https://www.clawscustomboxes.com/kcaum1y2 Until relatively recently, most people worked to 62 or 65, had a retirement party, collected their pensions, and headed off into the sunset. Everyone in the office generally knew when to expect people to retire. Today the norms are blurring, particularly for professionals.
https://oevenezolano.org/2024/08/hik1p57p51u In this new paradigm, I am constantly amazed to hear from successful professionals and executives in their late 50s, 60s and 70s that they are afraid to retire. They do not know quite what to do next. Retirement is a black hole. Why? Because their lives revolved around their careers – encompassing decades of unrelenting stress and long grueling hours – the commonly expressed fear was that they had isolated themselves to the point that without their job they would not know what to do with themselves. In the last six months alone I have had several conversations with professionals (lawyers, doctors, dentists) and financial executives at dinner parties, social occasions, and professional events, where it was openly expressed that the demands of their profession had undermined their ability to maintain close family and social connections, outside interests and hobbies, and an identity, purpose and meaning outside of their career.
https://homeupgradespecialist.com/zxgoee70 The 60-something executive looked around to make sure no one could hear him, leaned in and whispered to me, ‘I’m afraid to retire. I could never just do … nothing. … I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. You can only play so much golf’.
– Sam Horn, How to find happiness when you’re afraid to retire[1]
And once you lose your confidence in your identity and abilities outside your role as a professional, it is hard to get the old magic back. Winning this game means rebalancing your life, reigniting your relationships, and reclaiming your life to recapture the aptitudes and passions that keep you interested and interesting.
https://udaan.org/lvh6e0fj1m.php From a personal perspective, whether you call it retirement or Life 2.0,[2] the end goal can be said to be freedom, living a life of integrity with sufficient financial freedom to buy you time – time for your family and friends, time for yourself, and most importantly time for your passions. After all, it is never too late to design and start living the life that you have always envisioned.
Alprazolam Powder Buy The joy of retirement is that you’ll have plenty of opportunities to experiment. It’s up to you to design the type of day – and kind of life – that you want to live.
– Amy Morin, international bestselling author[3]
Introduction
Buy Xanax Argentina Three years ago I retired from 26 years as a lawyer, 18 years of which was at the leadership level of two Fortune 500 companies. I have had time to reflect, but I hesitate to offer these reflections as advice, but rather as the story of what worked for me.
When is the right time to retire? It is a question that depends on your personal needs and circumstances – and your personality and plans for what you would do instead. We have all had days when we are prepared to hand our boss a resignation letter and lead the good life doing the things we enjoy and like, and less time doing the things we do not. However, while leaving the workforce early might sound ideal, it can be a big mistake if you are not psychologically ready. Why? Because the retirement decision is as much – or perhaps more so – psychological than it is financial.[4] A professional may be financially able to retire but not psychologically ready. Professionals in this category may work longer for reasons of personal satisfaction or, more concerning, because they are uneasy with stepping away from a career that has become “their identity”. In surveys, professionals have identified their top concerns about retirement to be: loss of identity; loss of purpose; loss of social interactions at work; loss of a steady routine; and boredom, loneliness and depression.[5]
Ernie Zelinski [international best-selling author of the ‘Joy of Not Working’ and ‘How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free’ …] has no argument with those who love their work, who wake up happily thinking ‘I can’t wait to get in’ and who get sad in the late afternoon knowing they’ll soon have to leave. But he knows that lots and lots of people feel the opposite and that many of those working more than 40 hours a week do so not out of love but because they’re … inept at finding meaning in other areas of their life.
– The Washington Post[6]
https://sugandhmalhotra.com/2024/08/07/5zbggmci4 These concerns about retirement are related to the fact that professionals “devote most of their working hours to their careers”. Professionals and executives are putting in 50 or more hours of work a week, with a third logging 65 hours or more – which does not include the 20-25 hours per week most of us “reported monitoring their work while not actually working”.[7] The effects ripple far and wide, exacting a heavy toll on a professional’s physical and mental health,[8] as well as their ability to provide thoughtful attention to their family, friends and social circle. For many professionals and executives, their lack of intimate relationships – as a result of long 10 to 12 hour workdays and the conflicting priorities between work and home – is replaced by a more shallow social network that revolves around their jobs:[9]
“While work can offer satisfaction and rewards, real love and security is best sought from family and close friends. Once you stop seeking these from work relationships, however, you may be left with the bigger challenge of examining your personal life.”
https://merangue.com/yestite1 As professionals enter their 50s and 60s we are beginning to wrestle with a shift, feeling a growing pull not only toward a new phase of work, but toward a different kind of life and a new set of priorities as well. Many of us are unsure of the path “from what’s past to what’s next”. We lack “a language even to talk about this change, which” feels “for many simultaneously self-indulgent and imperative”. Many of us are “asking the same questions”: how can I find rest and renewal? How do I finance this transition? What if things don’t work out? Will I be any good at something new? Can I take a big risk in my life when my situation is so intertwined with the well-being of others? How can I live a life that has greater significance and meaning that leaves the world a better place? If I don’t make that change now, will it be too late? [10]
https://solomedicalsupply.com/2024/08/07/xx66kfjc Life 2.0 is about the alignment of finances and values, and understanding what it takes to make it happen. When deciding if you should retire, determine the type of lifestyle that you want to live and if you can afford it. Before deciding to retire, make sure you are psychologically ready – and have the financial resources – to make the most of this exciting new stage of life[11]:[12]
https://blog.extraface.com/2024/08/07/sr7l17el Let’s be honest: Leaving your … job can have some nice perks. By the time some workers reach their 50s and early 60s, they’re starting to feel burned out. Retiring before the traditional age of 65 – the U.S. [and Canadian] average in 2019 is actually 63 [and for the self-employed is 68], according to the U.S. Census Bureau (64 for men and 62 for women, according to a 2015 report by the Center for Retirement Research) – can be invigorating. Whether it’s traveling, taking up new hobbies, or simply finding a part-time job with less stress, it’s your opportunity to recharge.
While there is research that argues that working longer keeps you healthier and happier, there’s also evidence for the opposing view.”
https://www.clawscustomboxes.com/nfrncmu4qs Working people have a lot of bad habits, but the worst of these is work.
– Clarence Darrow, renowned American Trial Lawyer (April 18, 1857 – March 13, 1938)[13]
Retirement and Financial Security
This article is not about finances, but rather the psychological readiness of a professional or executive for a successful retirement to Life 2.0. However, although the focus of this article is not “financial readiness” to retire, this key question must be satisfactorily addressed and answered by every professional prior to retirement – preferably with the advice and input of a trusted fiduciary financial planner or financial advisor.[14]
Xanax Mail Order Uk [C]hanges in the world of work have left many workers concerned about their future competitiveness in the labor market. … Across the board, people reported that their top financial concern was ‘having enough money for a comfortable retirement’.
– Zurich & University of Oxford 2019 Survey (16 countries including U.S., UK, Australia, Germany, Finland, Switzerland, etc.) [15]
https://transculturalexchange.org/299bj7g Why do I bring this up? What it means to be a successful legal professional, for example, has not changed much — there’s a steady job (whether as a partner or senior lawyer within a corporation), the ability to comfortably raise a family if you choose to, a home (and possibly a cottage or lake house) to call your own, travelling, an annual vacation. But what it takes to achieve all that while also planning for a financially secure retirement has become more challenging.
https://www.completerehabsolutions.com/blog/uyw101v3ybq Today almost 40% of Americans and Canadians – including an even higher percentage of citizens in many other Western countries – do not see a financially secure retirement ever happening as money worries and affordability issues escalate as key retirement themes.[16] And this includes many professionals and executives who similarly report financial anxiety and less optimism toward retirement.[17]
https://oevenezolano.org/2024/08/hpk1dkp In most places in America, doctors and lawyers are at the top of the career pyramid. They’re often the top earners in town. And they usually live in the nicest neighborhoods and drive expensive cars. But their attitudes toward money and investing can create financial challenges later in life.
