Don't Retire Your Mind as Retirement Approaches

File photo This column is for anyone entering or already in the third age, my preferred term for that period of extended middle age and active elderhood that roughly spans ages 50 to 80. You may wish to ignore or repress thoughts about leaving or changing your career. It's easier to assume that you'll die in your lab or at your computer, or that something will magically present itself when it's time for you to retire. Even if you realize you are stagnating, it can be hard to proactively seek

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This column is for anyone entering or already in the third age, my preferred term for that period of extended middle age and active elderhood that roughly spans ages 50 to 80.

You may wish to ignore or repress thoughts about leaving or changing your career. It's easier to assume that you'll die in your lab or at your computer, or that something will magically present itself when it's time for you to retire. Even if you realize you are stagnating, it can be hard to proactively seek change.

As a career and life coach, I believe in anticipating transitions and provisionally planning for them, by exploring and examining alternate paths. As a passionate preacher about opportunities for self-renewal and social contribution in the third age, I offer some ways to think about what used to be called retirement.

Face up to aging and how it influences your work, your ...

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  • Margaret Newhouse

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