The Retirement Myth

I had a client who was the CEO of a large manufacturing company. He retired and thought he'd be delightfully happy driving his classic cars and playing golf.

After 6 months he was deeply depressed, and he was ecstatic when the company asked him to come back. What happened?

He made a common mistake of leaders by buying into The Retirement Myth: "when I have plenty of money and retire I'll finally have the freedom and happiness I've always yearned for." Maybe, but oftentimes not.

Happiness comes from a balance among the 4 major sources of happiness, and many leaders are out of balance during their working years and during their retirement (lose now, lose later). They work too hard during their careers, and then they expect that having lots of money and no responsibilities and commitments in retirement will allow them to catch up on all the fun they've missed.

We humans don't work that way. For example, we always need to feel that we're doing important work of some kind that we enjoy (paid or unpaid). Playing golf 7 days a week doesn't usually meet that need, but coaching a little league team part time might.

How to Use This to Your Advantage

"Work smart" during your career by maintaining a healthy balance, and also "work smart" in your retirement by maintaining a healthy balance. You'll be glad you did.