Whether you are close to retirement or still years away, you want to think about the life that you want to create personally and/or professionally after you retire, or for your encore career. We have all heard about the bucket list, “Before I die I want to climb a mountain, go on a vacation to Hawaii with my family…” Whatever those dreams are that live in your heart.
Even if you’re not close to retirement, we encourage that you to think long term. Think about your career, what you want to do after your career and how your current professional life can help support that. Whether it’s through savings, a promotion or changing industries after you formally retire but want to continue working. This week, create your own 3 year encore career and life bucket list. My career coaching client, Tara, did this last week and she ended up with 3 pages of a beautiful vision for her life that gives her clarity, direction and motivation.
Complete the following sentence to get you started: “Three years after working non-stop my entire life, I will…”
Break it down into years one, two and three for greater clarity. Remember the more specific you are, the more likely it is to happen. Use this exercise as a visioning, creative process. Then afterwards, write down the plan. What action steps need to be in place in order to make these dreams come true? Remember working can be part of this list, and it is for many people these days who have to work longer into retirement. Build in fun activities as well so it feels like it’s something different than your current situation and is more like retirement, and to give you something to look forward to as well.
Finally, be sure to keep your list in a visible place so you can revisit it daily and stay focused on accomplishing what you want. Written by Hallie Crawford and Katie Weiser. Katie Weiser is our encore career and retirement coach, you can read more about her experience and expertise here.
Hallie Crawford and Katie Weiser
Certified Career Coaches
P.S. Is your clock ticking towards retirement? Check out our Encore Career Coaching services to help you define your life – on your terms.
