Having Purpose Beyond Your Career

Recently, I heard that many retirees suffer from a lack of “purpose.” It occurs once they retire from their career(s). It’s as if that they’ve only lived to work. I wish I could say that I’ve never felt that way myself. Unfortunately, I can’t so I won’t even try. Thankfully, I’ve had my eyes opened to the truth. I know that my worth is far beyond my career.

Growing up, my dad worked nearly as many hours as there are in a day. Needless to say, I rarely saw him. As a child, I didn’t think much of it; most of the time. When I became a father, I knew that I didn’t want my children to essentially grow up without me. My purpose became to be there for my family. Yes, it’s important that I provide for them. But my time with them is more important (and more valuable) than any material items I could ever provide.

Wake up every morning knowing your purpose goes beyond your “job.”

For some people, they see simply waking up in the morning as a blessing. While others see it as the exact opposite. For the vast majority of us though, we see each morning as nothing more than the beginning of a new day.

Upon waking, having the right mindset quite often sets the standard for the day. When we wake with a positive outlook on the day, unless something major happens, the day often times is positive. The same is true for the reverse.

Next, set achievable goals for the day. The first of which could be as simple as making the bed. For those of us who have a job we go to, there are often goals set for us. Whether others set goals for us or not, we should make our own. This gives us ownership and allows us to work towards something that we wish to achieve.

Even if you don’t have a job to go to, there are still several goals you can and should make for yourself. Perhaps it’s to read a book, or at least a chapter or two. When confined to a home, making meals is an achievement in itself. Not to mention the cleaning and upkeep of your abode.

Pick a project and tackle it.

If you live in a house/townhome, you might have painting and/or landscaping that could be done. Unless you live in a place, like an apartment, that doesn’t allow for alterations of the property. Either way, there are still many tasks that could be accomplished. Perhaps your place has carpet. Have you ever considered steam cleaning it? Honestly, I find it very relaxing. Not only is the white noise soothing, but the repetition of it allows my mind to wander. There’s no real need to have to think.

Perhaps your home could use a good deep cleaning. Not something that many people want to do. Nonetheless, it’s something that could prove beneficial. Additionally, it allows us to identify things that we really don’t need. It allows us to identify great candidates for a garage sale.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Garage sales are very big in most neighborhoods throughout the country. Not to mention that they’re a great way to raise money. Successful ones can draw in hundreds of dollars, and more, in a single day.

A sense of fulfillment doesn’t have to be limited to a function/job.

Please understand, men too often mistakenly tie their purpose in life with their career. Unfortunately, jobs and corporations come and go. Remember, we’re all replaceable. If something were to happen to any one employee, the employer would find someone else to fill that role.

On the other hand, for the majority, families are with us for life. Because jobs, careers, companies, etc. come and go, we should focus on something that last longer than 3-5 years (the average tenure in any one career).

Rather than tie our purpose in life to a career, perhaps we should tie it to our faith, our families, our friends, and/or even our communities.

Utilize your commute to prepare you for a life beyond your career.

In regards to individuals who know nothing but their career. More specifically, those who don’t have a formal education. Therefore, the majority of what they know they’ve either learned on their own (through videos, books, articles, etc.) or on the job.

Whether you’re nearing retirement or not, now is the time to prepare for your life after work. Prior to COVID-19, most people throughout the world, or at least in the United States, spent hours every week commuting to and from work.

Our commutes are a prime opportunity to learn something new. Or expand on our current knowledge. With the vast number of podcasts and audio books, a mere 30-minutes commute each way, every weekday, would provide 264 hours per year.

Two-hundred and sixty-four hours is not quite enough to become fluent in Spanish (which requires approximately 600 hours). Nonetheless, it’s more than enough to be conversational.

Regardless of what it is you’d like to learn, use the available time you have to prepare yourself for life beyond a career. Audio books are a great way to increase your vocabulary. They’re also a great source of knowledge (especially non-fiction).

Get some fresh air and a fresh perspective.

Perhaps we just need to get away from our daily routines. A road trip, a hike, a canoe/kayak ride, or whatever it might be to get out and explore nature. You’d be surprised the way the air is cleaner, the noises of city life are gone, and we’re able to experience things not available to city dwellers. Outside of a zoo that is.

The gentle breeze as the smell of wildflowers passes by. You can hear the orchestra of the birds singing, the rustling of the leaves in the wind, the waters passing across the rocks in a nearby brook, and other various sounds of nature as they provide their harmonic melodies.

Out there, you’ll realize that it doesn’t matter how hard you work. It doesn’t matter how many hours in a day/week/month/year you work, life still goes on. Why not get out enjoy it to the fullest? Yes indeed, there is life beyond a career.