– New York Times[18]
Order Xanax Cheap There is no magic formula for a professional to position themself for a financially secure retirement, but achieving it often involves several factors, but most importantly actual financial planning. For many lawyers in their mid-to-late career “the inability to even consider retirement is very real these days as the profession gets squeezed by a number of competing forces generally acting negatively on their financial statements. And there are stark indicators the need for smart and early retirement planning is greater than ever before”.[19] Times have changed, and many professionals know what it feels like to have no financial choice but to work later into their retirement years[20] or cope with an unplanned forced retirement (due to poor health, lay off, age discrimination, etc.)[21]:
- Professionals work later partly because they start their careers later due to due to extensive post-secondary education. Lawyers and doctors, for example, do not begin earning substantial incomes until they are 30 or older, well after many other professions.[22]
- Many do not begin thinking about retirement until they have practiced “15 or 20 years”, and even then do not do a “good job planning for retirement” as they focus their limited time on their highly demanding jobs in professions generally without pensions, stock options, or forced retirement savings.[23] Anxiety around retirement security today is such that it is likely that many professionals would choose to have a pension than a raise or higher compensation.[24]
- Even the best-laid retirement plans can give way to chaos when one of three major life event takes place: (1) divorce, (2) job loss or compensation stagnation, and (3) lack of financial acumen / poor investment. With respect to “divorce”, lawyers are in a “high-risk profession for marriage failure”. Legal jobs – including partnerships – are more precarious, and compensation and law firm profitability generally, “have been stagnant or even in some cases declining for lawyers, even for partners in law firms” (which detracts from the ability to plan and save when costs continue to increase). As well, market forces have not always been kind to investment portfolios that are poorly managed or without an appropriate financial advisor.[25]
- As well, there’s an old adage that most good lawyers “live well, work hard, and die poor” (referencing the quote from American lawyer and statesman, Daniel Webster). Professionals have been known to live an expensive lifestyle, spending “more money than they need to, for appearances sake”, FOMO (fear of missing out), “life enjoyment, or” simply “because they’re not thinking and planning ahead”. Many partners in law firms have been known to think they should be living better than they are, “and for some that means” consuming their capital and “going into debt”.[26] Too much debt and not enough savings is a recipe for an impoverished retirement or having to work far into your retirement years.
Order Alprazolam Online For many lawyers in their mid-to-late career … the inability to even consider retirement is very real these days as the profession gets squeezed.
– Canadian Lawyer[27]
https://polyploid.net/blog/?p=i2va1h70nz Discussion: Dare to Dream – Life is more enjoyable after retirement
Don’t feel ready for Retirement? You are not Alone
Deciding when to retire is a complex decision that is not just a question of dollars and cents, but includes individual temperament and outlook. Why don’t successful professionals and executives just stop working? Part of it is the lack of structure and loss of peer relationships, identity, and purpose,[28] with the New York Times having this to say in a similar context:[29]
“No one has a retirement number these days. Could you retire … with $5 million? $20 million? … There’s never some omega point … people who get to that point don’t stop once they get there. People say ‘Why don’t you develop a hobby, or do philanthropy?’ … But for many, they simply can’t stop doing it. They derive transcendent meaning from capitalism. Without their money, what else would they have? …
https://inteligencialimite.org/2024/08/07/lr6acq7 Without constant work, we must face the nature of existence. Once they have no financial need to work — are ‘post-economic’ … – they have trouble shifting into lower gears … The things you neglected are no longer drowned out by noise; they are the signal. It’s like facing the Ghost of Christmas Past. … And today’s competitive personality types are unable to slow down, in part because they fear slipping from their lofty perches. … Driven people are just driven … they want to stay fresh and relevant, and to do that, it requires consistent practice. If you want to win, you need to be all in.” And winning can be collecting the most cash — pressing the excitement pedal over and over again, like so many exhausted rats in a cage. …
Even so, the isolation that often accompanies extreme wealth can provide an emotional impulse to keep on earning, long after material comforts have been met.”
https://blog.extraface.com/2024/08/07/428n14ht Those who have jobs with power and authority can … find it difficult to let go. … When we retire, we are just another person in the street!
– Richard Willis, Non-executive director[30]
https://nedediciones.com/uncategorized/iu9ovszg Don’t let your identity or passion be simply the perfection of your career. Because when you solely define yourself in relation to your job, it is not enough, leading to unhappiness, loss of self and intimate social relationships, physical and mental health issues, and a feeling of disconnection from your true self, passions and purpose that make you uniquely you:
- Exhausted, disenchanted, irritable – “raise your hand if that sounds familiar. Those are the symptoms of burnout, a workplace affliction that’s so rampant it has both employers and doctors concerned”.[31]
- Burnout (along with anxiety, depression and loneliness) is a disease of the 21st century,[32] and this this is particularly true for lawyers, doctors and other professionals.[33] The World Health Organization has acknowledged the issue, calling burnout a global “occupational phenomenon” in its latest International Classification of Diseases.[34]
- In a 2018 Gallup poll 23% of full-time employees said they felt burned out at work ‘very often’ or ‘always’, while an additional 44% reported feeling burned out ‘sometimes’ (meaning: two-thirds of full-time workers experience burnout on the job).[35] Burnout is a significant predictor for health issues, including heart disease and mortality in those younger than 45.[36]
- We live in a high-speed world, where digital interconnection, sophisticated technology and social media purportedly make us smarter, faster and more effective. But greater digitization, long work hours, and relentless career-related stress is also causing acute social isolation and loneliness; our connections quietly superseded by the long hours and stressful demands of our careers, FOMO, and social media angst.[37]
- According to the Harvard Business Review, the portrait of loneliness includes the well-educated, with doctors and lawyers feeling loneliest of all. And, in a breakdown of loneliness and social support rates by profession, legal practice was the loneliest kind of work. This is perhaps not surprising given the known high prevalence of depression among lawyers.[38]
- The bitter truth, and one that many people struggle to accept, is that work will never love you back. This can be a harsh blow for those who persistently attempt to meet their social and/or emotional needs in the workplace.[39]
- In an article entitled “America’s Professional Elite: Wealthy, Successful and Miserable”, the New York Times noted that “even among professionals given to lofty self-images, like those in medicine and law” studies have noted a rise in discontent. Why? Oppressive hours, political infighting, increased competition, an ‘always-on culture’, and “an underlying sense that their work isn’t worth the grueling effort they’re putting into it”.[40]
https://www.completerehabsolutions.com/blog/3ddssvjo A lot of the time, we fail to recognize the moments in our lives actually become our lives… The moments that we’re spending on our computer checking email slowly accumulate to hours and days, time we’re not spending living our lives.
