a paycheck) until i have something to do. lol.

Well this is true, you are getting good advice. In my case I stopped working for health reasons and uncertainty as to my health future. That isn't so much a concern since I am in better shape now than I have been in the past 10 years.

I have a million hobbies so keeping occupied is not a real problem. But hobbies provided a pleasant escape from working stress but seem to be less satisfying now that the stress has disappeared.

Digital wildlife photography may fill the void...I have the equipment now and after a number of false starts (I have done photography for 40 years but digital is a whole different animal as I found out) I get pretty good results. I am at a stage where I will enter a few contests this year to see how my results stack up.

 

[EJFan]

Well this is true, you are getting good advice. In my case I stopped working for health reasons and uncertainty as to my health future. That isn't so much a concern since I am in better shape now than I have been in the past 10 years.

I have a million hobbies so keeping occupied is not a real problem. But hobbies provided a pleasant escape from working stress but seem to be less satisfying now that the stress has disappeared.

Digital wildlife photography may fill the void...I have the equipment now and after a number of false starts (I have done photography for 40 years but digital is a whole different animal as I found out) I get pretty good results. I am at a stage where I will enter a few contests this year to see how my results stack up.

i completely understand what you're saying... the clear days aren't as enjoyable when there are no stormy days to compare them to.

a friend of mine does a lot of digital photography and it can surely be fun (he has some fantastic skill). if you start competing do you think that will be enough to fill the void you have?

 

[naamplao]

i completely understand what you're saying... the clear days aren't as enjoyable when there are no stormy days to compare them to.

a friend of mine does a lot of digital photography and it can surely be fun (he has some fantastic skill). if you start competing do you think that will be enough to fill the void you have?

It is hard to say...how do you know? I suppose it depends on where it leads me and how accepted my results are. Wildlife and nature photography can combine several skills/activities...travel and it is an activity that promotes physical fitness too since you must go out on hikes etc to find subjects. I like that aspect so far.

I recently came back from a Cuban vacation..here are two pics I liked

 

[EJFan]

very nice. what kind of camera do you use?

if i can get my friend's permission i'll pm you his website and maybe you guys can talk shop. he has a 12 megapixel but i can't remember what brand it is... plus all the bullshit that goes along with it (filters and whatnot).

 

[naamplao]

very nice. what kind of camera do you use?

I have a Pentax 1st Digital SLR (5 mega pixel) with a Tamron 70-300 tel-zoom lens with a 2:1 macro option. It is a pretty versatile lens allowing me to take decent telephoto shots of birds but also closeup shots of bugs and butterflies. I like butterfly shots...so colorful and quite a challenge to shoot as they rarely sit still and the depth of field is very small. The Pentax is ok now that I know how to use it. All my shots are hand held I rarely use a tripod, basically because by the time you set it up your subject is gone...300 mm is the maximum you can use reliably for hand held...at least without the newer anti-shake technology.

 

[EJFan]

I have a Pentax 1st Digital SLR (5 mega pixel) with a Tamron 70-300 tel-zoom lens with a 2:1 macro option. It is a pretty versatile lens allowing me to take decent telephoto shots of birds but also closeup shots of bugs and butterflies. I like butterfly shots...so colorful and quite a challenge to shoot as they rarely sit still and the depth of field is very small. The Pentax is ok now that I know how to use it. All my shots are hand held I rarely use a tripod, basically because by the time you set it up your subject is gone...300 mm is the maximum you can use reliably.

i used to do some SLR photography as a hobby and completely understand the addiction. i hope it continues to give you a lot of enjoyment.

check your pm's if you haven't already.

 

[naamplao]

i used to do some SLR photography as a hobby and completely understand the addiction. i hope it continues to give you a lot of enjoyment.

check your pm's if you haven't already.

I did, thank you. He has a lot of nice pics there. I commented on several of his bird pics giving him the id's of the birds that had none.

Yeah it is addictive and fun. I used to be quite active at it in the past but the cost of film and prints back then made it not so much fun...also I was frustrated at not getting the picture I wanted. I would see this beautiful scene in front of me but my lens could capture only a part of it...I could use a wide angle lens but it seemed to be distorted....when digital came along it opened a new world for me. Now I take overlapping pics and "stitch" them together manually.

Here for example is a photocomposite made up of about 3 photos stitched together...it loses a lot in resizing it down like this but you can see that it is much better than individual photos (imagine the pic siced vertically in thirds and that is what the original photos looked like)

 

[EJFan]

that's a really gorgeous scene.

did you process your own prints when you did slr photography?

