 | ||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
| |||||||||||
|
|
Like many of us, I had put much of my energy into my career for many years. After graduating from college, I was a teacher for 5 years before becoming a high school counselor for the next 15 years. After additional education and becoming licensed, at age 40, I began a successful career as a psychotherapist in private practice, moved to the suburbs, married and became a step mother of 3 teenagers. Many skills were developed during those years to influence the person that I am today. As I reached my mid 50's, I began planning for this next exciting phase of my life by reading and asking questions of those who preceded me. In this process, what I discovered made me both excited and anxious. I knew that I wasn't ready to leave a profession that I loved, but at the same time wondered what other possibilities were available to me. I decided not to wait for retirement before I made some of the changes. Three years ago, I bought a piano and began taking piano lesions for the first time in my life. It has been immensely rewarding to begin a new activity that developed my creative side. In addition, I began to add a social dimension to my life as I met many new and different people. I joined the Rotary Club to give back to my community through volunteering and in the process have met more like minded individuals who are generous and giving of their time and energy. This past year, I joined a book club where I am connecting with people who have different interests and we are expanding our worlds together. I am making more time for travel and I know that there is more to come. As I continued to consider the possibilities of a new direction in my life, I questioned the need to make changes when I was still enjoying what I was doing. From my extensive reading and numerous interviews of others, I discovered that this was a common experience. As all of us progress in life, we have similar conflicting thoughts and feelings about any important transition. I like where I am but, at the same time, I want to do it differently so there is more opportunity to relax into retirement and discover what else there is for me. As a result of this personal exploration/reflection, I have been drawn to explore new dimensions of who I am and what I like and need. As I began to consider the next stage of my life, I also began exploring possibilities related to this transition. What did I want to do with my time that would compliment my skills and add new dimensions to me and my life? What did I want this phase of my life to look like? What was my personal vision for the future? This quest for answers to my questions ultimately led me to coaching. As I hired a coach to help me focus my energies on my future, I became fascinated with the process. Not only did the coaching experience clarify my personal thought process, it also suggested the answer for the next phase of my life. Becoming a coach was a natural transition on my own personal journey into this unknown Retirement Phase of life. Coach training has stimulated me intellectually as I have learned new concepts that I have found useful in my psychotherapy practice. Although there are significant differences between psychotherapy and coaching, there are also many similarities between the two professions. This is part of the story of my entry into the next stage of my life. I know there will be more. The professional organizations I belong to are:
For some this transition will be challenging and for others it will be effortless. You can optimize this next chapter in your life by giving this transition the time, energy and attention it deserves. Whether you are an individual or a couple, you will benefit from my professional experience helping people develop relationship and decision making skills that will assist you in moving more easily into this stage of life. There is much more of you waiting to be discovered. Let's do it together.
| | |||||||||||
|
 |
 |
| |||||||||||
As I turned 60 years old in 2006, I was on the leading edge of what society has come to call the baby boomer generation. The census Bureau estimates that 78 million people were born between 1946 and 1964 and each day 10,000 turn 50 years old and 8,000 of us turn 60. This is a very exciting time of life for our generation because much of the hard and challenging aspects of life, like getting an education, progressing in a career, and raising children are behind us.
Top