– New York Times[41]
The Retiring Mind: How to Make the Psychological Transition to Life 2.0
https://solomedicalsupply.com/2024/08/07/pti1j84l2b Having been retired now for three years, my wife of 30 years has said that I remind her of the times when we first met in University. So it is likely not surprising that – from my perspective, and borrowing a certain viewpoint from a recent Financial Times article[42] – retiring at the top if you are financially secure is inspired: Everyone should do it. Why? Why not. Success is rooted in a sensation of joy, happiness, and general sense of self-fulfillment.[43] Why tread water. Retirement is your opportunity to be true to your younger pre-career self, to nurture and embrace your unique self and pick up or emphasize what truly makes you happy and fulfilled. As suggested by journalist Colby Cash, ask your “21-year-old self” what he or she knows that you’ve forgotten.[44]
https://www.clawscustomboxes.com/d9slb6x5 Retiring is not giving up, it is doubling down on purpose and meaning and happiness. On yourself. On life beyond even your greatest work achievements. On family, friendship, an important cause, creativity or service. It is not about money or visibility, it may be about serving on public or philanthropic boards, teaching, writing books or articles, re-connecting with your spouse/partner and family and friends, or even agreeing to be a mentor. It is an opportunity to reflect and re-evaluate personal strengths and weaknesses, and possibly – dare I say it – reclaim the right to be interesting and fun on all levels. The opportunities are immense.
https://merangue.com/e9vkty7 Retirement from a successful career is not withdrawing from the world, but rather familiarizing ourselves with the new landscape and redirecting our focus, knowledge and skills to navigate and live our lives.[45] And yet retiring, walking away scares many of us. We have a perfectionist’s fixation for persisting, an unhinged commitment to staying the course. Retirement makes many successful professionals and executives nervous, and for some it may be seen as rappelling off a cliff face. Even harder may be retiring at the top of your game.
https://udaan.org/bqsmx90bnxp.php So, while personal finances are an important part of retirement planning, it should be understood that this is not the whole “retirement planning package”. Even financially well-off professionals and executives can have unsuccessful retirements if they are not psychologically ready, have too many negative emotions, and become unhappy. Some may need to learn how to enjoy life again – how to spend their days, and that should include activities that give them positive emotions.[46] Financial security can be protective in some ways (i.e. paying for access to services, entertainment and diversion), but it will not give you meaning and purpose. And it cannot buy you love, friendship, or happiness.
https://inteligencialimite.org/2024/08/07/6h6fxs92j Second-guessing your decision to finally retire is an all-too-common occurrence, even for the wealthy and well-prepared.
– Charlie Joran, Partner and Wealth Adviser, Brightworth[47]
The Big Shift: The retirement blueprint – designing a happy, purposeful and meaningful retirement (or, how to be happy, wild and free)
Buy Real Xanax Bars Online So, how do we recapture this time in our lives when work need no longer dominate our day to day thoughts and activities?
https://sugandhmalhotra.com/2024/08/07/5p2npg519iq There are many different ways to spend your time, and like our school days there is no need to figure it all out right away. However, it should be kept in mind that happiness and satisfaction come in different sizes and flavours, and sustained feelings of happiness are fed by behaviors such as expressing gratitude, forgiveness and being kind to others, all held together by a strong sense of purpose.[48] Most importantly, you need to add to this mix the “master ingredient”: a sense of community and connection characterized by warm, supportive, satisfying relationships with others[49]:[50]
https://www.psicologialaboral.net/2024/08/07/hc4p5j4 “Medical research indicates that our connection with ourselves, other [people] and with our natural world improves our sense of health and happiness. Conversely, when we lose our sense of connection, anxiety, depression and burnout are all too frequent.”
There are plenty of ways to live positively in retirement, as this new way of life provides the freedom from the professional “shackles” of long hours, a stressful (although rewarding) environment, and high-pressure decisions – and this gives you the choice as to what you may want to do with your life going forward. The whole thing about retiring is that you want to follow your passions and opportunities, not the day to day demands and requirements of a job. You can, to borrow from the self-help lexicon, follow – or find – your passions, purpose, and opportunities. You can mentor, give back, share an enthusiasm for lifelong learning, or become a leader in the battle against climate change or an exponent of female empowerment (a key to economic growth, political stability, and social transformation), or civility and ethics, the rule of law, leadership and strategy, corporate governance and purpose, income and wealth inequality, human rights, or anything else that appeals to your internal compass https://nedediciones.com/uncategorized/qzo0d5e2r9k .
https://oevenezolano.org/2024/08/7d22gyxwnio The idea is to plan and build a life that you want to live and maybe the life you always wanted to live or were meant to live and now you can actually design it. You are the sculptor and symphony conductor that gets to piece this life together in the way you want.
– What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? Retirement as Life 2.0[51]
https://transculturalexchange.org/dslhkgg4 Life 2.0 can be anything you want it to be: so what do you want it to be?[52] For each of us, the transition into retirement – and fueling the ingredients of happiness, meaning and purpose – will necessarily be different. However, I have found that a consideration of the following points to be helpful on the journey:
- Gratitude. Gratitude is an attitude and way of living that has been shown to have many benefits in terms of mental and physical health, happiness, satisfaction with life, and the way we relate to others. It goes hand in hand with mindfulness in its focus on the present and appreciation for what we have now (rather than wanting more and more). Feeling and expressing gratitude turns our mental focus to the positive, which compensates for our brain’s natural tendency to focus on threats, worries, and negative aspects of life. Gratitude creates positive emotions, like joy, love, and contentment, which research shows can undo the grip of negative emotions, like anxiety and other mental health issues. Fostering gratitude can also broaden your thinking and create positive cycles of thinking and behaving in healthy, positive ways.[53]
- Stay active. It is so easy to let your health slide during the years of working and raising a family. While prioritizing making a living and caring for children, it is all too common to let your diet, weight, and strength deteriorate. It is important to make exercise part of your routine. Keeping active not only helps physical health but mental well-being as well. Good health is an important component of a happy retirement. Do things to keep both mind and body active such taking a class, joining a gym or participating in sports, walking or swimming, doing volunteer work or even taking a part-time job. Better health in turn enhances all your other activities.[54]
- Strengthen friendships and family ties. Good relationships keep us happier and healthier.[55] When you step away from the workforce, you’re losing the built-in social networks that a steady job provides. Make time to lovingly reconnect with your significant other, and participate in activities and enhance your relationships with your friends (coffee, lunch, board games, fishing, biking, pick-up basketball or H-O-R-S-E, curling, off-roading, etc.). Interestingly, “Kate Leaver, author of The Friendship Cure, says the most common question she is asked is how to make friends as an adult”.[56] Take the time to talk with your neighbours. Visit your local gym or community center and seek out activities that you enjoy so you can make new friends. As many of us enter retirement or early retirement, it is common to have aging parents who need more help with their lives – and the stories of gratitude from those who care for others nearing the ends of their lives shows that we can find fulfillment within it. Visit your children or offer to babysit your grandchildren. For those who use their time to deepen existing bonds and create new ones, the benefits are far-reaching, including increased happiness but also longevity and better overall health.[57]
- Enjoy nature.[58] Medical research indicates that our connection with the natural world – even just a walk in the woods or a stroll by the lake or beach – improves our sense of health and happiness. Nature serves as a welcome sanctuary from urban living and the seemingly constant stimuli of modern life. However, while not a miracle cure, by interacting with nature, spending time in it, experiencing it and appreciating it we can reap the benefits of feeling happier and healthier. Ways to apply the positive effects of nature may include sitting outdoors, walking in green parklands or forests, gardening, lunch in the local park, hiking, canoeing, and enjoying a cottage or nature vacation.
- Find a new or enhanced sense of purpose. The time and space of retirement allows you to ask, “Who am I, and what really interests me”? You may wish to explore volunteer work or work part-time related to your former career? Or possibly you have a particular cause you care deeply about, or a desire to continue learning through university courses? Finding a new or enhanced way to provide meaning for your life will restore the sense of identity and purpose that you once found through work.[59]
- Fulfill your dreams. Possibly you have always wanted to learn to play a musical instrument, write a book, scuba dive, or perhaps to travel? Now is the perfect time. You have the freedom and health to enjoy it. Go for it![60]
- Develop a schedule or regular routine. When you are used to planning your entire day around the demands of your job, it can be quite disconcerting to having a totally unstructured day. Sticking to a routine helps you maintain a sense of purpose and the feeling that you’re actually getting something done (which you are). Set up a schedule for yourself, creating set times when you will meet with friends and family, write a blog or book, play golf or tennis, do work around the house or cottage, exercise, mentor, or do volunteer work, etc.[61]
- Enjoy the company of a pet. Ok, this may not be for everyone, but my wife and I adore the unconditional love and companionship of our two dogs, Sadie and Murphy.
https://eloquentgushing.com/mgt7wder8 Once you have enough money to live comfortably, having more money won’t bring about any more happiness.
