WHEN I LOOK BACK at my career, I see that the key to my long tenure with one employer was my desire to learn new skills and help expand the business. That mindset, I believe, helped me survive multiple rounds of layoffs.
I’m hoping that same mindset will help with retirement.
Many retirees say, “I just want to relax. Get rid of the alarm clock. No more classes or schedules for me.” While that feels good for a while, I’m not sure such an attitude will sustain their happiness for long.
The fact is, retirement brings with it a sense of lost identity. Many retirees miss the workplace’s routine, their colleagues and even the office politics. Meanwhile, research suggests lifelong learning offers psychological benefits for seniors.
During my stay at a 55-plus community in Atlanta, I saw a 90-something-year-old gentleman carrying a bag full of books every few weeks to his room. One day, I asked him what he was up to. He said, “I go to the public library and take books from there. Every two weeks, I try to read at least two books. That keeps my mind sharp.” I could see he was on a mission.
I also learned something important from our 18-month-old grandson. Several weeks after getting a book about cars, trucks and various animals, he wanted me to show him new books and new toys, not the old ones. It’s fascinating to see how curiosity and desire to learn drives a child’s development.
Humans are wired to learn, adapt and grow. That is essential for our survival and progress. The same could be said for retirement. Focusing on curiosity and learning can make for a happier retirement.
There are many retirees who seem to thrive on learning new things and taking up new hobbies. You likely know them. They’re the ones who show up regularly for any interesting activity or volunteer work. Many may have physical limitations or financial problems, but they’re out there doing their best and having fun.
When I visit aquariums or museums, I always see retirees volunteering. I talked to one of them. “I used to be a school principal,” she told me. “Losing my identity after retirement was hard. I had to reinvent myself. Volunteering was my ticket to learn new skills and be active.”
Opportunities for lifelong learning have never been greater. Think of all the free online courses from top universities, the books available online and the slew of YouTube channels. You can pursue hobbies such as painting, gardening, photography, golf, hiking, fishing, book clubs, carpentry, volunteering and music, all of which provide opportunities for self-expression and learning. Check out this list of hobbies that are especially popular with seniors.
We can also broaden our perspective by traveling, attending cultural events and exploring different cuisines. Intergenerational learning through mentoring programs is another opportunity.
I’m trying my hand at gardening, writing and music. I’m also mentoring students at a nearby university. All these activities are new to me. They’re challenging and rewarding at the same time. Importantly, they provide a routine that fills my day and keeps me active.
It helps to remember Henry Ford’s famous quote: “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.”
Surprised nobody has mentioned Olli-the Osher LIfelong Learning Institute-a great option for senior learning available in many communities associated with universities. My wife and I took a great local course on CCRCs last fall and are signed up for several short educational and fun courses this fall that we were able to work around our travel schedule.
I have discovered a great hobby. I have a Facebook page on my FB account, where I post the newest Trusts and Estates cases from the Supreme Court of India. I have a small following of law students and young lawyers from India. Great fun and keeps the mind active.
Discount used books from ThriftBooks are the key to my post-retirement learning – and stimulating entertainment. Probably three of the latter for every one of the former, but it all adds up to keep the mental gears engaged.
I still miss the old used bookstores, but realistically they could never keep up with my rate of consumption.
My favorite used bookshop was a tiny hole in the wall crammed with vintage books from the 1900s down, on a busy Bombay street. I was a college kid then. My friend and I spent hours in there(ground floor and creaky attic, searching for “finds”. The kindly old Bohra(a sect of Indian Muslims) owner welcomed us because he loved his books as much as we did. I bought books from and on the erstwhile British Raj. My friend looked for Shakespeare. She had more eclectic tastes.
My MIL just turned 103 and reads 2-3 books per week. She is a celebrity at our local library, and they set aside the new books they think she will like.
Here in Ohio our public universities allow senior citizens to audit courses for free on a “space available” basis. You register and attend classes. Tests are optional, but I take them to make sure that I am listening in class and reading any textbooks or other material. Some private colleges also offer this perk — probably hoping to turn us into contributors! You might check to see if Georgia offers this perk.
