Helping a client rediscover purpose and fulfilment after retirement

I'd like to thank Barry for allowing me to share his story with you. He is remarkable in the way he has turned his life around ....

After a long career in engineering, Barry decided to retire when the company closed his office. But adjusting to life outside of work was a struggle – he found it difficult to fill his days and he lost the sense of purpose his job had given him.

With the right guidance and support, Barry discovered a new passion that’s now helping him to grow his skills and find fulfilment in the next stage of his life.

The problem

For many years, work had been the central focus of Barry’s life – and without it, he felt lost. Apart from going to the gym a few times a week, he had little else to fill his time, and soon after retiring, he began to feel bored, listless and unmotivated.

With no family or hobbies to engage him, Barry found himself spending hours aimlessly browsing the internet. He was aware that his day-to-day life lacked meaning, and without a plan or clear direction for the future, he feared that the depression he’d experienced earlier in his career would return.

Desperate to regain the sense of purpose he’d found through work, but unsure how, Barry reached out to me to help him navigate this challenging period in his life.

The solution

Through a series of one-to-one coaching sessions, I helped Barry to change his perception of retirement – from something he dreaded to an opportunity to reconnect with himself and to rediscover what brought him joy.

Together, we identified Barry’s key strengths and transferable skills, and the activities that motivated him and made him happy. We talked about new experiences he’d like to pursue, as well as the things he’d rather avoid. We also considered his blind spots – I asked him what he thought about himself and others, and encouraged him to reflect on whether these beliefs were true.

Barry was surprised at what these conversations uncovered, and this moved him from a fixed mindset to one that was open to new possibilities.

The turning point

It was with this new, positive mindset that Barry chanced upon a video on YouTube of an amateur watch repairer, who bought old watches and restored them to full working order. He found it fascinating, and after watching several more videos on the subject decided to take it up as a hobby.

Barry was able to apply the mechanics and electronics skills he’d developed in his engineering career to his new pastime, and it wasn’t long before he’d moved on from fixing mechanical watches to quartz watches.

At the same time, he was learning and refining other skills; both mental – such as planning, problem-solving and discipline – and physical, like hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.

The results

Barry now spends much of his time happily repairing old watches and feels content with his life. He appreciates having the freedom to choose how he spends his time and is excited about exploring new activities and travelling more in the future.

When he first began his new hobby, he experienced some anxiety – was he doing it right? Was he any good at it? Was it supposed to be enjoyable? But through perseverance, he was able to overcome these worries.

He also learnt to be patient (so much better to work out the root cause of a jammed watch part, rather than using brute force!) and this has helped him in many other areas of his life.

Now, his attitude to starting new things is: ‘It’s never going to be as bad as you think, so go ahead and try it!’

?What Barry says …

“I’m so glad I reached out to Katherine. She’s an attentive listener, who took the time to truly understand my needs. Through our sessions, she helped me to discover what genuinely makes me happy, and the structured approach made it easy to apply what we’d discussed. By the end of our last session, I felt confident and raring to go. I encourage anyone in a similar position to get in touch with her.”

Barry’s story proves that retirement doesn’t have to feel like the end of your world.

With the right support and guidance, you can find a new purpose in life – and look forward to the next exciting chapter! Please get in touch if you are struggling with your career or retirement. I am here to listen and support you through it.