We live within stories, some personal, some cultural. One of those stories is about retirement – that supposedly magical time of life when one crosses over a threshold and leaves the work world forever. Yet for increasing numbers of us, that story doesn’t work at all.
Maybe we want to keep working because it offers us a way to stay creative and contributing. Maybe we need to work to finance our later years. Or maybe we want to pursue an interest we’ve always had, or pursue a new volunteer or service opportunity.
Maybe what we need is just a break.
Chris Farrell is creating a new story about working past sixty which he calls “unretirement,” the subject of his book by the same name.
Drawing from his background as a journalist and an economist, Chris systematically busts up the prevailing gloom and doom thinking about what’s going to happen as baby boomers hit the social security age. With persuasive statistics he debunks the idea that the boomers will bleed the economy dry and bankrupt social security. Instead, he argues that working just a little longer (whether paid or unpaid) is good for individuals and good for the economy as well.
In this interview, Chris shares his informed and optimistic view of the future for baby boomers and what they can contribute to the economy.
Dr. Sally Fox is a coach, consultant, and speaker who interviews thought leaders and artists who are “Shaping the Stories that are Shaping the World” on her Vital Presence podcast. In these episodes for 3rd Act Magazine, Sally and her guests explore the new story about working creatively in the Third Act of life, showing how you can find purpose and pleasure working at any age. Check out more episodes from the Vital Presence podcast on iTunes or at www.vitalpresence.com.