HOW TO FIND YOUR POST-WORK PURPOSE

 Create fulfillment and make life after retirement your best years yet

As Michele Burner approached 35 years as an English and IT teacher, she was more than ready to retire.

At 55, she was desperate for a breather from the long hours and intense schedule. "I looked forward to not being bound to a structure any more and just having freedom from the demands of work," recalls Michele, now 67. "The longer I worked, the better retirement looked!" But when she finally crossed the career finish line, she found herself in a lonely house while her husband went to work.

"I didn't want to stay home and watch TV and potter around," she says. "I was on my own, [often wondering] what will I do today? My sister was still working and I didn't want to visit my mother every day." Michele is hardly alone in feeling a loss of identity in the early days of retirement.

In fact, retirement coach Jon Glass says many Australians wrongly assume that all that spare time will simply fill itself "In our culture, not many people are thinking about the emotional side of retirement [but] when you're approaching retirement, think about what you want and need, and ask, 'How am I going to fill my days?"" she says.

CROSS THE BRIDGE