The New Retirement: Happy Days or Twilight Zone?

As the boomers retire, they have the opportunity to enter an exciting new adventure. Without planning, this new retirement could turn into dreary nightmare.

Experts have identified six key issues that are important when facing retirement. They are: wealth, health, relationships, contribution, meaning, and happiness, and the three most commonly linked are contribution, meaning and happiness. It doesn't make sense that a person who is vital, active and productive one day, will be content to do nothing but play the next. As we look to the future, most of us crave a balance between leisure activities, relationships and making a contribution.

Ironically, the people who often have the most difficulty making a transition into retirement are those who have been the most successful at working. Nancy Schlossberg, author of Retire Smart, Retire Happy says, "The greater a person's work commitment, the greater the loss when that role disappears." Successful people may not have taken time to develop outside interests and activities. They may feel lost when they don't have the daily challenges, the network of colleagues and the sense of purpose their work provides. They may lose their sense of identity.

The secret is to look at what you want from your retirement, to plan more than just your income. Research has shown that even when financially secure after retirement, many people are unsure what to do from day to day. Happiness can't be bought, it has to be planned for and then lived. Look beyond financial and lifestyle issues.

One place to start is by assessing your core values-those things that are most important to you. Do you have a voice inside that cries, "I need to know my life matters. I want to make a difference"? Look at the following questions for clues to your values:

• Do you look for very concrete and practical ways to solve problems?
• Do you like to see the results of your work?
• Do you enjoy problems that require exploration and are intellectually challenging?
• Do you like to find creative solutions that allow you to think outside the box?
• Do you value relationships above all else?
• Do you like influencing or leading others?
• Are you a natural risk-taker?
• Do you like creating a structure or attending to detail?

Once you have a better idea about your core values, you can look for opportunities that allow you to express them. For example, several years ago, I received a phone call from a woman who said, "I think I've failed retirement. I don't like to play bridge. I'm bored and I don't know what to do with my life." After exploring her values, her struggle with the "old-style" retirement became clear. Personal Growth was her strongest value, followed by Justice and Influencing Others. At sixty-eight this former psychiatric nurse returned to school, became a mediator, and now volunteers with a non-profit organization using her new skills.

There are phenomenal opportunities facing Baby Boomers. Baby Boomers are the healthiest and wealthiest group to ever live this long. They are highly educated and successful. With the myriad of challenges facing the world, Baby Boomers can harness their individual and collective energy and passion to solve many of our world's problems.

Whether it's for your family, community, country, world or universe, identify some cause that can use your incredible talents. This can be the most important time of you life. Find a passion. Get involved. Make a contribution.