Encore! Encore!

I first came across the phrase “encore career” when I taught a class alongside a co-presenter whose spouse was entering that special career phase: early retirement after a successful artistic career, yet due to a medical issue with his hands (his livelihood), was home for a couple of weeks and realized that he was ready to offer others what he had learned: his mental wealth for his mental health.

Same story, in essence, later on with a friend retired from a very responsible job in NYC and moved to Florida, only to find that playing golf every other day was not enough mental challenge and he sought to become a consultant with all his experience yet never having run his own business.

And last week, a recent retiree with a dearth of experience and recognized widely by the community for her success came to me to coach her to tell her “why” on LinkedIn to find other advisory roles to assist companies based on her experience. She was ready to tackle meaty, thorny situations others had no experience with.

So on your feet, retirees, offer the professional world what you can do for them, based on the scars, bruises you earned, the wins you celebrated for 40+ years, and the accumulated experience you are ready to draw on, to help others. Not so much about you, but more about your services and expertise to improve the plights of so many others.

You can help businesses, help nonprofits, help individuals, but also help yourself stay youthful, relevant and invested in the healthy career step you are about to embark on.

(I am standing, applauding): Bravo/brava (as the case may be)! Encore!