With an empty slate we are faced with the constant, relentless process of making decisions.

Coaching for Retirement

Retirement is the dessert of life. You earned this treat with all your hard work. You can do anything you want to with your time and energy. You don’t have to live according to someone else’s schedule. You can see the people you want to, and avoid the people you don’t like.

What could possibly be difficult about making a transition to that much freedom and opportunity? It comes down to one word for most of us, choosing. With an empty slate we are faced with the constant, relentless process of making decisions. What will I do today? Where would I like to travel? How often should I go see family? What kind of projects do I want to work on? What has meaning? Who am I if I’m not my job?

Okay, retirement doesn’t have to involve an identity crisis, but there is a transition when you go from being a (your profession here) to being “retired.” Retired sounds done, and in the 21st century, retired individuals are far from done. Many have time for another twenty or even thirty year career as a sculptor, grandpa extraordinaire, musician, wine expert, writer, builder, student, traveler, sailor, or yes, even an athlete.

Aligned Action coaching for retirement is typically a six month process, often organized with two months before the “last work day” and four months after. In bi-weekly meetings we explore how you want to use your time and money and energy. We do this in a curious, not an urgent way. You don’t have to fill up the calendar just so you have some structure. You can discover your own natural rhythms, ones that have (to some extent) been covered over by the demands of work. You will ask yourself, what is my ideal time to get up in the morning, my preferred times to eat meals? In retirement, you get to re-define your daily, weekly and yearly schedules. 

Do you remember as a kid being anxious to be grownup because you would get to do whatever you want? Well here you are. You are now a grownup. (Don’t buy into that completely, you can have an eight year old spirit right up to the end.) You get to make up the life you want. Time is ticking away, that’s another lesson of getting to this age, so make it count. By that I mean have a good time. Enjoy being alive. Laugh, share time with friends and family, learn, grow. Do something eccentric. Pursue a wild dream. The time before you is yours. Have fun with it.

To find a coach, you can use the ICF website www.coachfederation.org, look at “find a coach” and set search criteria. Or contact one of our affiliates to find a coach with training from Aligned Action.

I work with a few individuals for six-month blocks of time. My prices and policies are here.

My prices and policies are here.

Coach Policy PDF

Jan Elfline

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