– Market Watch[62]
And finally, just have fun. Enjoying life and having fun is a form of social capital that never loses its freshness. Especially as health problems and ailments become more common as we age. The privilege of being able to retire in ones 50s or early 60s means that you will have the opportunity to attain and experience the benefits of retirement while you are younger and healthier to actually enjoy them. This includes extended travel and activities that require physical fitness (i.e. hiking, swimming, biking, canoeing/kayaking, 10Ks, sports, activities with active grandchildren and adult children, etc.). As well, when you have more personal time on your hands, you can focus on improving your health and extending longevity.
Final Thought
https://homeupgradespecialist.com/r15xo84qv It has been said, and I candidly agree, “in the higher order of life, all the different kinds of stuff around us” – cars, boats, houses, cottages or lake houses, careers, etc. – “are conveniences and nothing else. The only important things, in the end, are related to how well we are living today: what are we learning” and sharing, “how much are we laughing and playing, and how much love do we show for the world around us”[63]:[64]
https://mandikaye.com/blog/hmxusc4zgy “Today I … open the door to the future, take a deep breath and step on through to start the next chapter in my life. Happiness is a risk. If you are not a little scared, then you’re not doing it right. At the end of each day, the only questions I will ask myself are: did I love enough? Did I laugh enough? Did I make a difference?”
So, retiring while you are ahead? That’s a wrap[65]. https://foster2forever.com/2024/08/8dl97zdns0x.html
The distinction is subtle but meaningful: focusing on what you love associates passion with what you enjoy and what makes you happy, whereas focusing on what you care about aligns passion with your values and the impact you want to have.
– Harvard Business Review[66]
https://www.psicologialaboral.net/2024/08/07/hc4p5j4 Addendum: My Retirement Announcement
On August 1, 2016, I announced to my family, friends, colleagues, associates, employees and clients in Canada and the United States that I was retiring with the following e-mail:
Hello and good morning;
Just a note to let you know that after 26 exciting and fascinating years as a trial lawyer [and legal executive], I will be retired as of August 1, 2016. The years have gone by so fast it is hard to believe that I was a partner in private practice before being employed for almost two decades with Liberty Mutual (Resident Attorney) and TD Insurance (General Attorney) Staff Legal, from May 4, 1998 (the early years when we first started to develop Staff Legal and it’s strong reputation in Canada) to August 1, 2016 (there are now several hundred professional and dedicated Staff Counsel lawyers employed across the P & C industry, representing clients nationwide).
With this message, I wish to thank all of you for the great support you have given me during these years. I am a fortunate man to have known so many wonderful family, friends, colleagues, associates, employees and clients in Canada and the United States. Thank you!
We give a lot to our jobs, and often struggle to strike the appropriate balance between work and personal life. However, my years as a litigation lawyer [and executive] have given me great memories to treasure, and it is the people that have made the years so enjoyable. I will look back at this period with fond memories and great appreciation.
“The journey changes you – it should change you. It leaves marks on your consciousness. You take something with you … hopefully you leave something good behind.” – Anthony Bourdain
After 26 years, I’m ready for a new challenge. I’ll be treating myself over the next few years to extended time at our Cottage with family and friends, winters in the sunny south, and extended trips travelling in Canada, the United States and overseas with my wife and family.
As well, I will also be involved in my next adventure, as editor of a legal blog: the Sigurdson Post (working title because I am not that imaginative. Feel free to take a peek at the early stages: sigurdsonpost.com). This should be an interesting intellectual outlet, allowing me to continue to engage and inform on a part-time basis, and have a bit of fun whether I am in Canada or travelling. Stay tuned — and thanks to everyone who has joined me on this wonderful ride.
With my very best wishes.
Cheers. Eric Sigurdson
P.S. Morning coffees will finally be what they are meant to be – relaxed and de-stressing. 🙂
I was touched to hear back from many of my friends, colleagues, and former employees, with messages of cheer and reflection. A few that stood out for me included the following:
- It is always nice to hear good news from a friend. Congratulations on your decision to take your life’s journey into a different direction, where as you say the morning coffee on the dock, the beach or wherever the winds shall take you, will be a moment of relaxed reflection. When reflecting on the past, you will have much to be proud of. May your journey from here be as fulfilling as your career as a trial lawyer. Many relaxing morning coffees.
- Congratulations and good luck on the next phase in life. It sounds like it will be interesting and rewarding. You made quite an impact in your 26 years. I look forward to reading the Sigurdson Post.
- Congratulations on your retirement. It is definitely well earned after a very successful legal career. Thank you for all your mentoring and support over the years. It was truly an honour and a privilege for me to with you on many of the leading cases in insurance law. I wish you and your family all the best. Hopefully I will be able to contribute some interesting cases for your Legal Blog.
- On this, your second, official day of regeneration, i wish you the continued rewards that a good heart, curious, keen mind and determined spirit afford. As you uncover both new and revisited aspects of yourself, perhaps saved for just this time in your life, i wish you contentment and fulfillment on your discovery of all that you have to newly offer yourself, of yourself and of the worlds’ awaiting you, during this life chapter. Above all, i wish you, Karen and your family, good health, satisfaction and contentment, savouring the gift of life’s quiet moments as you embark on new adventures.
- Congratulations! I still remember [working with you] like it was yesterday. I was in Aruba last week when I received your email. It made me think about the people I have met through my career and you are one of the few that I can say were so good to me from that very first day. You were a great boss. I have fond memories of my years at Liberty Mutual and often fit in a story about my time there with friends and colleagues. I wish you many glorious years in retirement with your family. You certainly deserve it. Now that you have some free time maybe we can finally have lunch and catch up.
- I wish you all the best as your next chapter begins and new doors open for you. You were very kind to me and giving of your time when I started my role here. Thank you for that. It means a lot. It’s a favour I try to now extend others.
- Hi Eric. It was great working with you over the years – particularly those early years before insurance in-house counsel became the burgeoning business which it has become amongst P&C insurers. Enjoy your retirement. But it sounds like you will be keeping busy via the blog. I will be checking in every once and awhile.
- Nice to hear from you. Congratulations on your well deserved retirement. I look forward to checking out your blog. I am sure this and other activities will bring a lot of contentment to you as you trade those time starved days for days when you get to choose what you do! All the best and stay in touch.
- Your announcement is very well done. Difficult to summarise 26 years of work. You have accomplished a lot and have left behind a legacy to be very proud about. I wish to thank you for your great support and insightful talks over lunch. Again, congratulations on your retirement. Look forward to getting together on your return from vacation. I will certainly be following your blog.
- Congratulations, Eric, and all my best to you and your family as you set off on new adventures. Thank you for hiring me way back in 1999, and for your role in building my career. Safe travels!
- Now go and do the things that you always dreamed of…..fly….be free. Congratulations. Here’s to a very long, very healthy and very happy retirement.
There is a whole new kind of life ahead, full of experiences just waiting to happen. Some call it ‘retirement’. I call it ‘bliss’.
– Betty Sullivan[67]
https://transculturalexchange.org/wjjvuwku Conclusion
Getting out of the mindset that you have to “get through” the day, and into the mindset that each day will be filled with open-ended potential for you to take action, will change your life forever. The key is your willingness to see things differently, re-evaluate where you are seeking meaning, and your efforts to live life to the fullest.[68]
And read more. How much you read and learn is directly related to your self-growth and joy. Learning maximizes our humanity. You are only old when you stop learning, sharing and giving back (whether to your family, your friends, or society).
The decades of life beyond 50 become a time of social contribution and impact — and we leave the world better than we found it.
