Reinventing Ones-Self, “Am I Relevant?”

Because I am an early Baby Boomer and having started a new career path about nine years ago into coaching, I am noticing that there are people in this same age bracket who are bumping up to “what’s going to happen to my life after I retire”?  I attended a networking event last week and struck up a conversation with an older gentleman who was retiring from being a senior partner in an accounting firm.  I asked him what he was going to miss about his profession and he responded that he wasn’t going to miss the 70-hour work weeks, but he was also feeling “I’ve lost my importance”.  That really struck me with sadness especially since he felt his significance was based on what he did for a living.  We talked some more about getting involved with non-profits and he had thought about doing that in some capacity.  I always ask people if getting involved with non-profits is something they have considered doing when they are a bit blocked, feeling stuck or lost.  Helping others opens up new opportunities for growth and self-discovery and it can be very gratifying to help someone else less fortunate.

I believe there is huge opportunity in the coaching community for working with Baby Boomers who are either reinventing themselves, thinking about retirement, and more importantly not thinking “How Am I Valued?”  There is a self-worth piece that needs to be explored around this profound question.  A significant portion of the population, (especially amongst Baby Boomers) value what they do for a living and how they contribute to the well-being of their families as more important than understanding who they are as an individual which would enhance the former beliefs.

If people are willing and interested in exploring what their values are, what their strengths are, what their passion is, what they can not NOT do in their lives; a whole new chapter could open up for them. The challenge is around engaging people to be open to this exploration.  Maybe it’s through story telling, asking open, simple but profound questions during a conversation.  We humans respond to acknowledgment, being heard and listened to, compassion and appreciation.  When a bond of trust is developed in the relationship, new areas can open up for exploration on the meaning of life and who we are as individual humans.  What gifts we bring to mankind and why we are here.

Trained coaches are guides for exploration, without judging.  We push you to step out of the comfort box, embrace who you are becoming, get curious about what makes you tick and we create a safe space for the exploration, knowing you have all the answers. The hardest part of this process is embracing the vulnerability that shows up.  Learning that it’s OK to not to be in charge or in control all of the time can be a real challenge to people.  But, once they cross over that threshold, they can feel how liberating it can be to just let it all go and be with who they are.  THEN the real work begins.