Older Professionals: Defining Identity in Retirement, On Your Own Time

On Your Own Time regularly meets older professionals who are defining what their next chapter looks like. They’re not necessarily looking for “work” as they knew it before retirement; they’re asking different, more personal questions, that get to the heart of identity in retirement and how they want to live this next phase of life.

Questions like:

• Do I want or need to work?

• Who am I if my job isn’t the center of my life anymore?

• What do I want work to feel like now?

• How much work is enough?

• If I don't work, what else can I do?

More Retirement Flexibility

In Canada, the idea of a fixed retirement age has been changing for some time. With mandatory retirement at 65 phased out, many people now can work longer but that doesn’t mean they automatically want to keep working the way they did. While continuing to work brings financial stability; connection; purpose; and mental engagement, for many, identity in retirement involves redefining their relationship with work altogether, on their own terms, and on their own time.

Something Different

The goal of On Your Own Time  is to help you explore, and ideally find, work that fits your interests, your energy, your priorities, your purpose, and your life, and develop your identity in retirement, on your own time.

In the coming year, I’m going to do something different. Each month I'll introduce a theme that will focus on one idea related to older professionals, retirement, work and life. I'll offer practical insights, thoughtful reflections, and stories, to offer you the opportunity to reflect and possibly help you answer the questions above, as well as others you might have.

Join the Conversation

Please be part of this new direction. Sometimes the most authentic and helpful insights come from readers, not the author. I invite you to share answers, a story, a lesson, or even a question. Your perspective as an experienced professional is what makes the blogs meaningful and your real life experiences will help others find identity in retirement.

The next chapter can be exciting!

A Question to Begin the New Year

As we begin this new year and this new direction together, I’d like to start with a simple question for you. There’s no right answer—just a chance to reflect on what matters most to you right now.

As you look ahead, what do you want more of and less of in this next chapter of your life?

Wishing you a happy holiday season and a healthy, fulfilling, and prosperous New Year.