In the newsletter issue #4, I discussed the ADA Framework (Awareness/Decision/Action), which you can apply to help you set priorities and goals and create an action plan for your retirement.
The ‘ABCs of Meaning’ is another framework suitable for the preparation and design of your retirement life:
Bruce Feiler’s book Life Is in the Transitions (2020) offers a powerful approach to help you find balance and meaning in this new stage.
Based on his research and interviews with 225 people about their life transitions, Feiler sees life not as a straight line but as a series of smaller and bigger disruptions. He calls the bigger ones ‘lifequakes’.
On average, we go through three to five lifequakes over our lifetime.
Retirement is one such lifequake – a major transition where you are challenged to redefine your purpose and create a new balance of meaning.
The ABCs of meaning can guide you as you navigate your transition into retirement:
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- A – Agency: This refers to autonomy, freedom, creativity, and mastery. It’s the belief that you have the ability and power to design and live the life you want.
- B – Belonging: This includes relationships, community, friends, and family. It’s about the people who support and nurture you – and whom you nurture.
- C – Cause: This is a calling, a mission, a direction, a purpose, or a transcendent commitment beyond yourself that makes life worthwhile.
We all have all three of the ABCs of meaning within us, but we constantly weigh and reweigh these elements in response to life events.
Consider questions like the following to explore your ABCs:
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- Agency: How can you maintain a sense of independence and fulfilment now that you’re not working? Are there new skills or projects you’d like to pursue?
- Belonging: What relationships can you deepen, and how might you cultivate new connections? Are there groups or communities you’re interested in joining?
- Cause: What causes resonate with your values, and how can you contribute? Are there areas where you’d like to mentor, volunteer, or support a cause?
Your retirement journey is an opportunity to redefine and rebalance the ABCs to best suit your evolving needs.
The key is to find a balance of the ABCs – Agency, Belonging, and Cause – that works for you now.
Stay curious and open to experimenting and exploring. This is a dynamic and ongoing process.
In the following newsletter issue, I will share the concept of ‘Odyssey Planning’ to help you experiment and explore how you want to spend your time and energy in retirement.