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What is one of the first things we ask people when we meet them? “What do you do?” If the response is “I am retired,” it is often a conversation killer.
It’s understandable — none our definitions of “to retire” are particularly inspiring. To “withdraw from a particular place to a place of safety or seclusion.” To “recede” or even to go to bed at the end of the day. To retire financial bonds means they have reached maturity and are now expired.
Why “Retirement” No Longer Fits How We Live
In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt secured the Social Security Act, which made workers and their employers fund their retirement at age 65. At this time, “the average life expectancy of the American man was just 58.” Based on 2023 data, the life expectancy for males is now 75.8 years and for women 81.1 years. Since both of my parents lived into their 90s, I plan to live beyond the average life expectancy.
For more than a decade, I’ve hosted a monthly podcast called “Becoming a Sage,” where I interview thought leaders about work, life and wisdom. In each episode, I say, “I am out to retire the word retirement.” When we exit our main career, we are not retiring from life, we moving onto something else. And I believe it takes time and intentional thought to successfully move on to what’s next in life.