One of my best purchases recently has been a Kindle. Using the Libby app I’m able to check out ebooks from various libraries and indulge my curiosity for free. It helps to actually schedule reading time daily, both so I block out time to do it and conversely so I don’t read too much at the expense of doing other things like exercising. I find myself drawn to history and biography these days and feel like I’m filling in gaps in my knowledge (boy, there are a lot of gaps).
One resource I highly recommend is Great Courses Plus. Fortuitously I signed up right at the beginning of Covid, and I had access to any of their courses I chose. I still subscribe.
My local library offers free access to Hoopla, which has a 10 day pass to Great Courses. It’s a great way to sample what’s available on this excellent resource.
I will look into this. It appears to be well organized. Thanks!
I guess because I was a “professional” computer geek (“You mean they’ll PAY me to play with computers? Get outta town!”) I’ve never felt I’ve “lost my identity”.
I still play with computers – they’re remarkably inexpensive these days – only I do what I want to do with them.
I try to exercise my brain. I believe working until age 70 helped. Now retired I don’t have any one hobby that I pour my heart and soul into. I like my record and CD collection, but it’s not something I do on a daily basis. I try to engage with a people from many different walks of life; retired co-workers, friends, neighbors, Humble Dollar junkies.
I wouldn’t label myself a voracious reader, and with one exception I use the library versus buying books. The exception is that I have begun collecting presidential biographies. I’m working backwards and just purchased one on Jerry Ford. Reading about these men, learning their thought processes of both the ones I voted for and the ones I didn’t, helps open my mind. For example, George HW Bush’s thought process during the collapse of the USSR and the gulf war, or Jimmy Carter’s thoughts during the Camp David peace accords. Also interesting is that every president has had strained relationships with the press.
All these things have reinforced my opinion that people agree on more things than disagree, and helps me avoid opinion rut. (Thanks Ed)
When you depend on social media to feed information, you don’t get full view of the world with a wide variety of opinions. Everything is either good or bad, black or white and nothing in between. It is a struggle to isolate fact from fiction and form your own opinion.
Sundar, this is an insightful article that touches on themes that are important to me. I’ve kicked the loss of identity can down the road a bit by working part time after retiring. But more importantly, I’ve found that the moderate challenges presented by my encore career are helping to keep me engaged and learning. I’m also a reader but found in (semi-) retirement that passively scrolling through news feeds and the like on my iPad was a big temptation. I was consuming a lot of mental junk food. I’ve put myself on an iPad diet and am back to being more intentional with my reading. My mood has subtly improved, especially now that I see fewer ads and less reporting on political topics.
I couldn’t agree more with your thoughts about consuming the news and intentional reading. I’m going to redouble my efforts to consume less news and fill my time with more productive activities.
I still have trouble avoiding mental junk food. It takes discipline to bypass all the social media bombardment.
Great article Sundar. I enjoy learning new things from a variety of sources, including reading, travel, meeting new people, and much more. Becoming involved in the HD community has been a great, and unexpected, opportunity to continue to learn. I hope to keep learning for a long time. And thanks for the Ford quote.
Personally, HD community has opened a window to a very different world for me. We are grateful for Jonathan’s initiative and foresight.
Whether through a book, a magazine article, a seminar, travel to another country, or a conversation with a truly successful person— whatever it is that you undertake, always look to broaden your experiences and your education.
A Wiseman once said” formal education will make you a living; self education will make you a fortune.”
Thank you for a positive article focusing on
lifetime learning and creativity.
One thing we could miss in retirement is learning from younger people. It is difficult to do while living in retirement communities.
smr, I can appreciate your feelings. Even more, I would miss the enthusiasm and positive energy they seem to bring to most aspects of life.
This is an inspiring article, Sundar. I spend many hours each week talking to older people. There’s a wide range of educational backgrounds, work history and income levels. It’s part of my job to listen to everyone, at work and elsewhere, but I find the most interesting folks are those who are still interested, that have the curiosity you write about. I try to limit my time with those stuck in an opinion rut about topics where there should be liberty of thought. Thanks for posting.
I know many 85+ yr olds, who try to attend every event we have in the community. They are engaged and curious. That is a pleasure to see.
Edmund, I never heard the term “opinion rut” before but I love it. Thanks.
Of course, it doesn’t apply to us. We’ve just found our groove!