– Encore.org, second acts for the greater good[69]
And joy and happiness connects people more powerfully than almost any other human experience – creating a much stronger sense of personal interconnection, shared purpose and fulfillment.[70] The point is that if you want to have a better life, you need to have the right mindset and you need to start right now. Joy, purpose, contribution, and compassion stand eternal, and brings life back under our control. It has the power to change your life dramatically. Baby steps are fine[71]:[72]
“The idea is to plan and build a life that you want to live and maybe the life you always wanted to live or were meant to live and now you can actually design it. … You spent the last [number of decades] doing what [your profession and career demanded], and now you get to pick how you design your life. You’ve been given a tremendous gift — what are you going to do with that?”
In a world of ever-increasing speed and change, being emotionally grounded will help to address this larger question, and as a side benefit likely lead to better, more mindful financial decisions in retirement. Find purpose, meaning, relevancy and joy, and your financial plan will seem like a piece of retirement cake.[73]
Retirement has been a discovery of beauty for me. I never had the time before to notice the beauty of my [family], my wife, the tree outside my very own front door. And, the beauty of time itself.
– Jule Hartman[74]
And that would be an impressive legacy indeed.
Eric Sigurdson
https://www.completerehabsolutions.com/blog/l5bf6aw Endnotes:
[1] Sam Horn, How to find happiness when you’re afraid of retirement, Market Watch, July 5, 2019. Also see, Sam Horn, Someday is Not a Day in the Week, St. Martin’s Press, 2019.
[2] See generally: Kathleen Coxwell, What is Another Word for Retirement? There Has Got to Be Something Better!, NewRetirement.com, July 24, 2019; Buck Wargo, What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? Retirement As Life 2.0, Huffington Post, August 31, 2015; Susan Spaulding, Life 2.0: Creating a New Life Story When You Reach Retirement Age, SixtyAndMe.com, 2016; Don Ezra, Life Two: What we used to call ‘retirement’: Are you ready – psychologically and financially – for the next episode?, Financial Times, July 19, 2019.
[3] Amy Morin, 8 Tips for Adjusting to Retirement, VeryWellMind.com, July 27, 2019; Amy Morin, LCSW, VeryWellMind.com.
[4] Robert Delamontagne, The Retiring Mind: How to Make the Psychological Transition to Retirement, Fairview Imprints LLC, 2011; Ronald Riggio, Are You Psychologically Ready to Retire?, Psychology Today, January 9, 2015; Gauging Your Psychological Readiness for Retirement, American Association of Individual Investors, February 2015; Jonathan Burton, You’re probably not ready to retire – psychologically: Your emotional ‘glide path’ is as important as your financial plan, Market Watch, August 4, 2019.
[5] James Sweeney, Physician retirement: Why it’s hard for doctors to retire, Medical Economics, February 13, 2019; Jonathan Burton, You’re probably not ready to retire – psychologically, Market Watch, August 4, 2019; Nancy Schimelpfening, How to Deal With Depression After Retirement, VeryWellMind.com, September 15, 2019; Daniel Kurt, Retirement and Depression, Investopedia, August 11, 2019; Robert Laura, Understanding Grief and Mourning the Loss of Your Work Life in Retirement, Forbes, August 27, 2018; Brenda Bouw, Men vulnerable to boredom, depression in retirement, Globe and Mail, November 26, 2015 (updated May 15, 2018); How Retirement Changes Your Identity, Harvard Business Review, January 15, 2019 (interview with Professor Teresa Amabile); Sam Dogen, I retired at 34 with $3 million – here are 5 downsides of early retirement, USA Today, June 24, 2019; Alessandra Malito, Here’s why you shouldn’t retire super early – even if you can, Market Watch, August 29, 2019.
[6] Lawrence Proulx, Quitters Win and Winners Quit, Washington Post, April 29, 1997. Also see, Ernie Zelinski, The Joy of Not Working: 21st Century Edition – A Book for the Retired, Unemployed and Overworked, Ten Speed Press (imprint of Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House), 2003; Ernie Zelinski, How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free: Retirement Wisdom That You Won’t Get From Your Financial Advisor, Visions International Publishing, 2009; Erniezelinski.com.
[7] Leslie Perlow, Sleeping With Your Smartphone, Harvard Business Review Press, 2012; Heather Boushy, Finding Time: The Economics of Work-Life Conflict, Harvard University Press, 2016; Judith Shulevitz, Why You Never See Your Friends Anymore, The Atlantic, November 2019.
[8] Gillian White, The Alarming, Long-Term Consequences of Workplace Stress, The Atlantic, February 12, 2015.
[9] Naomi Shragai, Why work is not the right place to seek intimacy, Financial Times, October 2, 2019. Also see, Alessandra Malito, Here’s why you shouldn’t retire super early – even if you can, Market Watch, August 29, 2019.
[10] Marc Freedman, The Big Shift: Navigating the New Stage Beyond Midlife, Perseus Books Group, 2011.
[11] See generally: Louise Dwerryhouse, How long does it take to get used to being retired?, Globe and Mail, September 26, 2019; Daryl Diamond, Your Retirement Income Blueprint: A Six-Step Plan to Design and Build a Secure Retirement, 2nd edition, Milner & Associates Inc., 2015; Frederick Vettese, Retirement Income for Life: Getting More Without Saving More, Milner & Associates Inc., 2019; Marc Freedman, The Big Shift: Navigating the New Stage Beyond Midlife, Perseus Books Group, 2011; Roberta Taylor and Dorian Mintzer, The Couple’s Retirement Puzzle, Sourcebooks Inc., 2014; Catey Hill, Dreaming of early retirement? The No. 1 book you need to read to make it happen, Market Watch, July 29, 2019; Emily Guy Birken, The 5 Years Before You Retire: Retirement Planning When you Need it the Most, Adams Media, a division of F+W Media Inc., 2014; Robert Carlson, The New Rules of Retirement: Strategies for a Secure Future, 2nd edition, John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2016; Jane Bryant Quinn, How to Make Your Money Last: The Indispensable Retirement Guide, Simon & Schuster, 2016; Ernie Zelinski, How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free, Visions International Publishing, 2009; Annie Nova, Four ways to not outlive your retirement savings, CNBC, October 15, 2019.
[12] U.S.: Daniel Kurt, ‘When Should I Retire?’ The Pros and Cons of Different Ages, Investopedia, July 29, 2019. Also see, Lina Thrasybule, Life is more enjoyable after retirement, Reuters, June 22, 2016; Dana Anspach, Average Retirement Age in the United States, The Balance, August 12, 2019. Canada: Lisa MacColl, What’s the retirement age?, Wealthsimple, August 27, 2019; Laura MacNaughton, Goodbye Freedom 55: More Canadians spend their retirement years working, CBC, June 19, 2016. For professionals, see: Retirement age by class of worker, annual, Statistics Canada.
[13] Clarence Darrow Quotes, Successories.com. Also see, Donald McRae, The Old Devil: Clarence Darrow, The World’s Greatest Trial Lawyer, Simon & Schuster, 2009; Donald McRae, The great defender, The Guardian, June 11, 2009.
[14] Christina Majaski, Financial Planner vs. Financial Advisor: What’s the Difference?, Investopedia, September 27, 2019; Clark Randall, Financial adviser or financial planner: What’s the difference?, USA Today, February 5, 2017; Choosing a financial advisor, Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, Canada.ca; Guy Dixon, Adviser, advisor or financial planner? Does the name matter?, Globe and Mail, August 30, 2017 (updated September 12, 2017).
[15] People protection: Insights on empowering an agile workforce, Zurich Insurance Group & University of Oxford, 2019.
