There is nothing quite like the sensation of arriving. It is a moment of relief, like a deep breath at the end of a long day or at the beginning of a new one. The weight of the journey lifts off our shoulders and our efforts find their resting place. After all that has led us here, we can finally be still.
We tend to spend our lives chasing that next moment of arrival, believing our peace or satisfaction is just around the corner, waiting for us. We convince ourselves that solving the next problem, achieving the next goal, or acquiring the next thing will finally bring us fulfillment. But when this moment comes, that long-awaited sense of satisfaction seems to quickly slip away. Where does it go? For many us, it’s been relegated to the future, held captive by the next hurdle or milestone on the horizon. We hold our dreams, hopes, and desires as these conditions, thinking only then will we be happy. Without much deliberation we find ourselves treating our current situation, the life we live today, as some means to an end. And that end becomes the unstable grip that we hold onto so tightly.
Where we often employ this strategy is in our relationship to work. Here “work” is not limited to our jobs merely. It encompasses anything we put effort into or invest our time in for some result, whether it be financial, emotional, or otherwise. The trouble arises when these outcomes, regardless of their form, become the core motivations behind our engagement with work and places completion, or quite often perfection, as the driving force. And this force causes us to rush to the finish even in the smallest of ways. But work is not something we can just escape from. Quite the opposite: work is essential to our growth as individuals and our progress as a collective. So we must ask ourselves, if there is no end to work, how can we possibly think that our happiness or sense of peace lies somewhere at the end of it all?
We tend to spend our lives chasing that next moment of arrival, believing our peace or satisfaction is just around the corner, waiting for us. We convince ourselves that solving the next problem, achieving the next goal, or acquiring the next thing will finally bring us fulfillment. But when this moment comes, that long-awaited sense of satisfaction seems to quickly slip away. Where does it go? For many us, it’s been relegated to the future, held captive by the next hurdle or milestone on the horizon. We hold our dreams, hopes, and desires as these conditions, thinking only then will we be happy. Without much deliberation we find ourselves treating our current situation, the life we live today, as some means to an end. And that end becomes the unstable grip that we hold onto so tightly.
Where we often employ this strategy is in our relationship to work. Here “work” is not limited to our jobs merely. It encompasses anything we put effort into or invest our time in for some result, whether it be financial, emotional, or otherwise. The trouble arises when these outcomes, regardless of their form, become the core motivations behind our engagement with work and places completion, or quite often perfection, as the driving force. And this force causes us to rush to the finish even in the smallest of ways. But work is not something we can just escape from. Quite the opposite: work is essential to our growth as individuals and our progress as a collective. So we must ask ourselves, if there is no end to work, how can we possibly think that our happiness or sense of peace lies somewhere at the end of it all?
This way of thinking is not unfounded. Over generations, this perspective has been passed down, most commonly through the traditional understanding of the word “retirement”. For many, this word carries so many emotions and often a tenderness that is all too dangerous to touch. Some count down to that moment while others fear of being pushed out, losing connection to something greater and becoming a lost piece to the puzzle. The word has become wrapped up in a promise that we will be deserving of peace once our work is complete, once we reach that age, or once we've done enough.
And this framework has not only pushed fulfillment to some later date but has created an unusual & harmful way of measuring the value of an individual. On this scale, our worth becomes based on how much we produce, and then how much we acquire – furthering this pursuit of something “out there” and separating those who deserve it from those who don’t. It's what causes us to miss out on our lives and the people in it because we're lost in some idea of a distant future where we, or our role in this world, is worth something.
What if we considered a different approach? What if, instead of looking ahead, we anchored ourselves in this very moment? What if we chose to redefine what we mean by RETIREMENT?
And this framework has not only pushed fulfillment to some later date but has created an unusual & harmful way of measuring the value of an individual. On this scale, our worth becomes based on how much we produce, and then how much we acquire – furthering this pursuit of something “out there” and separating those who deserve it from those who don’t. It's what causes us to miss out on our lives and the people in it because we're lost in some idea of a distant future where we, or our role in this world, is worth something.
What if we considered a different approach? What if, instead of looking ahead, we anchored ourselves in this very moment? What if we chose to redefine what we mean by RETIREMENT?
The first step is a letting go. It’s not about giving up, checking out, or forgoing progress. Rather it’s about releasing our tight grip on outcomes and their apparent promises, falling back into the present reality of our lives, where happiness and a sense of fulfillment exist free from attachment to any future. We can recognize that this moment is enough, ripe with a beauty that pervades our experience and inspires our next step forward.
In this state of presence, there exists a greater willingness to exercise our curiosity; to create out of wonder for what’s possible, not out of what’s expected. We can embrace creation for its own sake, finding joy and fulfillment in the act itself rather than the resulting outcome. This allows for creative expression that seeks no end because it is deeply honest with what’s here, reflecting more of ourselves and the potentiality of our current situation. It’s in this space that we can innovate, dream, and connect with the world through our work as we seek to contribute to its progress.
But we recognize that this is not easy. We naturally desire security, control, and a sense of safety. Our way of working towards some end satisfies this need for stability. By letting go, we inevitably give up many of these comforts that keep us rooted amongst the chaotic and ever-changing world.
We cannot do this alone. This is a collective effort, where we find security in the foundation of our relationships and empowerment through our mutual support. We show one another that there is no other place we ought to be, no thing we need to give away, no happiness we need to set aside for a later day. We recognize that our value is not based on any metric of output, status, or money but is inherent in our shared existence with one another. We encourage each individual to find their unique way of expression, play, and work so that we may promote a greater understanding of the diverse contributions that make up our collective unity. The power of cultural change can only come from our togetherness and our commitment to have a conversation around where RETIREMENT shows up in our lives.
In this state of presence, there exists a greater willingness to exercise our curiosity; to create out of wonder for what’s possible, not out of what’s expected. We can embrace creation for its own sake, finding joy and fulfillment in the act itself rather than the resulting outcome. This allows for creative expression that seeks no end because it is deeply honest with what’s here, reflecting more of ourselves and the potentiality of our current situation. It’s in this space that we can innovate, dream, and connect with the world through our work as we seek to contribute to its progress.
But we recognize that this is not easy. We naturally desire security, control, and a sense of safety. Our way of working towards some end satisfies this need for stability. By letting go, we inevitably give up many of these comforts that keep us rooted amongst the chaotic and ever-changing world.
We cannot do this alone. This is a collective effort, where we find security in the foundation of our relationships and empowerment through our mutual support. We show one another that there is no other place we ought to be, no thing we need to give away, no happiness we need to set aside for a later day. We recognize that our value is not based on any metric of output, status, or money but is inherent in our shared existence with one another. We encourage each individual to find their unique way of expression, play, and work so that we may promote a greater understanding of the diverse contributions that make up our collective unity. The power of cultural change can only come from our togetherness and our commitment to have a conversation around where RETIREMENT shows up in our lives.
We need look no further than the experience of dance. Through all of its twists, turns, dips, and swings, we always find ourselves right back where we started; now transformed, having touched into an honest expression and deep joy in the process. We forget there is any other place to be or problem to solve, driven by feelings too powerful to put off for a later date. And we remember that there are no limits to where these feelings can take us – if we can just let go of the presumed end that lay in our sights and be open to the possibility that we have already arrived.
