Now What? Six Simple Ways to Chart Your New Path
This question of “what next,” this reinvention of self may be a Boomer thing—but it's real.
We baby boomers—who, thanks to medical technology and public health advances, are likely to live longer than our parents' generation did—have an unexpected gift of time. As our careers begin to wind down, but long before anything vaguely resembling retirement is on our radar screen, we've got ten, twenty or more years in which to play, experiment, make money, make love. The 20 years between 45 and 65 is not a phase of life any of us ever thought about much, or planned for—yet now we are here, feeling experienced in life yet still young. Many of us are filled with notions about what we might “do next” and a sense of optimism about the new, if still vague, opportunities that may lie ahead for us.
Practically speaking, if you're trying to figure out what to do next in your life (and you loathe the idea of baring your sole to some professional career advisor or therapist) then here are a handful of exercises you can do in the privacy of your own home, office, or car, to help you chart your path.
TIP #1: The Ol' Pie Chart
As a strategy for plumbing your own inner depths, this strategy is as simple as, well, pie.
The recipe follows:
- Draw two pie charts, as below.
- In Pie Chart #1: My Reality, draw sections indicating how you currently allocate your time during an average week, using categories such as “sleep,” “social life,” “exercise,” “work,” “volunteer,” “family,” and “hobbies.” (Figuring out how you spend your time may be harder than you think—a lesson unto itself.)
- In Pie Chart #2: My Ideal, draw how you would ideally allocate your time during an average week, using the same categories as above, or new ones.
- Compare the two Pie Charts.
- Adjust your life accordingly so your “reality” begins to more closely resemble your “ideal.” (This, of course, is the hard part.)
- Repeat this exercise in a few weeks, or months.
And if this recipe flops like a soggy meringue, then try the exercises below:
TIP #2: Listen—to Yourself.
Talk about your thoughts, dreams, aspirations with your spouse or significant other, your children and friends, your poker buddies, or your colleagues. It's not really that you need to listen to their advice (though you might). The point is to hear yourself think—out loud.
TIP #3. Write—an Idea Diary
Every time you come across something that peaks your interest as a possible new career path, investment, or non-profit organization you might like to explore, make a note of it. Don't pre-judge every idea as you save it; open the file every few months to see what ideas you're interested in.
TIP #4. Organize—a Support Group (but you don't have to call it that)
You might organize a dedicated support group of peers with the specific agenda of talking about your collective latest transitions: your hopes, your fears, what you are doing and discovering. Let the topics range freely, from issues dealing with spouses, to finding fulfilling part-time work, and to leisure activities.
About the Author: Ellen Freudenheim is author of Looking Forward: An Optimist's Guide To Retirement (Stewart Tabori Chang 2004). www.lookingforward2.com.
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