A New Chapter

As we all ring in the New Year, I am opening a new chapter of my life. As of the end of December, after thirty-nine years in a career that spanned four companies, I have retired.

I started my career as a good engineer, analyzing dynamics of complex mechanical and fluid systems, and ended it with providing consulting advice in the area of technology strategy and management. It was fun most of the times. However, after an assignment that involved helping a firm figure out which technologies to invest in to spread fragrance in a house, I decided that there has to be a better purpose to the remainder my life.

Now I am embarking on a pathway that has multiple choices. I do not have to do what I do not want to. I can do something more meaningful than helping make someone’s house smell good.

However, I am not that naïve to think that it is all going to be roses. The challenge is how to make this part of my life enriching and fulfilling, and not aimless and boring. Also, whatever I decide has to be sustainable, as I may end up living for many years.  This is not an easy challenge to address.

Here is what I do not plan to do. I cannot imagine that my retirement can be like what they promote in popular literature…lounging on a hammock on a beach with palm tress. After three days of that type of retirement, I will start behaving like the Jack Nicholson’s character in the movie “Shining.”

Relaxation, yes, but not all the time. I believe that a sustainable model or retirement has to have all the elements of a balanced life as I discussed in a Post a couple of months ago. If you recall, I had suggested that a balanced life should be comprised of activities in the following four quadrants: Left Brain, Right Brain, Low Energy, and High Energy. Relaxation is generally a Low Energy activity and so to make life more balanced, one needs to add activities in the other three quadrants.

Further, one needs to structure each day with a smorgasbord of these activities. The routine can include, for example, exercising the right brain by creating something new---say taking pictures--- putting the left brain to work through a discussion with your on-line friends, followed by an hour at the gym for physical fitness, and finally, relaxation through watching a movie. This type of “Structured Freedom” seems like an oxymoron, but I do not think there is a choice. You have to be as disciplined in retirement as during the work career. The alternative could be boredom or even depression.

Another big challenge during retirement is the absence of human interactions. One cannot live without meeting other people on a regular basis.  I am thinking that participating in activities that involve folks with similar interests (photography, hiking) would provide one channel for making sure that happens. I am also counting on virtual interactions through the social media as an important element in preventing isolation. I am after all a member of the first generation of retirees with the benefits of this wonderful new tool.

Finally, I am looking for a cause that I can support, thus fulfilling the emotional needs that I was not able to while in the middle of my career. How can I give back to the society? Can I put my strategy consulting experience to a good use in helping an NGO? Can I find a way to stimulate interest in science and mathematics among young folks under the influence of a relentless pressure to be cool instead of smart?

To summarize, using a culinary metaphor, I am hoping to create a meal out of eating tapas instead of having a main course. The question is can one sustain and enjoy a lifelong consumption of tapas?

We shall see.  Many folks I know have ended up failing retirement---taking up a full time job after struggling to sustain a retirement (isn’t that an interesting paradox?)

I may too.

However, I am going to give my retirement plan a damn good try. Wish me luck.