When thinking about retirement we think about people at the end of their main working lives, usually in their 60s.
We can forget about athletes, and how they retire much earlier.
There’s been much in the press on Andy Murray and how he may not be fit for Wimbledon and/or The Olympics and what will he do? For some such as the footballer Gary Lineker, becoming a pundit has been a lucrative second career, but not all athletes can make that move, and some want something different.
The Times wrote: Murray, 37, is facing retirement, even if it’s the last thing he wants to do. The article also said: Last week, he told the BBC he sees it as “fitting” to finish his career at either SW19 or the Olympic Games.
Would you like to end your career on a high note? To be remembered for a major project completed or some significant impact.
If so, is this something you need to make a conscious effort for (a bit like me sending in a submission for consideration for a National Career Award). It can take time and reflection. It maybe that you want to remind your organisation, and the people around you of all that you do.
Andy Murray does seem to have quite an old-fashioned view of retirement:
“The thing that is difficult,” he tells me, “is that for most people, in most jobs, retirement is seen as a positive thing. They retire at a specific age, it’s something to look forward to — a time to put your feet up and enjoy the rest of your life. But I don’t see it like that. I’m not happy about it.”
I don’t know many people with that sort of a retirement. It may have been true for his grandparents, but most people see retirement as a time to refocus, to re-tyre, to change tyres and move into a new direction with a combination of paid and unpaid activity, and often a lot of giving back.
Later the article says:
Retiring will, of course, be hardest for him. “I’m aware that it’s going to be difficult for me when that time comes,” he says. “Because this gives you a lot. I invest a lot of my mental energy on tennis. Waking in the morning with a routine? To better yourself? That’s a huge motivation, every single day. And when that’s not there, it’s going to be hard to replace.”
“And I’m sure there will be other things in life that I will grow to love, enjoy and become motivated by. But right now? I still love tennis.”
This is quite normal for the high-powered clients I work with, they get such a buzz from their work, and everything around can seem flat, but it doesn’t have to be. We can take so much from the ‘us’ in the workplace and use it elsewhere.
I wonder if he had given much thought to life after the tennis circuit?
Some of us are good at long term planning, we have considered our future and have ideas mapped out. For others we need to wait, and then we will see.
There is nothing right/ nor wrong with either approach. The challenge is when your loved ones, or friends see the world different to you. They say things like
- I can’t believe you haven’t given any thought to this – what are you going to do?
OR
- Why do you have to talk about the future, retirement isn’t for x years. Just enjoy life for now.
One reason for my research, and my book – Rethinking Retirement for Positive Ageing is to get people to consider their future, but I’m not telling people WHEN this should be. Some will plan a few years ahead and start considering options. Others want a really good holiday and maybe a year just to potter to see how things go.
What we will all need is a way to answer the question – so what do you do?
So much of our identity is tied up in the job. So, you may like to give some thought to potential new identities – try them on for size, like Mr Benn used to do (remember him)?
