Not Ready to Retire, But Ready for Something Different? Start Exploring What’s Next

Maybe you recognize this feeling. You’ve built a successful career. You’ve accomplished things you’re proud of, learned more than you ever imagined, and perhaps you’re still doing work you enjoy.

You’re not necessarily unhappy. And you’re certainly not ready to be done.

But somewhere in the back of your mind, a different question has started showing up:

What do I want the next chapter of my life to look like?

Many women spend decades planning their careers and eventually begin planning financially for retirement. But there’s another kind of planning that deserves our attention.

What will you actually do with this next chapter?

What If Success Could Feel Different?

I’ve been thinking a lot about this question:

I’ve accomplished a lot. But in my next chapter, how do I want success to feel different?

Maybe success once meant the promotion, the title, the salary, the team you led, or simply being very good at what you did.

Your next definition of success might include some of those things. But perhaps now you’re also thinking about flexibility, purpose, contribution, creativity, travel, family, community, or simply having more control over your time.

That doesn’t diminish what you’ve accomplished.

It means you’re evolving.

You Don’t Have to Wait Until Retirement

I believe one of the greatest advantages we have while we’re still working is something we often don’t recognize:

Runway.

Your current career may give you income, relationships, resources, structure, and something incredibly valuable – time to explore without needing your next idea to immediately support you financially.

I know because that’s what I did.

I began exploring my own encore career while I was still working in the corporate world. I didn’t wake up one morning knowing exactly what my next chapter would be.

I got curious.

I explored possibilities. I tried things. I learned what fit and what didn’t. Eventually, I turned one of those possibilities into something real.

Having that runway allowed me to explore without the pressure of needing to make an immediate leap.

Start with the Life, Not the Job

If you’re beginning to wonder what’s next, resist the urge to immediately ask:

What should my next job be?

Try asking something bigger first:

What do I want my life to look like?

• Where do you want to live?
• How much do you want to work?
• What kind of flexibility would you love to have?
• What do you want more time for?
• What are you ready to have less of?
• Who do you want to spend your time with?
• How would you still like to contribute?
• What have you been putting off until “someday”?

You may discover that the most important question isn’t What should I do next?

It might be, What do I want next?

Once you begin answering that question, you can start exploring the work, contribution, or purpose that could fit the life you’re imagining.

Give Yourself Permission to Explore

You don’t need to make a decision today. You don’t need a five-year plan. And you definitely don’t need to quit your job.

You just need permission to wonder.

I’ve created a complimentary Explore What’s Next Worksheet to help you do exactly that. It will walk you through questions about how you want to live, what matters to you now, the role you want work to play, and what you truly desire from this next chapter.

Download the Explore What’s Next Worksheet and give yourself some quiet time to dream.

Because your next chapter doesn’t have to start the day you retire. It can start the moment you give yourself permission to imagine it.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Are you beginning to think about what you want your next chapter to look like? What feels most important to you now: purpose, flexibility, contribution, freedom, adventure or something else entirely? I’d love to hear what you’re thinking.