I ‘retired’ 28 years ago when the company where I was employed as VP, Human Resources was sold.  At the time, the senior management team was obliterated.  I remember thinking, I’m too young (55) to retire, plus I couldn’t afford to ‘just hang up my skates’.

As luck would have it, I was able to consult to various organizations both in Canada and USA, primarily creating and presenting supervisory and managerial training programs.  It was during this time my wife and I travelled extensively, some of which was associated with consulting assignments.  I also began volunteering with CESO (Canadian Executive Service Organization) mentoring Inuit supervisors and managers as part of the Government of Nunavut’s Initiative Program.

During my down time, I gave thought to what makes for a successful retirement.  My father, Jack Atkinson, only lived two years after retiring at age 65. Jack loved his job, his social circle was primarily his workmates; I wondered what killed him at a relatively young age?  As part of my thought process, I recalled employees I knew in respective organizations who retired and which ones I considered were enjoying a successful retirement and those who aren’t.  This led me to interviewing dozens of retirees to learn the secrets of success.  As a result, I wrote my first book, Don’t Just Retire, Live It! Love It! published in 2009. 

My research on life after work continues to this day and has resulted in four additional books, Strategies for Retiring Right! Why Me? And No Gold Watch!, Life After Work: Live It, Love it! and Coaching Clients for Retirement (A Primer). I’ve created two workbooks, The First Step and Strategies for Retiring Right! plus an interactive in-person workshop.

To add to my activities, for the past eleven years I’ve taught human resources courses at Centennial College, Ontario’s first college.

For me, retirement has meant challenges and opportunities.  I haven’t been bored, but rather I’ve woken up each day with a to-do list.  One of the things I learned from successful retirees is, ‘Don’t reserve your place in the rocking chair but rather grab the ring of life.  Don’t be sedentary and without purpose, get involved and make a difference’.  Successful retirees recognize the need to plan for happiness and productivity.  They evaluate what’s important to them and construct actions to satisfy their needs and wants.  By creating a vision of a realistic retirement and building an action plan to achieve it, they are proactively and energetically seeking results.

I am looking forward to sharing my finding and views concerning retirement and welcome your questions and observations.