When asked what they will do in retirement, most people will answer with one of the following:

“Get all the pictures in the albums.” “Take a trip.” “Brush up my golf game.” “Clean the attic, or the closets, etc.” “Catch up on sleep.”

Those things might fill the first six months, but then what? How do you make the time you have left meaningful?

Work offered three different threads of satisfaction:

• Community: Women who worked together at a repetitive job were asked if they liked their work. All replied, “YES!” Asked why, they said that the conversation and the fun they had with each other while working made it a good job.
• Competence: There are those for whom doing their best, being creative, and being a problem solver is the key job satisfaction. Many of us take satisfaction in a job well done.
• Control: Some people thrive on being in charge and having all the responsibility for decision-making.

Which of these, or combination of these, has your work given you? This offers you a key to retirement satisfaction: these threads don’t end when the job stops. How will you meet this need in retirement?

• Is there a need in your meeting or your community that you can fill? Ask your County Agency on Aging about programs for retired volunteers. Check with local schools, museums, hospitals, parks, animal shelters, nonprofits, campaigns, and social service organizations.
• What are you interested in learning about? Consider local colleges and universities, public school systems, and community college or online learning programs for lifelong learning opportunities.
• What are you passionate about? 
• Where do you see a need for change or growth—in yourself or in the world?
• How might you contribute toward a better world for future generations, locally or globally?

A Change in Identity
Part of retirement is discerning what to keep doing, what to let go of, and what new things to pursue. One of the things to let go of is often the identity you had that was tied to work or other responsibilities. While some people try to do similar things in retirement as they did while working, studies show that pursuing a different direction can be very fulfilling. For many, that direction is artistic. Consider: Who are you now that you can no longer do what you considered your life’s work? What new identity do you feel drawn toward in this new phase of life? Retirement need not feel like a loss of identity; it can be a joyful shift of identity.

Three Components of Successful Retirement
Studies on successful, happy, retirements stress three components:

• Inner Life: Retirement allows the time to deepen and expand your spiritual life in any way that has meaning for you. This might be a daily spiritual practice, spiritual friendships, reflecting on your life, taking a course on some aspect of Quaker faith and practice, or any other practice that brings you in touch with that which is eternal.
• Creative Life: Creativity benefits the body, mind, and soul. Art, music, gardening, and writing can be part of a rich creative life, as can ballroom dancing, keeping a journal, and telling stories. Everyone is creative; take the opportunity to explore this side of yourself.
• Connected Life: Connecting with others is key. Meeting activities, volunteering, seeing friends, playing in a band, taking classes, exercise, and working for a cause bring us in touch with others and with “that of God” in others.

Notice how the activities under creative life draw on the inner life, and also how they can lead to a connected life. On that gray winter day in your retirement when your spirits match the weather, check whether you are engaged in activities that meet all three of these needs.