 

[naamplao]

that's a really gorgeous scene.

did you process your own prints when you did slr photography?

I do the stitching manually if that is what you mean. I don't like auto-stitching software as it never really lines up anyway. My record is stitching about 8 overlapping pics. It takes an hour or so for the one I showed...tricky part is matching the colours of the pieces and getting rid of seams but there are a lot of tools to help with that...I use Paintshop Pro 8 for my photoworkups.

If you mean do I print my prints myself...yes I do and get reasonable results with just my Canon i560 printer (injet) and Fuji Premium Photopaper...so far nothing has faded but like normal photos you have to keep them out of direct sunlight.

If you are refering to older pre-digital stuff....I fooled around with developing B/W prints once but colour was too tough to do without a good darkroom and equipment...temperature control is critical in colour developement.

 

[EJFan]

If you are refering to older pre-digital stuff....I fooled around with developing B/W prints once but colour was too tough to do without a good darkroom and equipment...temperature control is critical in colour developement.

yeah. this is what i was referring to. i realize there are digital SLR cameras but i meant film when i said "slr" earlier.

i used to process the film and make prints for my B&W photography but i only puttered for a few months with it. it was a lot of fun and i'd like to revisit it one day... or maybe i'll just go the digital route... have to get a camera first.

 

[naamplao]

yeah. this is what i was referring to. i realize there are digital SLR cameras but i meant film when i said "slr" earlier.

i used to process the film and make prints for my B&W photography but i only puttered for a few months with it. it was a lot of fun and i'd like to revisit it one day... or maybe i'll just go the digital route... have to get a camera first.

There will always be purists that will do their own developing...actually I think they are the best...especially B/W work. Ansel Adams prints are striking. But you can be so much more creative with such little effort through digital manipulation so I think those days will disappear.

 

[thecharlieman]

I kinda doubt that film photog will completely disappear. there are still things you ca do with film that digi hasn't attained yet.

 

[Eilan]

My husband retired in 2005 at age 48, and becoming a father/stepfather late in life has kept him busy. Not that you necessarily want to do that!

He hasn't ruled out getting another job or trying to get into a program that he's really interested in at a college in our area.

 

[naamplao]

My husband retired in 2005 at age 48, and becoming a father/stepfather late in life has kept him busy. Not that you necessarily want to do that!

He hasn't ruled out getting another job or trying to get into a program that he's really interested in at a college in our area.

You may not be too far off the mark. I have a son from my previous marriage. He was the one good thing that resulted from the union. But he is an adult now and successful at his career. He has indicated no interest in getting married so it will be many years until a grandchild shows up to spoil but I do miss those past years with him being younger.

In one respect I did not really retire for "normal" reasons, although I did plan financially to retire in my early 50's....but at the time I did it since my health future was hazy....and now it is much better. I also divorced at the same time as I retired. Sort of feel a bit like twisting in the wind...but on the other hand...a job for a job sake won't help. As I indicated earlier I was one to bounce from job to job because of boredom....I liked challenges when they weren't there I moved on...I seem to have lost that fire somehow.

 

[Mazuri]

He has indicated no interest in getting married so it will be many years until a grandchild shows up to spoil but I do miss those past years with him being younger.

Have you considered volunteering in a capacity where you will deal with a child/children then? Boy/Girl Scouts, Big Brother, or any organization where you can pass along knowledge, skill or just friendship to a child or group of children are always looking for volunteers. As a Girl Scout leader, the challenges are there every time we have a meeting If taking on a troop or volunteering for an extended time isn't your cup of tea, perhaps you could also look at what you have done and offer to come in as a guest speaker/teacher?

If you're a physically active sort who knows about bouldering, canoing, kayaking, or any other outdoor activity, most camps would be willing to hire you for weekends or summer residency camps. Look at your skills and offer them up to your local council. Teaching young minds is a challenge all it's own

 

[naamplao]

Have you considered volunteering in a capacity where you will deal with a child/children then? Boy/Girl Scouts, Big Brother, or any organization where you can pass along knowledge, skill or just friendship to a child or group of children are always looking for volunteers. As a Girl Scout leader, the challenges are there every time we have a meeting If taking on a troop or volunteering for an extended time isn't your cup of tea, perhaps you could also look at what you have done and offer to come in as a guest speaker/teacher?

Volunteering could give you the purpose you seek. Find something you enjoy doing. Schools could always use help.