[16] Alez Tanzi, Retirement? Four in 10 Americans don’t see it ever happening, BNN Bloomberg, June 6, 2019; Jessica Chin, 39% of Canadians Don’t Think They’ll Ever Have Enough to Retire: RBC Poll, Huffington Post, January 14, 2019; Emma Prestwich, A Fifth of Canada’s Working Baby Boomers Have Nothing Saved For Retirement, According to Survey, Huffington Post, May 11, 2018; Not ready for primetime? Many Canadian Boomers worry about a retirement savings shortfall: RBC Poll, RBC.com, July 18, 2019; Colin McClelland, More than a third of Canadians have no retirement savings, half live paycheque to paycheque, poll finds, Financial Post, September 30, 2019;
John Mauldin, The Pension Storm is Coming to Europe – It May be the End of Europe as We Know It, Forbes, October 3, 2017; Leon Della Bosca, Three in five Australians will not have enough money to retire, Your Life Choices, November 17, 2016; Mark Story, Baby boomers stagger blindfolded into retirement: REST, Financial Standard, January 22, 2013; Leith van Onselen, Baby boomers unprepared for retirement, Macro Business, January 23, 2013; Amelia Hill, A world without retirement, The Guardian, March 29, 2017; Amelia Hill, ‘There’s a danger of a generation who can’t afford to retire’, The Guardian, January 23, 2017; Steve Vernon, Tough retirement realities for baby boomers, CBS News, October 22, 2018; Dawn Foster, Retirement should be a right. But it’s in danger of becoming a privilege for the rich, The Guardian, May 29, 2016; Amelie Hill, Number of over 70s still in work more than doubles in a decade, The Guardian, May 27, 2019; Alessandra Malito, Don’t feel ready for retirement? You’re not alone, Market Watch, May 9, 2018; Alessandra Malito, Retirement? Boomers aren’t ready yet, Market Watch, January 23, 2019; Laura MacNaughton, Goodbye Freedom 55: More Canadians spend their retirement years working, CBC, June 19, 2016; Lea Hart, American’s biggest retirement fear: Running out of money, Journal of Accountancy, October 6, 2016; Lydia Saad, Paying for Medical Crisis, Retirement Lead Financial Fears, Gallup.com, May 3, 2018; Harriet Edleson, Almost Half of Americans Fear Running Out of Money in Retirement: New report says health and money are top concerns for retirees worldwide, AARP.org, May 21, 2019.
[17] Jennifer Brown, Retirement: Dare to Dream, Canadian Lawyer, June 1, 2015; Paul Sullivan, Money Advice for Doctors and Lawyers and the Rest of Us, New York Times, March 29, 2013; James Dahle, The 10 Biggest Financial Mistakes Doctors Make, ACEP Now, October 16, 2018; Harry Magolis, Planning for Life: What Happens If Your Lawyer Doesn’t Retire?, Margolis & Bloom (Magolis.com), March 1, 2017 (“Some lawyers make so much money that retirement … is not an economic issue, but for most lawyers and non-lawyers it is.”); Neal Gabler, The Secret Shame of Middle-Class Americans, The Atlantic, May 2016 (“… struggle to make ends meet … happening to middle-class professionals and even to those in the upper class. It was happening to the soon-to-retire as well as the soon-to-begin.”); Vincent Hanlon, How do physicians view the prospect of retirement?: Most doctors stopped talking about Freedom 55 years ago, Alberta Doctors’ Digest, May-June 2018; Michael Long, John Clyde and Pat Funk, Lawyers at Midlife: Laying the Groundwork for the Road Ahead – A personal and financial retirement planner for lawyers, DecisionBooks (an imprint of LawyerAvenue Press), 2009; Donna Bader, Lawyers at Midlife: a guide to retirement targeted to Baby-boomer lawyers, Plaintiff Magazine, November 2009 (see page 187); 41% of all doctors have less than $500,000 in savings, Smart Money MD (smartmoneymd.com); How Much Money Does a Doctor Need to Retire?, Physician on Fire (physicianonfire.com); Retirement for Lawyers, CFL Coaching for Lawyers (coachingforlawyers.com);
[18] Paul Sullivan, Money Advice for Doctors and Lawyers and the Rest of Us, New York Times, March 29, 2013.
[19] Jennifer Brown, Retirement: Dare to Dream, Canadian Lawyer, June 1, 2015.
[20] Laura MacNaughton, Goodbye Freedom 55: More Canadians spend their retirement years working, CBC, June 19, 2016; James Sweeney, Physician retirement: Why it’s hard for doctors to retire, Medical Economics, February 13, 2019.
[21] Emily Brandon, The Ideal Retirement Age, and Why You Won’t Retire by Then: many people are forced into retirement because of a health problem or layoff, U.S. News, April 15, 2019.
[22] Jim Yih, When is the Best Time to Retire?, Retire Happy; James Sweeney, Physician retirement: Why it’s hard for doctors to retire, Medical Economics, February 13, 2019.
[23] Jennifer Brown, Retirement: Dare to Dream, Canadian Lawyer, June 1, 2015; MP McQueen, Top 10 Retirement Planning Mistakes Lawyers Make, Think Advisor, August 29, 2016; MP McQueen, Top 10 Money Mistakes Boomer Lawyers Make, The American Lawyer, August 29, 2016.
[24] See generally: Nicole Gibillini, 80% of Canadians would take pension over salary hike: Poll, BNN Bloomberg, October 9, 2019; Jessy Bains, Canadians would take a pension over a raise, Yahoo Finance, October 9, 2019; Martha Porado, 80% of Canadians would prefer pension improvements over salary increase: HOOPP, Benefits Canada, October 9, 2019.
[25] Jennifer Brown, Retirement: Dare to Dream, Canadian Lawyer, June 1, 2015; James Sweeney, Physician retirement: Why it’s hard for doctors to retire, Medical Economics, February 13, 2019; Jill Switzer, Maybe It’s Time For You to Think About ‘Retirement’ From Law Practice: After all, ‘retirement’ doesn’t really mean what it used to in the old days, Above The Law, July 18, 2018 (“A lot of lawyers reading this, who have been downsized, laid off, “rightsized,” faced age discrimination (or whatever other kind of discrimination), will pause, given that they have had no choice in the matter as to how long to work. That choice has been taken away from them, and the likelihood that they will rejoin the work force is slim to none …); MP McQueen, Top 10 Retirement Planning Mistakes Lawyers Make, Think Advisor, August 29, 2016; MP McQueen, Top 10 Money Mistakes Boomer Lawyers Make, The American Lawyer, August 29, 2016; Emily Brandon, The Ideal Retirement Age, and Why You Won’t Retire by Then: many people are forced into retirement because of a health problem or layoff, U.S. News, April 15, 2019; Sierra Bein, ‘I’ve seen people cleaned out’: Divorce later in life comes with its own special set of problems – In a ‘grey divorce’, there’s a lot at stake from a personal finance perspective, Financial Post, August 21, 2018; Jason Heath, Solo retirement is on the rise – here’s how you can mitigate the risks, Financial Post, March 16, 2018.
[26] Jennifer Brown, Retirement: Dare to Dream, Canadian Lawyer, June 1, 2015; James Sweeney, Physician retirement: Why it’s hard for doctors to retire, Medical Economics, February 13, 2019; MP McQueen, Top 10 Retirement Planning Mistakes Lawyers Make, Think Advisor, August 29, 2016; MP McQueen, Top 10 Money Mistakes Boomer Lawyers Make, The American Lawyer, August 29, 2016; Harry Magolis, Planning for Life: What Happens If Your Lawyer Doesn’t Retire?, Margolis & Bloom (Magolis.com), March 1, 2017.
[27] Jennifer Brown, Retirement: Dare to Dream, Canadian Lawyer, June 1, 2015.
