Purpose

As readers of our book, Make Retirement...Work, know, and as participants in our presentations come to understand, Andy and I place a great deal of emphasis on the principles of "Ikigai". To briefly recap, the four primary elements of this decades-old Japanese concept are (1) your passion, (2) your mission, (3) your vocation, and (4) your profession. Ideally, these elements combine synergistically to assure a productive and fulfilling life.

Recently, I’ve been reading about and hearing from retirees who are struggling with what most describe as dissonance concerning their "purpose" in life now that they are retired. Clearly, when we were working, our purpose – or mission, if you will – was at least partially defined by two of the other elements of Ikigai – namely, our vocation and our profession. For many of us, these two elements tend to fall by the wayside when we retire, which, in turn, causes us to focus more on our mission or purpose.

The question becomes: how do we find our purpose in retirement?  Unfortunately, the answer to this question is not clear cut. "Purpose" is somewhat akin to finding "happiness."  And many of us know that the harder we try to find happiness, the more elusive it becomes. The good news is that we eventually learned that “happiness“ is not an object unto itself, but rather a byproduct of many other factors, such as involvement in meaningful activities and causes, vibrant social connections, achievement of personal goals, and so on. 

We believe that finding one’s purpose in retirement is composed of the same elements. We also believe that the more aggressively we obsess about it, the more elusive it, too, will become.  As we say in our seminars and presentations, let "purpose" happen in its own organic manner. Don’t force it. If you stay active and engaged, "purpose" will emerge clearly and compellingly, and it will continue to evolve throughout your retirement years. 

You will then know what makes retirement...work! 

Rick Hearin