I currently do contribute to the volunteer community in my city but not continuously.

1. I have worked in a Thrift Shop for an acquintance where a portion of the profits are donated to Animal Rescue...I organized/priced their used book section...It was fun as I like old/used books having once had a flea market stall selling the same a long time ago even collecting some of interest......but the store folded so that stopped.

2. I have worked for an organization called "Community Kitchen". It is like a secondary food bank where surplus/near expired from stores is sent for redistribution to less fortunate and school lunch programs. It is basically a warehouse help help. I found it useful and good exercise but a truth be told not too much contact with others...I stopped to travel a bit but will go back again.

3. My latest venture is volunteering at a go-Kart race track. I do like this. I was a marshall on a cornor checking for infractions during a race as well as providing help for troubled drivers in my section of responsibility. This is serious racing....120 kph and only 8" off the ground. The racers range in age from 8 years old (they are limited to about 60 kph) to 50+. I got involved only in the last 2 races of the year...but I will help with a trade show in March and races begin again in May....I also use my photography skills too taking photos of the races/racers when not marshalling

So I do volunteer....in addition I do help some immigrants with their English (I taught ESL in Thailand) I do this for free currently. I don't want to be tied down to a school though...but I do some tutoring over the internet as well.

If you're a physically active sort who knows about bouldering, canoing, kayaking, or any other outdoor activity, most camps would be willing to hire you for weekends or summer residency camps. Look at your skills and offer them up to your local council. Teaching young minds is a challenge all it's own

Hahahaha....well I am reasonably fit but my days of extreme activity is out...have an ankle broken twice now with a plate + screws...no problem now but break it again.....don't want to think about that.

Anyway I have no real qualifications for that sort of stuff.

Yes volunteering is satisfying but I don't think I found the right venue yet. We shall see regarding the go-kart racing though...I did like that.

 

[yoshimitsu]

What about fun, adventure, excitement.
Not necessarily extremely physical stuff but just things that get the blood pumping.
This is coming from a very different perspective. I am 26 and wish I could have retired 15 years ago. I never had a doubt in my mind I could keep my time filled. I already regret how many years of my youth have been invested in working.
I hope it's not like prison and the longer your in the harder it is to acclimate to being out.

 

[naamplao]

What about fun, adventure, excitement.
Not necessarily extremely physical stuff but just things that get the blood pumping.
This is coming from a very different perspective. I am 26 and wish I could have retired 15 years ago. I never had a doubt in my mind I could keep my time filled. I already regret how many years of my youth have been invested in working.
I hope it's not like prison and the longer your in the harder it is to acclimate to being out.

Thanks for the laugh Retired at 11 years old, eh! Well you would beat me by a mile. You have a lot of living yet to do before you are ready to retire. You haven't paid your dues yet frankly. I don't know what you do for a living but you are just starting your career. Work can be very satisfying. I have had several jobs that were very fullfilling for a while anyway. I never quit a job because of failure....rather I wanted more challenges/responsibility....

ok..ok...I did lie there...I was a failed entrepreneur once as a third member of a 3 member group trying to establish a business (take my advice...never be a member of a 3 member group...you always get outvoted), but even though that experience ended sour it was interesting and I learned a lot from it. I am glad I tried because I would have always wondered if I would have been successful if I didn't attempt it.

There is nothing wrong with work...as I pointed out earlier, 3 surgeries in 18 months changed my perspective on life and on marriage. Ten years later those perspectives are now modified a bit since my health is better now than it has been in the last 15 years. I could work again if I wanted...but the reason for it would be for enjoyment and challenge...not for money. At your age....(unless you are independantly wealthy) you have a lot of planning/investing to do before you can be financially independant and retire at my age.

Fun, adventure, excitement ??? That does not die with age...it is not the exclusive property of the young. I have a share of all three, even now...but there is more to life...in my opinion anyway

 

[boston_bbw]

My dad was forced into early retirement due to health. Now I don't know how he ever had time to keep a job. He drives school bus.. 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours around 2pm. Plenty of time to do stuff he wants in between. Occassionally he will pick up a field trip and spend the day at the aquarium or a football game etc.. He also does volenteer work for the senior citizens in town since of course at 70 he can't even relate to them..lol He takes them to a doctor appointment, drugstore etc..3 years ago he took a tax course at H & R Block and every season volenteers thru AARP to do taxes for folks. Thanks to a night course at the local high school he has even become computer literate at 70 which continues to blow his own mind..