have you ever felt like you’re nobody
you’re invisible well that’s a little
bit like how I felt when I retired
recently why was that well quite simply
my identity had been killed off now I
had worked in the computer industry for
almost four decades and in that time my
career was a reference point and I
identified very much with what I what I
did for a living it was a pretty good
career
I traveled all over the world I worked
with some amazing people developed
software that was used by literally
millions of customers and I constantly
learned new things and new skills and in
step with the developments and
technology and I thought of course that
I was very well prepared for all this
retirement but when retirement came
along all of this vanished but in my
preparation retirement I went on a pre
retirement course and there they told me
a few things about you know the
practicalities and so on and didn’t
really emphasize the fact that once I
retired my the impact of losing my
identity could be a p-n issue
I also had some fairly interesting
hobbies I keep bees and you know as an
example when I when I first started that
the day after I got my bees I opened the
hive and promptly killed the Queen
I’ve improved a little bit since then
but I have a lot to learn yes and and so
before I become good I need to learn an
awful lot more I also have fish and I
remember the very first fish I caught
that was about four years old and I was
about this big
but me it was a whale and ever since no
matter how big a fish I catch it’s not
quite the same but and I’m not quite
sure who was better hope that fish are
me because I’m still at it all these
years later and I also have retained my
passion for the technology and you know
I have a lot of little projects that I’m
interested in completing in fact I’ve
got one that combines the B’s and the
technology where I have instrumented the
the hives in the garden with temperature
and humidity sensors and cameras and you
know so it’s a really geeky sort of a
couple of beehives there but the the
problem was that I was not as well
prepared as I expected and I went I felt
this loss of identity and went through
the basically the five stages of grief
so first it was denial where I changed
my LinkedIn profile to say that I was
considering my options and I told people
that I take an early retirement as
though that wasn’t a real retirement
then moved into anger and I’ve said to
myself that was a really stupid thing to
do you know you could have stayed on
there for a few years and you know I
felt like this was a another fine mess I
got myself into but then I moved on to
bargaining and I thought to myself maybe
I could go back to work but then I
thought well you know maybe I could
start up my own company and I choose
dutifully signed up for a start your own
business course and this was probably
one of the biggest surprises my friends
and ex colleagues and even government
agencies came rushing out to offer me
help and support and but I’m not
convinced I want to commit to such such
a big undertaking I mean the the hours
long hours and
weekends and so on involves and building
up a start over there you know pretty
pretty heavy-duty so you know then after
that then I went into the traditional a
depression which was just you know I
felt like goodness what on earth am I
going to do I’m stuck at this and it’s
probably what motivates me to come along
and speak here tonight and then finally
into acceptance so now I have an
enormous amount of free time far more
than I ever had over the past forty
years and and I have the freedom to do
whatever I want to do so that’s a big
step forward but um and the thing is
that I’m not alone in this and this is
quite a common thing that I mean if you
look on the web you see people who are
who have a problem with the separation
from their identity after work and I
have to ask why did I make that that’s
connection between identity and work why
was it that I saw myself as the computer
guy rather than the guy who worked for a
computer company some why I chose what I
did rather than who I was and the reason
is quite simply is that is that society
values doing things society values being
productive and of course but
automatically lends you to to put your
your works or the front and center and
your worlds tends then to revolve around
your work and of course once you retire
that productivity goes and that sense of
worth goals
so now that I’ve retired I’m I a lesser
being have I you know and I somehow less
value to society and of course when I
talk to someone and say they’ll ever
charged this societal judgment kicks in
and they come with some sort of
platitudes like oh good for you or I
wish I was but don’t they torch they
really does
so what is the fix and then of course
there is a simple fix and that is that
you have to pick something that gives
you a sense of achievement and build on
that something it makes you feel like a
job well done when the when you were
were when you were in the workforce and
so where does that come from so all
these questions arise so Who am I where
where do I get the motivation for some
new identities and where does it come
from and how do I create it and so the
the easiest thing to do is to pick
something that you’re passionate about
something you believe in and you know
there might be a hobby or it could be
you know whatever ends that that
something you like doing when you were
working that didn’t feel like work it
could be something you enjoy doing all
the time but you know something and of
course for some people doing absolutely
nothing is the perfect solution then if
you can’t think of something to do you
can base it off and you know you’ve
spent years building skills and building
expertise in some particular fees or
maybe multiple fields and these are
useful to other people in your community
you can teach you can mentor you can
volunteer but you know you can build
something based on based on the past
something new.this roots back in your in
your experience have you ever regretted
not doing something when you were young
did you have some passions that were
that you never followed up on in fact
when you were a child they said follow
your dreams so now’s your opportunity
but the thing is that you have to be
selfish you have to say you know this
this is something that you want to do
something that’s that interests you
something that will give you a as
something to do moving on into the
future so for me what I did was I’ve
I’ve obviously gonna continue with my
B’s in fact last last week in fact
recently as I set up a new apiary in a
very idyllic spot with
sunflower fields and guarded by a couple
of alpacas which is pretty unusual and
but I’m continue with that and I’m
actually going to take the the senior
beekeeping exams this year or next year
I’m studying for them now am i fishing
well I I’ve already booked a fishing
trip to the Arctic in the summertime
it’s a lot warmer than that and I’m
going to continue I’m going to make sure
that that bee spy thing is is properly
completed and I’m also going to continue
I’ve decided I’m going to continue maybe
with this this whole idea of a start up
and see where that leads but for you
know for anybody else it’s up to you you
now have the freedom to make your
decisions to decide what to do and so
the thing to remember is a in the words
of CS Lewis you’re never too old to set
a new goal or dream a new dream thank
you
[Applause]
[Music]