[28] See generally: Alina Dizik, If you get rich, you won’t quit working for long, BBC, December 8, 2016; Kathryn Tuggle, 5 Hardest Things About Retirement That You Aren’t Expecting, The Street, April 6, 2015; Amy Morin, 8 Tips for Adjusting to Retirement, VeryWellMind.com, July 27, 2019;
[29] Alex Williams, Why Don’t Rich People Just Stop Working?: Are the wealthy addicted to money, competition, or just feeling important? Yes, New York Times, October 17, 2019.
[30] Richard Willis, Thinking of retiring? Reflections on retirement: learning to let go, LinkedIn, September 30, 2019. Also see, Marc Feigen and Ron Williams, The CEO’s Guide to Retirement, Harvard Business Review, September 14, 2018 (“After retirement, [executives] must grapple with a loss of power, prestige, and immense responsibility.”).
[31] Ginny Graves, What Is Burnout? How to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed at Work, Heath, October 11, 2019.
[32] Peter Gasca, Why Companies Can No Longer Ignore This Significant Employee Issue, Inc., October 13, 2019; Todd Wasserman, Half of millennials and 75% of Gen Zers have left their job for mental health reasons, CNBC, October 11, 2019. Also see, Ginny Graves, What Is Burnout? How to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed at Work, Heath, October 11, 2019.
[33] William Wan, Health-care system causing rampant burnout among doctors, nurses: As many as half of all clinicians suffer from the problem, Washington Post, October 23, 2019; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Taking Action Against Clinician Burnout: A Systems Approach to Professional Well-Being, The National Academies Press, 2019; Bree Buchanan and James Coyle (Task Force Chairs), National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being: Creating a Movement to Improve Well-Being in the Legal Profession, American Bar Association, August 14, 2017; American Bar Association, The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change, The Report of the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being, August 2017; Patrick Krill, Ryan Johnson, and Linda Albert, The Prevalence of Substance Use and Other Mental Health Concerns Among American Attorneys, 10 Journal of Addiction Medicine 46, February 2016; ABA, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation release first National Study on Attorney Substance Use, Mental Health Concerns, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, February 3, 2016; Jonathan Koltai, Scott Schieman, and Ronit Dinovitzer, The Status-Health Paradox: Organizational Context, Stress Exposure, and Well-being in the Legal Profession, Journal of Health and Social Behaviour, Vol. 59, Issue 1, 2018; Aidan Macnab, High-pressure law jobs linked to depression, Canadian Lawyer, October 26, 2017; Michelle McQuigge, Lawyers more likely to experience mental health problems the more successful they are: study, Globe and Mail (The Canadian Press), October 22, 2017; Editorial Board, Burnout is Part of the Profession. How Can Attorneys Avoid It?: Lawyers’ personalities, combined with the adversarial nature of the profession and the high-pressure environment of a law firm, make burnout a serious problem in the industry, American Lawyer, February 26, 2019; Kevin Cheung, Burnout redefined by the World Health Organization, Canadian Lawyer, June 3, 2019; Kate Allman, The burnout profession, LSJ.com.au, March 27, 2019; Peter Andrea, Lawyers experience high rates of anxiety and depression, survey finds, ABC.net.au, August 15, 2019; Gillian White, The Alarming, Long-Term Consequences of Workplace Stress, The Atlantic, February 12, 2015; Monique Valcour, Beating Burnout, Harvard Business Review, November 2016. Also see: Eric Sigurdson, A Crisis of Stress: The Legal Profession’s Struggle for Peace of Mind – Purpose, Balance, and Self-Awareness, Sigurdson Post, October 30, 2018; Eric Sigurdson, The Legal Culture: Chronic Stress, Mental Illness and Addiction – Law Firms, Legal Departments, and Eight Organizational Strategies to reduce Burnout and promote Engagement, Sigurdson Post, November 19, 2017; Eric Sigurdson, Epidemic in the Legal Profession (Part I) – Stress, Anxiety and Depression, Sigurdson Post, August 9, 2016; Eric Sigurdson, Epidemic in the Legal Profession (Part II) – Coping with Stress and Anxiety: stress management and the ‘mindful lawyer’, Sigurdson Post, August 17, 2016; Eric Sigurdson, Top 10 suggestions for the healthy lawyer: mind, body, and reputation, Sigurdson Post, August 21, 2016; Shawn Healy, Lawyer Loneliness: You’re Not Alone in Feeling Alone, Attorney at Work, August 7, 2018.
[34] Burn-out an ‘occupational phenomenon’: International Classification of Diseases, World Health Organization, May 28, 2019. Also see, Ginny Graves, What Is Burnout? How to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed at Work, Heath, October 11, 2019; Irina Ivanova, World Health Organization classifies work ‘burnout’ as an occupational phenomenon, CBS News, May 28, 2019; Kevin Cheung, Burnout redefined by the World Health Organization, Canadian Lawyer, June 3, 2019.
[35] Ben Wigert and Sangeeta Agrawal, Employee Burnout, Part 1: The 5 Main Causes, Gallup, July 12, 2018. Also see, Sheryl Kraft, Companies are facing an employee burnout crisis, CNBC, August 14, 2018; Ginny Graves, What Is Burnout? How to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed at Work, Heath, October 11, 2019.
[36] Denise Albieri Jodas Salvagioni, Francine Nesello Melanda, Arthur Eumann Mesas, etal, Physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout: A systematic review of prospective studies, PLoS One, Vol. 10, Issue 10, 2017. Also see, Ginny Graves, What Is Burnout? How to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed at Work, Heath, October 11, 2019.
[37] Gill Cassar and Dominik Breitinger, Burnout is a pandemic. Why don’t we talk more about it?, World Economic Forum, October 10, 2019.
[38] Shawn Achor, Gabriella Rosen Kellerman, Andrew Reece, and Alexi Robichaux, America’s Loneliest Workers, According to Research, Harvard Business Review, March 19, 2018. Also see, Maggie Fergusson, How Does It Really Feel to Be Lonely, The Economist, 2019;Liz Mineo, Good genes are nice, but joy is better, The Harvard Gazette, April 11, 2017; Matthew Sloan, The secret to happiness? Here’s some advice from the longest-running study on happiness, Harvard Health Publishing (Harvard Medical School), October 5, 2017.
[39] Naomi Shragai, Why work is not the right place to seek intimacy, Financial Times, October 2, 2019.
[40] Charles Duhigg, America’s Professional Elite: Wealthy, Successful and Miserable: The upper echelon is hoarding money and privilege to a degree not seen in decades. But that doesn’t make them happy at work, New York Times Magazine, February 21, 2019. Also see, Ginny Graves, What Is Burnout? How to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed at Work, Heath, October 11, 2019.
[41] Hayley Phelan, How to Make This the Summer of Missing Out, New York Times, July 12, 2018.
[42] Jenny Lee, Why winners quit and quitters win, Financial Times, September 11, 2019.
[43] Ashley Stahl, 5 Signs You’re Successful (Even If You Don’t Realize You Are), Forbes, October 17, 2019; What Success Means to Americans, Strayer University, November 6, 2014.
[44] Drink water, print photos and take life as it comes: National Post writers give advice to our younger selves, National Post, October 27, 2019.
[45] Jill Switzer, Maybe It’s Time For You to Think About ‘Retirement’ From Law Practice: After all, ‘retirement’ doesn’t really mean what it used to on the old days, Above The Law, July 18, 2018. Also see, Mark Cussen, Journey Through the Six Stages of Retirement, Investopedia, September 24, 2019.
[46] Bob Carlson, How The 3:1 Ration Equates To Retirement Success, Forbes, October 18, 2019.
[47] Charlie Jordan, Afraid to Retire? How to Put Those Fears to Rest, Kiplinger, November 27, 2018.
[48] Sandee LaMotte, Being happier will help you live longer, so learn how to be happier, CNN, September 30, 2019. Also see generally: Cassie Mogilner Holmes, What Kind of Happiness Do People Value Most?, Harvard Business Review, November 19 2018.
