For years, Brian Mooney has been helping young people answer one of the biggest questions they will ever face: what do I want to do with my life? His advice to students has always been to follow their passion rather than simply chase points, choosing a college course and career that will bring fulfilment.
But at the Galway 50 Plus Show, which returns to the Salthill Hotel on November 17 and 18, Brian will be addressing an audience at the opposite end of the conventional working-life spectrum. And, interestingly, the message is remarkably similar.
Because while young people are trying to discover who they might become, those approaching retirement need to consider a question that is too often overlooked: who will I be when I am no longer what I have spent 40 years becoming?
As Irish Times education columnist and experienced guidance counsellor, Brian has spent much of his professional life helping people identify their strengths, interests and potential. Now he is applying that same philosophy to retirement, challenging the assumption that a good pension, financial security and a bucket list of adventures are all that is required for a happy life after work.
Of course, financial preparation matters. Nobody should underestimate the importance of having sufficient resources to enjoy retirement. But Brian believes there is a much bigger conversation to be had, one that addresses the emotional, psychological and social changes that accompany leaving the workplace. And it is this approwch that prompted Standard Life to approach him to lead the campaign for more fulfilled retuirement.
Drawing on the work of psychologist William Glasser and his Choice Theory, Brian Mooney points to five fundamental human needs that continue to drive us throughout our lives: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom and fun.
These needs do not disappear when someone hands back their company car, clears their desk or attends their retirement party. Yet, he argues, people often plan for retirement as though they do.
“They’re thinking about the bucket list. They’re thinking about the pension, but they’re not thinking beyond that,” is how he describes the problem.
The danger is that someone can spend years looking forward to retirement, finally achieve it, take the holidays, enjoy the experiences and tick off the long-awaited adventures, only to find themselves wondering what comes next.
Monday morning
Six months later, the question can become a rather uncomfortable one: what am I supposed to do on Monday morning?
For many, work has provided much more than an income. It has supplied routine, friendships, recognition, a sense of achievement and, perhaps most importantly, an identity. We become the accountant, the bank manager, the managing director, the teacher or the journalist. Our professional identity becomes so embedded that we can struggle to imagine ourselves outside it.
Brian believes this is one of the greatest challenges facing people entering retirement, particularly as we are living considerably longer.
A generation ago, retirement might have been viewed as the final chapter of life. Today, someone retiring in their mid-sixties could have another 25 or 30 years ahead of them. That is potentially another working lifetime, and an enormous opportunity to discover new interests, develop fresh relationships and find a renewed sense of purpose.
“We have a lifetime of wisdom,” is essentially Brian’s message. Rather than viewing retirement as a gradual withdrawal from society, he believes people should consider how that accumulated experience can be put to new uses.
A former bank manager, for example, might discover a passion for local history and become a tour guide. Someone with decades of professional experience might find fulfilment in mentoring, education, volunteering or writing. The possibilities are there, provided people have the confidence to explore them.
But preparation also involves relationships. Retirement does not happen in isolation. A partner who has spent years enjoying their own routine and independence should not suddenly be expected to reorganise their life around someone who is now at home every day.
Brian believes couples need to have those conversations well before retirement arrives. What will this new freedom mean for both of us? What interests do we share? What activities might we pursue separately? How can we make this next phase enriching for both people?
It is also about having the courage to take that first small step towards a different identity. People should ask themselves what they have always wanted to explore, what interests they have neglected and what they might regret never attempting.
And that, perhaps, is the lesson Brian wants to bring to the over-50s audience. Retirement should not be about becoming a spectator in your own life. It should be an opportunity to reinvent yourself, draw on everything you have learned and find new ways to contribute.
But Brian Mooney’s contribution may prompt visitors to consider something that no financial adviser or holiday brochure can answer for them.
When the working life ends, the next life begins. The challenge is not simply to work out how to afford it, but to discover who you want to be.
And, just as he tells young students, the starting point is to find what gives you genuine satisfaction. It is never too late to follow that path.
— The Galway 50 Plus Show at the Salthill Hotel, in association with Specsavers Galway, will feature more than 70 displays, demonstrations, workshops and talks covering everything from health and financial planning to technology, travel, hobbies and volunteering. Sinead Ryan will also speak on wills, inheritance and the Fair Deal Scheme, while ALONE’s Hi Digital team will provide practical digital support. Admission is free, with the show open from 10am to 4pm on both days.
