Scared of Retirement

Today’s article is going to focus on something we all hope to do in our life and about how some people are actually scared of the thought. Retirement, it is some people’s dream and in turn, some people’s nightmare. How can that be? I always thought retirement was the goal of all young adult workers. To live out their golden years doing what they want, living how they want, and not answering to the corporate world. That is the goal of the vast majority of our working world. However, as I stated, there are people who are scared of this inevitable day and time. One very large group of people in this category includes athletes. Athletes, a large majority of them, are scared to retire. They are scared to hang up their cleats, scared to hang up their uniform, and scared of the day they don’t wake up to the competition of their sport.

Along with athletes, there are also normal working men and women who are scared to retire. They are scared that without the routine of their life, they may wither away and not have any impact on the world. They may be scared that they have forgotten how to live alone with their spouse. Some people are just scared to let go of their responsibilities because in the end, their job and work defines their lives. Retirement should not be something to be scared of. It should be something that is looked forward to as an accomplishment, a reward for your years of hard work, dedication, and loyalty. So other than the various excuses listed above, what exactly is the core reasoning behind the fear of retirement? Let’s focus upon the athlete for a bit and then we’ll see if the reasoning is any different for the average worker.

Athletes are groomed from a very young age for their sport. They spend countless hours studying the game and how to personally excel at it. Practice for the game is a way of life. These days, there is no off season for any sport. The athlete, although playing a game, spends just as much or more of their life devoted to their job than the average daily worker. They are living their dream. They are living their sport and they thrive upon competition. Right there, it’s in that one word, competition. For the athlete, competition is the key. Athletes have competition not only versus opponents, but with teammates, and also, with their own self. Every aspect of the athlete’s future and livelihood depend on excelling versus their opponents. If they do not excel, they are not likely to be a paid athlete. Pressure drives the athlete to practice and succeed. Pressure comes from within and also from external pressures from family, fans, team managers, and ownership.

Well, given all this pressure from competition and continuous drive to succeed, you would think retirement after a successful career would be welcomed. Is it though? Time after time, you see athletes “holding on” to past glory, trying to relive that one great year, and trying one last time to win the elusive sports championship. Some athletes have nothing else other than their sport. Their sport actually defines their lives. Without it, they think they will be castoff, forgotten, and meaningless. So, they try to relive their old glory and put off the inevitable. Competition doesn’t fade, but the personal skills and talent age along with your body and you can no longer compete effectively. There’s that word again, competition. Athletes are afraid that without competition, they have no sense of self. They have nothing to prove, they do not exist. Retirement from sports is thought of by some as the equivalent of being an old horse being put down. Retirement is scary for these individuals. They have no true vision of their self without sports. Their occupation or job or skill defines their lives.

That’s a pretty easy argument as athletes are consumed by their occupation. But are they so different than the average daily worker that you and I are? I don’t think so. We can look through the description above and interchange the athlete in the story with us. It’s the same. Some of us are defined by what we do, our occupation, our accomplishments, our responsibilities, or our title. Retirement means the removal of our self definition. That is a very scary proposition. Just as with the athlete trying to hold onto the past, you see members of the working community trying their hardest to stay on the job. In the end, they are just trying to stay relevant. Without people depending on them at work, they have no sense of direction. Who are they? Who do they report to? Who are they to serve? What do we do with our newly found time?

Even if you are not part of the group whose lives are defined by their occupation in life, retirement can still be scary. Our entire adult lives are devoted to others for the most part. From a very young age, most people have children and care for them. Most people are in jobs where they utilize their earnings to support their family. While working, you are completing tasks and satisfying responsibilities for the continued success of the company. Over the long period of time between young adulthood and retirement, we have devoted the majority of our times for something other than us. Reaching retirement means that you are going to have to get to know yourself again. You are going to have to get to know your spouse again. You are going to have to change. There’s another big word, change. What’s that saying? You can’t teach old dogs new tricks? It’s a cliché, but it’s the epitome of being scared to change. Retirement is a huge change. No longer are we defined by our occupation, our sport, or our title. We are defined by who we are.

Retirement should be a welcome change. We have earned it. We deserve it. Never be scared of what should be one of your life’s major goals. If you are lucky enough to have reached the retirement line, welcome it with open arms. Once again, find out who you are, find out who you and your spouse are as a couple, and live your life as you want, with no restrictions. We only live once and retirement is our last chance at fulfilling our life’s dreams which we have not accomplished yet. Welcome it with open arms and embrace the competition of retirement as it is a challenge even for those who are not scared.