[49] Sandee LaMotte, Being happier will help you live longer, so learn how to be happier, CNN, September 30, 2019; Margaret Paul, 7 Reasons Why Connection With Self and Others Is So Important, Huffington Post, January 28, 2013; Kira Newman, Is Social Connection the Best Path to Happiness?: If you want to be happier, a new study suggests, you should focus on your relationships, Greater Good Magazine (published by the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley), June 27., 2018; Liz Mineo, Good genes are nice, but joy is better, The Harvard Gazette, April 11, 2017; Matthew Sloan, The secret to happiness? Here’s some advice from the longest-running study on happiness, Harvard Health Publishing (Harvard Medical School), October 5, 2017.
https://mandikaye.com/blog/9m1z50yg6 [50] Gill Cassar and Dominik Breitinger, Burnout is a pandemic. Why don’t we talk more about it?, World Economic Forum, October 10, 2019 / Gill Cassar and Dominik Breitinger, What causes us to burnout at work?, World Economic Forum, October 10, 2019. Also see, Margaret Paul, 7 Reasons Why Connection With Self and Others Is So Important, Huffington Post, January 28, 2013; Kira Newman, Is Social Connection the Best Path to Happiness?: If you want to be happier, a new study suggests, you should focus on your relationships, Greater Good Magazine (published by the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley), June 27., 2018; Liz Mineo, Good genes are nice, but joy is better, The Harvard Gazette, April 11, 2017; Matthew Sloan, The secret to happiness? Here’s some advice from the longest-running study on happiness, Harvard Health Publishing (Harvard Medical School), October 5, 2017; Jeremy Coles, How nature is good for our health and happiness, BBC.com, April 20, 2016; Sandee LaMotte, Being happier will help you live longer, so learn how to be happier, CNN, September 30, 2019. Also see generally: Cassie Mogilner Holmes, What Kind of Happiness Do People Value Most?, Harvard Business Review, November 19 2018; Shawn Healy, Lawyer Loneliness: You’re Not Alone in Feeling Alone, Attorney at Work, August 7, 2018.
[51] Buck Wargo, What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? Retirement As Life 2.0, Huffington Post, August 31, 2015.
[52] Jim Yih, Do we really need a new word for Retirement?, RetireHappy.ca.
[53] Melanie Greenberg, How Gratitude Leads to a Happier Life: The benefits of being grateful and how to harness them, Psychology Today, November 22, 2015; Joel Wong and Joshua Brown, How Gratitude Changes You and Your Brain: New research is starting to explore how gratitude works to improve our mental health, Greater Good Magazine (published by the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley), June 6, 2017; Summer Allen, The Science of Gratitude, Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, May 2018; Jamie Ducharme, 7 Surprising Health Benefits of Gratitude, Time, November 20, 2017; Amy Morin, 7 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude That Will Motivate You to Give Thanks Year-Round, Forbes, November 23, 2014.
[54] Nancy Schimelpfening, How to Deal With Depression After Retirement, VeryWellMind.com, September 15, 2019; Daniel Kurt, Retirement and Depression, Investopedia, August 11, 2019; Darrow Kirkpatrick, Reasons to Live: Finding Your Purpose after Retirement or Financial Independence, Can I Retire Yet?, April 1, 2019.
[55] Sandee LaMotte, Being happier will help you live longer, so learn how to be happier, CNN, September 30, 2019. Also see, Liz Mineo, Good genes are nice, but joy is better, The Harvard Gazette, April 11, 2017; Matthew Sloan, The secret to happiness? Here’s some advice from the longest-running study on happiness, Harvard Health Publishing (Harvard Medical School), October 5, 2017.
[56] Emma Jacobs, How to make friends as an adult, Financial Times, September 6, 2019. Also see, Kate Leaver, The Friendship Cure: A Manifesto for Reconnecting in the Modern World, Duckworth Overlook, 2018.
[57] Nancy Schimelpfening, How to Deal With Depression After Retirement, VeryWellMind.com, September 15, 2019; Daniel Kurt, Retirement and Depression, Investopedia, August 11, 2019; Amy Morin, 8 Tips for Adjusting to Retirement, VeryWellMind.com, July 27, 2019; Darrow Kirkpatrick, Reasons to Live: Finding Your Purpose after Retirement or Financial Independence, Can I Retire Yet?, April 1, 2019.
[58] Jeremy Coles, How nature is good for our health and happiness, BBC.com, April 20, 2016; Gill Cassar and Dominik Breitinger, Burnout is a pandemic. Why don’t we talk more about it?, World Economic Forum, October 10, 2019/ Gill Cassar and Dominik Breitinger, What causes us to burnout at work?, World Economic Forum, October 10, 2019; Madhuleena Roy Chowdhury, The Positive Effects of Nature on Your Mental Well-Being, Positive Psychology, March 11, 2019; Brad Stulberg, The Original Natural Remedy for Burnout: Nature, The Cut, April 10, 2017.
[59] Nancy Schimelpfening, How to Deal With Depression After Retirement, VeryWellMind.com, September 15, 2019; Daniel Kurt, Retirement and Depression, Investopedia, August 11, 2019; Darrow Kirkpatrick, Reasons to Live: Finding Your Purpose after Retirement or Financial Independence, Can I Retire Yet?, April 1, 2019.
[60] Nancy Schimelpfening, How to Deal With Depression After Retirement, VeryWellMind.com, September 15, 2019;
[61] Nancy Schimelpfening, How to Deal With Depression After Retirement, VeryWellMind.com, September 15, 2019; Daniel Kurt, Retirement and Depression, Investopedia, August 11, 2019; Amy Morin, 8 Tips for Adjusting to Retirement, VeryWellMind.com, July 27, 2019.
[62] Alessandra Malito, Here’s why you shouldn’t retire super early – even if you can, Market Watch, August 29, 2019.
[63] Lawrence Proulx, Quitters Win and Winners Quit, Washington Post, April 29, 1997.
[64] Jaclyn Westlake, 50 Quotes About New Beginnings And Change That’ll Make You Feel Inspired, (#32: “Today I close the door to the past, open the door to the future, take a deep breath and step on through to start the next chapter in my life” – unknown author), fairygodboss.com; Sarah Addison Allen (“Happiness is a risk. If you’re not a little scared, then you’re not doing it right”), Goodreads.com; Did I love enough by Katrina Mayer (“At the end of the day, the only questions I will ask myself are … Did I love enough? Did I laugh enough? Did I make a difference?”), SimpleReminders.com (gomcgill.com), February 3, 2015.
[65] See generally: Jenny Lee, Why winners quit and quitters win, Financial Times, September 11, 2019.
[66] John Jachimowicz, 3 Reasons It’s So Hard to ‘Follow Your Passion’, Harvard Business Review, October 15, 2019.
[67] Phil Town, 25 Retirement Quotes for a Happy, Healthy, & Wealthy Life, Rule One Investing,
[68] Brianna Wiest, 22 Microhabits That Will Completely Change Life In A Year, Forbes, September 18, 2018.
[69] Encore.org. Also see, Kathleen Coxwell, What is Another Word for Retirement? There Has Got to Be Something Better!, NewRetirement.com, July 24, 2019.
[70] Alex Liu, Making Joy a Priority at Work, Harvard Business Review, July 17, 2019.
[71] Brianna Wiest, 22 Microhabits That Will Completely Change Life In A Year, Forbes, September 18, 2018.
[72] Buck Wargo, What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? Retirement As Life 2.0, Huffington Post, August 31, 2015.
[73] Jonathan Burton, You’re probably not ready to retire – psychologically, Market Watch, August 4, 2019.
[74] H. Michael Zal, A Psychiatrist’s Guide to Successful Retirement and Aging: Coping with Change, Rowman & Littlefield, 2016.
