I’m that person who’s been known to stop reading half-way through a mystery novel and read the last few pages. Sometimes the suspense is too much and I need to know how it all turns out. Sitting with uncertainty is a challenge for me. I’m trying to figure out my next steps in my retirement journey. I’m planning to find re-employment but after a long career as a teacher, I don’t know where to go next. It’s tough to have paths leading from this crossroads in my life but not know where I’ll end up.
Getting The Help Of A Coach
Values Connect To Meaningful Work
I have been working with a personal development coach, and it’s a process that takes careful consideration and should not be rushed no matter how impatient I feel. The experience has been enlightening. I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’ve been guided to identify my values, strengths and skills over the past six weeks. Identifying my values helps me to focus on what type of work might be most meaningful to me.
Using Your Strengths Keeps You Engaged
Do you know your strengths? Until I was asked to pick out my strengths, I hadn’t considered them. I needed the assistance of my friends and family to help me do this. “People who use their strengths every day are six times more likely to be engaged on the job.”*
Skills Were Challenging To Identify
For me, identifying my skills was the most challenging part of the process to date. I can list skills that I used in my old job but I was asked if I had competency in each skill and whether I enjoyed it. Teachers use so many skills in their job for which they don’t get formal training. We learn on the job. Would my level of skill in these areas be considered competent outside of the classroom? Do those skills transfer to the world outside of teaching? Suddenly, I felt unskilled and insecure.
Skills Prevail
In the business skills area, I drew a complete blank. I’ve never worked in the corporate or retail world (well, not since customers had to sign carbon copy Visa bills). My coach reassured me that my personal experience managing my finances would count. I have experience organizing my digital teaching files and writing business correspondence (emails to parents, administration and other organizations). I recalled that I’d done years of fundraising for cancer research as captain of our school team. These are skills!
Where Will I Go?
My coach helped me to see that I had more skills than I realized. I discovered that a person doesn’t get to retirement without a suitcase of skills. Now, I’m excitedly deciding where I will travel next.
* Click here to read about employees using their strengths.
Retired, And Now What? 