Retirement / You’re Still the Boss

Let’s get right to the point. Why so abrupt? Because retirees have no time, being busier than they ever have been in their life, to read a nine-hundred- and thirty-two-word essay. So, here’s the Reader’s Digest version: Don’t let anybody but you set your retirement expectations. You’re still the boss. (Note: You should be retired if you know what Readers Digest is.)

Read on if you have the time. (Hint: You don’t.)

With that out of the way…

I was listening to Hallow—Pray 40—and they were interviewing Catholic recording artist, Lauren Daigle. I had never heard of her before but she’s from Louisiana, has a great accent, obviously good taste in food and, more importantly, music. Daigle’s recording career began roughly ten years ago and she’s a big deal. Who knew?

Apparently, everybody but me. But, then, I know what Reader’s Digest is. In addition to two Grammy Awards, Daigle has won twelve GMA Dove Awards, six Billboard Music Awards, four American Music Awards, and has had four No. 1 singles on both the Billboard Christian Airplay and the Hot Christian Songs charts. The New York Times, no less, wrote that, as an explicitly Christian artist, she "has crossed over into the pop world with greater success than anyone since Amy Grant in the early ’90s.” Rock on.

And speaking of rocks; yes, I am under one.

Daigle was discussing her music career with Jeff Cavins. She had fallen into a rut of writing songs people wanted to hear rather than songs that spoke to her from her heart. Ms. Daigle went on to say that she then went back to some of her early sketches, saw the difference between what she was doing now and what she was doing then, changed her modus operandi, and began following her heart more closely.

She’s still the boss.

For me, that was very powerful testimony, at a very timely moment.

I have been retired from banking for seven plus years and, as I’ve written before, retiring is hard work. Your career is your identity. It’s who you were for forty years, and to some degree, still are. Even if God is, and has been, your number one purpose, your career is still a big, big part of who you are and what your purpose is; even if it was for the benefit of others--your spouse, your children, your elderly parents, others in need.

So, it’s not easy.

Since retiring from banking, I have had to work hard to find smooth sailing. With the salt water was sloshing over the deck, I worked as the Chief Financial Officer of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, taught at Franciscan University of Steubenville and re-started Full Sail Consultants; all in an effort to find the right point of sail, the right direction, post banking.

Well, the CFO position came to a natural conclusion and back out to sea I went, landing in Steubenville. As I wrote in my last blog, FUS came to a natural conclusion too and so back out to sea I go.

Full Sail is on a gentle glide; stopping briefly at various ports-of-call. This is what I was doing before FUS and I am back at it. Full Sail has worked on hardware stores, wineries, the University and others. Done some career counseling, designed marketing strategies and helped with management transitions. Because Full Sail donates much of its profits to charity, we are proud to say that we’ve donated in excess of $15,000 over the past twelve months. Full Sail indeed!!   

In addition to dabbling in the consulting world, I been writing. Something I have done since I had a neighborhood newspaper when I was ten and continued in college as an editorialist for the Daily Collegian. I was an English major after all. The writing provides prospective clients some insight into how I look at the world at “The Corner of Faith and Fifth.” ™

“The Grand Piano Principle” was the first book, with others--“No Coincidences”, about miracles; “The ABC’s of MBA’s”, what you really need to know about business; and several others—well under way. And then there is the bi-weekly blog.  

The consulting and the writing are a lot of work. But I love both, I can control both, both have purpose and both fit into a retirement lifestyle that needs to be more flexible than teaching or CFO-ing will allow. All good, right?

But…

There’s always a “but”.

Every once in a while, some strong winds blow trying to get this retiree’s 27-foot Solarz off course. “You can do more.” “There’s so much potential.” “You need to start a podcast.” “You need a career coach to figure out your future.” “Join a board.”

And some pressure from friends and colleagues to dock the ship in the old port-of-calls. Like banking or some other financial service venture. Or to be more aggressive in marketing Full Sail and taking on consulting gigs. “Darn it, finish that next book, will you?”

It’s all well-intentioned and I appreciate, I really do, getting new ideas, and even being pushed a little, about what I might do. You never know. And I have a history of failing at retirement. So, bringing these “suggestions” on is on me. And, as I said, you never know.

Like Lauren Daigle, though, us recently retired “bosses” need to remember that we are still the boss and need to keep going back to the things we enjoy. To keep a balance in mind. To follow our heart; not someone else’s notion of what our heart is like. The winds are going to blow, sometimes hard, almost gale-like, but stay on “your” course. And don’t be afraid if it’s different than your old course and what others expect of you.

The key word here is “your.”

Lauren was smart, realized that her course had changed—probably due to those well-intentioned but unfavorable winds--and made a correction to get back on track. Maybe you won’t experience what I have or what Laura Daigle did. But I’ll bet you do. Drifting in, or being pushed, in a direction that is further from your heart than you, a retiree, want to be. Because many will continue to see you as the head of the law firm, the owner of the environmental consulting business, the CEO of the bank—maybe even you see yourself that way out of ego, pride or whatever--and how could you walk away from that?

Well, you can and you should. If that’s what you want to do. Really retire. You’re still the boss. And don’t forget it.   

Show A Little Faith.