Take an Alumni Trip to Your Future

by | Apr 17, 2018 | Bucket List, Life Reinspired, Retirement

Many colleges and universities sponsor trips, lectures, and other learning experiences to serve and maintain ties to their alumni travelalumni. As an alum of a certain generation, perhaps it’s time to look to your alma mater for something a little different—like taking a trip to your own future.

Life Reinspired works with the Center for Career Management at the Stanford Graduate School of Business to offer alumni 25+ years out an opportunity to come together and dream out loud about what constitutes a fulfilling next frontier of life.

“Who am I if I’m not doing something MBA-ish?” is a question that frequently comes up among people who have enjoyed long, distinguished careers. At heart, this is really two questions:

  1. “What will I do with myself after my career ends?” After decades of highly structured time, retiring can feel like tumbling into a void. Conversely, so many possibilities can present themselves that you can be paralyzed by indecision. (There’s even a diagnostic name for this in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [DSM-5], a book I used to tote around in grad school diagnosing all my family and friends, which they did not enjoy…but I digress).
  2. “Will I still matter?” How will retired executives define themselves after so many years being identified by their big jobs, responsibilities, achievements, and respect from employees, colleagues, shareholders and the community?

Addressing these questions by creating a satisfying new structure and finding a way to shift from external to internal perceptions of identity is a good start for the next chapter. Fulfillment, though, also hinges on the “3 Ps”:

1) Purpose—finding something meaningful to doretirement volunteer

2) People—finding your web of family, friends, and other relationships that give you opportunities to love and serve.

3) Pleasure—finding something to look forward to—and then something else. (Hello, Bucket List!)

Creating a plan for all of this doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s very helpful to find thought partners who are in the same boat to talk, dream, brainstorm, and create new visions together. That’s the beauty of the Life Reinspired programs, which convene successful Baby Boomers to have important conversations about what matters most in the next chapter.

Universities routinely offer alumni experiences—lectures, trips, and so on. It just makes sense that offering life-changing programs around retirement planning are the next frontier of Alumni Service organizations. This makes for great reunion conversations, too.

Check out how Life Reinspired can help you transition to the next chapter of your life!

Caroline MacNeill Hall is Co-Founder of Life Reinspired, a reset lab for successful Baby Boomers contemplating a meaningful next chapter of life. She is President of MAC Advisors, an executive coaching and leadership development company. She’s also senior faculty for the Coaches Training Institute.