By Isabelle St-Jean, RSW, PCC, RTC
Since March, as you know, Covid-19 has impacted all areas of our world, from economies, workplaces, job markets, health care system, the list goes on. It seems we all dropped into pragmatic survival mode on the Maslow hierarchy of needs. This in turn shifted us away from the higher aspirations we might have held in mind and heart prior to the pandemic. In various ways, this crisis has rattled our belief systems including the common assumption of being able to control the course of our life. Countless people now unemployed or under- employed are feeling their previous sense of predictability or financial security suddenly vanishing as if a giant rug was pulled from under their feet. For yet others, social isolation and missing loved ones has given rise to anxiety, more fears, and various degrees of depressive states.
As part of the impact and the need to re-consider many things to apply course correction on their plans, pre-retirees may be thinking differently now, about the timing of that major work/life transition ahead. On a wide spectrum of divergent views, some may have felt restless and bored with the slower pace and social isolation and will be newly determined to get back into work mode for more years than previously anticipated. For others, the slower times may have been conducive to a re-evaluation of core values – what matters most – and priorities could have shifted in such a way that they feel called to retire sooner than originally planned. Wherever you are on the spectrum of diverse views on the topic of retirement, it’s likely to have somehow shifted in one direction or another.
If you find yourself in need of a reliable compass to navigate the new landscape while we recover and move forward into some kind of “normal”, it may be time to secure coaching support to re-assess what matters most now. Just as the True North reliably points to that direction, your core values, aspirations, purpose, and vision can converge to form the essence of your own True North to then inform the trajectory of your transition ahead. As in this photo depicting a waterway flowing through the forest, you can find a new course for your life energy to flow beyond the workplace.
Starting in August through the fall, I will lead a few retirement webinars online through the CPA (Certified Professional Accountants) Ontario. If you are curious about this unique learning and planning opportunity, please contact me for further details at isabelle@inspiredmomentum.com. Similarly, I can offer a free consultation for your consideration of one-on-one coaching sessions to explore the 10 factors of turning retirement into a successful, purposeful and joyful re-engagement instead. And please remember that if you have extended health benefits, my one-on-one services are likely to be covered given I’m also a Registered Social Worker, as well as a Professional Certified Coach, Retirement Coach, and Registered Therapeutic Counsellor. Feel free to visit my website at www.inspiredmomentum.com
