A. Hobbies may be satisfying...

When you come to the end of a significant period in the senior stages of life, it is important for health and wellbeing to create a fulfilling new chapter. If your financial situation allows and you can find purpose, meaning, and joy in a hobby, then you would be well advised to pursue it. Could traditional hobbies like golf, travel, or financial investing satisfy these three essential criteria for fulfillment for you? The challenge in finding the right hobby is that it must satisfy these three essential criteria rather than merely serve as diversion from boredom. If a full time hobby fails to engage a real passion, you would be well advised to discover a more engaging vision. (Select a better choice)

B. It is more important to seek the wisdom of your inner counsel...

Seeking help from a mental health professional is important if you are feeling overwhelmed with emotion, depressed, or failing to cope with life as successfully as you might want. When you have a toothache you see a dentist; when you have an emotional ache you would want to see a professional therapist. When you are dealing with a life transition, however, it's important to seek the wisdom of your inner counsel. Friends can be helpful in this self re-examination process but only if they are good listeners and know how to ask self-reflection questions and provide astute feedback. (Select a better choice)

C. Yes! It will be important to invest in time for self-reflection...

Transitions are uncomfortable for most adults because they involve a time of uncertainty, self-questioning, dealing with aging issues, and a feeling of being in limbo. Transitions may be stressful but they offer opportunities for re-inventing a fulfilling new life. To avoid the discomfort of being in limbo, the mistake that many make is to jump too quickly into something new (a new job, a new relationship, a new residence, etc.). To discover what would be truly satisfying it will be important to invest in time for self-reflection, which is an essential ingredient in any significant life re-invention challenge. (Your best choice)

Note: For help in life re-creation, consider working through the content and process provided in the book The Joy of Retirement: Finding Happiness, Freedom, and The Life You’ve Always Wanted (AMACOM, 2008). This book goes well beyond traditional retirement planning to creating a joy-filled new future.

D. Will finding another work situation can actually provide real joy and meaning?

When you're looking for a new work situation, drawing upon the resources of a viable network is an effective way of identifying leads and making your availability for a new situation known. The question to seriously ask yourself, however, is whether simply finding another work situation can actually provide real joy and meaning. Simply jumping into a new work situation because it’s all you have really done and you don’t know what else to do could be a mistake. If finding another work situation offers the future you truly desire, then by all means access your network and market your availability. But remember you can seldom relive past glories in the same old ways. (Select a better choice)

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