What Year 1 of Retirement Looks Like: Being Amazing

In case you want to catch up with this LinkedIn series, links are below.

Part 1: Plan and Do the Big Adventure(s)

Part 2: The Power of the Pause, the Passion, and the Purpose

Part 3: A Life of Learning

Part 4: Finding the Joy in the Journey

Part 5, the final installment and the question that brought new light forward, below.

"What happened to you? You used to be so amazing?" Emphasis on 'used to be.'

If an old friend and fellow board member asked you that question, how would you respond? It's a question that has haunted me since it was asked. And because it has haunted me, there has to be some truth in there somewhere or something that needs resolution. Knowing I am a part of a faith-based and wisdom-filled group of incredible coaches, I decided to post the question and some of my thoughts in their group and gather their insights. I didn't see the original question coming and I certainly did not see the overflow of powerful guidance coming from that grounded and gifted group of coaches.

'Being amazing.' It's this very subject that plagued me my entire career, my entire life. And here we are, in 'retirement,' and it's popping up again!

I'm in another group of top notch, high performing, incredibly accomplished career women. They are the kind of leaders that aren't just breaking barriers, they are shattering ceilings, they are delivering big results, they are sitting on boards, they are changing outcomes, they are moving industries. They define the word 'amazing' and the word 'incredible.' And I often wonder how the heck I got invited into that group.

Both of these groups have added such richness and value to my life and I am grateful to learn from them. I am often stunned by the barriers they have overcome to land where they have landed. I am often in awe of their resilience, self-confidence, and insightfulness that guided them into building their incredible lives, both at work and at home. Which brings me back to 'being amazing.'

It's the third and final group I will share about today that has also turned around my viewpoint on retirement and on creating your next chapter. It's a small group of talented women, instructors and friends. All entrepreneurs. All in various phases of their business building - from seasoned to newbies. From multimillion-dollar founders to first offer just unleashed entrepreneurs. All bold and unafraid. And yes, they also define 'being amazing.' I've featured many of them in The Daily Good, which is my tribute to game changing female innovators using AI to bring goodness into the world.

One woman in particular shared with me, 'until you clean up the head trash, you'll never feel amazing or believe in yourself.' She was right. Great advice at any age and any phase of your career. She sees it over and over again, particularly in high achieving, type A women. Lizz Smoak is a legend. Don't know her yet? She's right here on LinkedIn .

What does this have to do with year 1 of retiring? Everything. What you think, especially about yourself, drives those emotions and resulting actions. Too woo woo? Let me put it another way. If, when you retire, you believe you have fallen off the earth, you will do just that. If, when you retire, you believe no one will need your skills or background, that will also come true. But if you believe in all the amazing experience and learnings you have accumulated over the years, and that they just might be helpful to someone else....well, you can just guess what will happen.

So, was I amazing and now that I've left a long corporate career, I'm not? Truth is, I don't know. I never really considered myself amazing in my career. I considered myself lucky, hardworking, and grateful. And I do know that everyone has gifts to contribute. I do know empathy, innovation, leadership and emotional intelligence were gifts I contributed along the way. I do know that most of my CEO's gave me just that feedback. One Fortune 500 CEO I talked to a few weeks ago told me, 'If you decide to consult, please make it leadership and people focused - it's your gift.'

Retirement can be what you want it to be. My biggest learning this year is to find the right team, the right coaches, the right groups, the right tools, the right resources - and most importantly the right beliefs. For me, it was leaning into these three groups, unlocking new strategic tools with AI learnings, and getting super healthy and strong. For me, as I close out year 1 of retirement and morph it into consulting that lights me up, and makes a difference for others, I believe I am just beginning to unlock what it means to 'be amazing.'

If you want to learn more, feel free to come visit me and Lizz at the Maiden Agency. Retirement is not what it used to be. Building your next big corporate move is not what it used to be either. We have the research, the knowledge, the coaches and the network to move you forward. And unlocking the power of your own emotional intelligence combined with AI tools opens up a whole new world. Your next bold move is waiting for you.

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