HOW TO FIND YOUR POST-WORK PURPOSE

Create fulfilment and make life after retirement your best years yet

- Kimberly Gillan

As Michele Burner approached 35 years as a teacher, she was more than ready to retire. At 55, she was desperate for a breather from the long hours. "I looked forward to not being bound to a structure and having freedom from the demands of work, recalls Michele, now 67.

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, watch TV and potter around," she says. "I was on my own, wondering, 'What will I do today?" Michele is hardly alone in feeling a loss of identity after giving up work.

Retirement coach Jon Glass says many Kiwis wrongly assume that all that spare time will simply fill itself.

"Not many people think about the emotional side of retirement. You have to think about what you want and need. Ask, 'How am I going to fill my days?""

CROSS THE BRIDGE