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Purpose Matters More in Retirememt
280 Plays3 days ago
Do you know what makes YOU uniquely remarkable? If you do, you're probably in the minority of retirees, because most of us haven't spent much time thinking about our purpose in those terms. We can all describe what we did or what our job title was, but that doesn't make us unique. What you bring to the table each time you show up... THAT is what makes you YOU.
Many people call this your "purpose". Whatever you choose to call it, this deep-seated knowledge gives you confidence and helps you make tough decisions... assuming you recognize it and let it guide you.
Learning to recognize what makes you unique gives you a lot of advantages, including (but not limited to):
- establishing your identity
- reducing indecision in the face of choices
- building confidence
- improving communication
To help you figure out what your unique trait is, think about two significant accomplishments in your life, a personal one and a professional one, and try to identify what was present in those events. Did a talent show itself? What belief(s) can you identify related to the event's success? If you can find a talent, skill, or thread common to both accomplishments, that is a great starting point.
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Transcript
Rethinking Retirement: Beyond Eternal Leisure
00:00:03
Speaker
Retirement. That's what we're all aiming at, right? But exactly what does that mean? conjures up visions of endless days of golf, drinks with little umbrellas in them on a tropical beach, feet up reading a book.
00:00:16
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Is that what it's all about? I don't think so. Life would get pretty dull after a while without anything meaningful to do, don't you think?
Jackie Doucette's Mission: Purposeful Post-Retirement Life
00:00:25
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I'm Jackie Doucette, and I'm on a mission to discover exactly what life is like beyond retirement.
00:00:30
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Join me while I chat with people who've already done it, who've retired to something rather than from something. Let's find out together exactly what's waiting for us when we say goodbye to that nine to five.
Finding Purpose: Insights from Ian Shimandy
00:00:51
Speaker
Hi everyone, welcome to another episode of Beyond Retirement. I'm your host, Jackie Doucette. Today I'm going to do quick little deep dive into purpose. Last week I had a fantastic conversation with Ian Shimandy, the co-founder of PurposeU, and honestly, it got me thinking a lot.
00:01:12
Speaker
We talked about how purpose isn't just something you think about when you're starting your career. In fact, retirement might be the most important time to clarify your purpose. So in today's episode, I wanna share some reflections from that conversation and talk about why knowing your purpose, especially now, can make all the difference in how you experience retirement.
Purpose Defined: A Unique Gift
00:01:34
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If you missed last week's episode, make sure you go back and listen to it when we're done here, but I'll give you a quick recap so you don't have to go back right away. Ian helped people define their purpose in seven words or less.
00:01:47
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At first, that might sound impossible, but the idea behind it is really powerful. He defines purpose as the one thing that makes you uniquely remarkable.
00:02:01
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Not what you do or the roles you've had, but what sits underneath all of that, the gift you bring to the world.
Confidence and Decision-Making Through Purpose
00:02:09
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And here's the kicker. Once you know your purpose, it does two really important things for you.
00:02:16
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One, it boosts your confidence because now you have language to explain something you've always known or felt deep down, but maybe couldn't quite put into words.
00:02:28
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And two, it becomes a decision-making tool. It gives you a lens to filter opportunities, activities, and even relationships so you can live in a way that actually feels right.
00:02:42
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It's easier to choose between two things when one of them does feel right.
Identity Loss and Reestablishment in Retirement
00:02:49
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Ian also introduced the idea of trigger events.
00:02:52
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Major life changes like graduation, job loss, divorce, illness, retirement. These often bring up unanswered questions, and with that, anxiety.
00:03:05
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Knowing your purpose helps ground you so these questions don't feel so overwhelming.
00:03:12
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So let's think about what could happen in retirement.
00:03:17
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There could be loss of identity. Many of us define ourselves by our careers. Without that role, we may feel untethered. Purpose helps reestablish identity beyond work.
Navigating Choices with Purpose
00:03:31
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There could be too many choices. Retirement brings freedom, which can feel like pressure. Purpose offers a decision-making filter, like I mentioned before, so you can make those choices more easily.
00:03:46
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It gives you the confidence to make a shift. Ian told a story of a C-suite executive who actually took a step down to reduce stress after discovering his purpose was make it simpler.
00:04:00
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It changed his life. Who would have thought that someone at that level would actually step back from his job?
00:04:10
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It helps you communicate better. When you know your purpose, it becomes easier to share what you want and what you need with family, with friends, even with financial advisors.
00:04:23
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All of this made me start to think about my own journey. For example, creating this podcast, Beyond Retirement, has been a huge part of my life. But what's underneath that?
00:04:35
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Maybe my purpose is to help people rediscover their voice. or to create spaces for reinvention.
Crafting a Purpose Statement
00:04:43
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I don't have a perfect seven-word phrase yet, but the idea is forming.
00:04:48
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What about you? What moments have brought out the best in you? What do you return to time and again without even thinking about it?
00:05:00
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Something like that would be a great starting point. From what I gathered talking with Ian, the way to start discovering your purpose is first to identify two accomplishments, one personal, one professional.
00:05:15
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Things that made you really proud in your life, proud that you did them, proud of what you accomplished. And then take a look at those accomplishments. What beliefs, wants, or talents were present in those moments?
00:05:33
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Look for a common thread among them. That's where you're going to find your gift. And from that, draft a purpose statement.
Refining Purpose: The Seven-Word Statement
00:05:41
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Even if it's rough, write it down.
00:05:44
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And from there, you start refining it until you get it down to seven words or less. And I know we don't have the questions that Ian asks, but you can start asking yourself questions.
00:05:57
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Why is this important? They're the seven levels of why kind of thing. Remember, you're not trying to impress anyone. You're just trying to align with what's true for you.
Living Purposefully in Retirement: Connect and Learn
00:06:09
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So what if retirement isn't about staying busy, but about living with purpose?
00:06:15
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If you're reflecting on your own purpose, I'd love to hear from you. Send me an email or connect with me somehow on social media. Let's talk about it a little bit. It doesn't have to be anything we share with anyone. I'd be thrilled to talk with you personally.
00:06:31
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You can also visit Ian's site at purposeu.ai to learn more about his course. Might be exactly what you need to clarify your next step. So thanks for listening.
00:06:42
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I hope it gives you something to think about. And if any of it resonated with you, share it with a friend or maybe leave me a review. Reviews are really great. Kind of like a tip to a server.
00:06:55
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And remember... We're here to retire to something, not from something. See you next time. And that's it for this episode of Beyond Retirement.
00:07:05
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Thank you so much for hanging out with me. I hope you enjoyed it. Are you ready to start rocking your retirement? Head on over to www.beyondretirement.ca forward slash rocking it and sign up to plan out your own roadmap for retirement.
00:07:22
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Don't wait till it's too late.