Over the years, Marlene and I have had the privilege to coach many who were going through significant life transitions. A job lay off, a career transition; new business starts ups, relationships ending and relationships beginning. Of late, we have shared the adventure of retirement with folks.
Both Marlene and I have navigated retirement, each in our own distinctive manner. Marlene bought Foxview Stables and started up multiple business lines, while I donned my metaphorical pajamas for two years, resting, playing, resting, playing.
In observing and speaking with those considering and/or navigating retirement, I have been struck by the variety of responses to this transition. From kid at a candy shop through to deer in the headlights, it reveals one’s “inner landscape” in such a profound manner.
Like all life transitions, retirement does call on us to connect and open up to more of who we truly are. Retirement, however, does have a unique quality. On the human timeline, it is sometimes referenced as the doorway to one’s third and even fourth act. As such, we hear folks in this transition say, “if not now, then when?”
So, let us introduce you to Judy.
Judy is in her last year of full time work and her thoughts are casting into her future. She is already experiencing the excitement of her life opening up in new and creative ways, seeing the opportunity, as she puts it, “to be happy, like a child again.” On the other hand, she is also keenly aware, she needs to focus on her finances and address fears that are surfacing, and areas in her life where she has “gone along, to get along.”
Over a period of two months, Judy took advantage of four, 2 hour Equus Coaching sessions. With each session, the insights kept coming. Through her interaction with the horses, she became acutely aware of her thinking, how she gets distracted and how that impacts how she shows up in life. In connecting with her authentic self, Judy became more consciously courageous in knowing and asking for what she truly wanted. Giddy UP, Judy!
As a result, she has now set her retirement date, resourced a financial planner and did some significant “dusting and cleaning” on the relationship front.
Let’s hear it straight from Judy:
“If there is one thing (and of course there are MANY lessons learned) that is SO important is how to have compassion for one’s self in times of turbulence. Realizing patterns that emerge when conditions change or when conditions prove challenging in the face of getting what you want from life/staying true to your core – this experience I had is likely universally felt. I am so very grateful for the experiences I’ve had with you both and the horses. Thank you for improving the quality of my life.”
Retirement really is a chance to re-connect with ALL of who you are, to paint anew on a clean canvass and gallop with a full heart into your future.
Maureen