you
you’re invisible well that’s a little
bit like how I felt when I retired
recently why was that well quite simply
my identity had been killed off now I
had worked in the computer industry for
almost four decades and in that time my
career was a reference point and I
identified very much with what I what I
did for a living it was a pretty good
career
I traveled all over the world I worked
with some amazing people developed
software that was used by literally
millions of customers and I constantly
learned new things and new skills and in
step with the developments and
technology and I thought of course that
I was very well prepared for all this
retirement but when retirement came
along all of this vanished but in my
preparation retirement I went on a pre
retirement course and there they told me
a few things about you know the
practicalities and so on and didn’t
really emphasize the fact that once I
retired my the impact of losing my
identity could be a p-n issue
I also had some fairly interesting
hobbies I keep bees and you know as an
example when I when I first started that
the day after I got my bees I opened the
hive and promptly killed the Queen
I’ve improved a little bit since then
but I have a lot to learn yes and and so
before I become good I need to learn an
awful lot more I also have fish and I
remember the very first fish I caught
that was about four years old and I was
about this big
but me it was a whale and ever since no
matter how big a fish I catch it’s not
quite the same but and I’m not quite
sure who was better hope that fish are
me because I’m still at it all these
years later and I also have retained my
passion for the technology and you know
I have a lot of little projects that I’m
interested in completing in fact I’ve
got one that combines the B’s and the
technology where I have instrumented the
the hives in the garden with temperature
and humidity sensors and cameras and you
know so it’s a really geeky sort of a
couple of beehives there but the the
problem was that I was not as well
prepared as I expected and I went I felt
this loss of identity and went through
the basically the five stages of grief
so first it was denial where I changed
my LinkedIn profile to say that I was
considering my options and I told people
that I take an early retirement as
though that wasn’t a real retirement
then moved into anger and I’ve said to
myself that was a really stupid thing to
do you know you could have stayed on
there for a few years and you know I
felt like this was a another fine mess I
got myself into but then I moved on to
bargaining and I thought to myself maybe
I could go back to work but then I
thought well you know maybe I could
start up my own company and I choose
dutifully signed up for a start your own
business course and this was probably
one of the biggest surprises my friends
and ex colleagues and even government
agencies came rushing out to offer me
help and support and but I’m not
convinced I want to commit to such such
a big undertaking I mean the the hours
long hours and
weekends and so on involves and building
up a start over there you know pretty
pretty heavy-duty so you know then after
that then I went into the traditional a
depression which was just you know I
felt like goodness what on earth am I
going to do I’m stuck at this and it’s
probably what motivates me to come along
and speak here tonight and then finally
into acceptance so now I have an
enormous amount of free time far more
than I ever had over the past forty
years and and I have the freedom to do
whatever I want to do so that’s a big
step forward but um and the thing is
that I’m not alone in this and this is
quite a common thing that I mean if you
look on the web you see people who are
who have a problem with the separation
from their identity after work and I
have to ask why did I make that that’s
connection between identity and work why
was it that I saw myself as the computer
guy rather than the guy who worked for a
computer company some why I chose what I
did rather than who I was and the reason
is quite simply is that is that society
values doing things society values being
productive and of course but
automatically lends you to to put your
your works or the front and center and
your worlds tends then to revolve around
your work and of course once you retire
that productivity goes and that sense of
worth goals
so now that I’ve retired I’m I a lesser
being have I you know and I somehow less
value to society and of course when I
talk to someone and say they’ll ever
charged this societal judgment kicks in
and they come with some sort of
platitudes like oh good for you or I
wish I was but don’t they torch they
really does
so what is the fix and then of course
there is a simple fix and that is that
you have to pick something that gives
you a sense of achievement and build on
that something it makes you feel like a
job well done when the when you were
were when you were in the workforce and
so where does that come from so all
these questions arise so Who am I where
where do I get the motivation for some
new identities and where does it come
from and how do I create it and so the
the easiest thing to do is to pick
something that you’re passionate about
something you believe in and you know
there might be a hobby or it could be
you know whatever ends that that
something you like doing when you were
working that didn’t feel like work it
could be something you enjoy doing all
the time but you know something and of
course for some people doing absolutely
nothing is the perfect solution then if
you can’t think of something to do you
can base it off and you know you’ve
spent years building skills and building
expertise in some particular fees or
maybe multiple fields and these are
useful to other people in your community
you can teach you can mentor you can
volunteer but you know you can build
something based on based on the past
something new.this roots back in your in
your experience have you ever regretted
not doing something when you were young
did you have some passions that were
that you never followed up on in fact
when you were a child they said follow
your dreams so now’s your opportunity
but the thing is that you have to be
selfish you have to say you know this
this is something that you want to do
something that’s that interests you
something that will give you a as
something to do moving on into the
future so for me what I did was I’ve
I’ve obviously gonna continue with my
B’s in fact last last week in fact
recently as I set up a new apiary in a
very idyllic spot with
sunflower fields and guarded by a couple
of alpacas which is pretty unusual and
but I’m continue with that and I’m
actually going to take the the senior
beekeeping exams this year or next year
I’m studying for them now am i fishing
well I I’ve already booked a fishing
trip to the Arctic in the summertime
it’s a lot warmer than that and I’m
going to continue I’m going to make sure
that that bee spy thing is is properly
completed and I’m also going to continue
I’ve decided I’m going to continue maybe
with this this whole idea of a start up
and see where that leads but for you
know for anybody else it’s up to you you
now have the freedom to make your
decisions to decide what to do and so
the thing to remember is a in the words
of CS Lewis you’re never too old to set
a new goal or dream a new dream thank
you
[Applause]
[Music]
you
Please follow and like us: