1. **Retire earlier than you think you should.** 

I've interviewed over 90 guests on "I Used to be Somebody" and almost all say they wished they had ended their careers earlier. This includes me. Honestly, think about your Sunday nights or Monday mornings. Do you have the same enthusiasm to get to work that you used to have? My last 3 or 4 years of work, it felt more like a grind, but I ignored it. I wish I had listened to my "Monday gut" and I would have created an exit strategy earlier. 

2. **Stop calling it retirement!** 

I hate that "R" word. To me that means "You're done, you have nothing else relevant to contribute to the world." Which is why I call the phase after your primary career (un)retirement. It's a time of brand new possibility and personal reinvention! It's a time to explore new interests and fulfill new dreams.

3. **Figure out the money thing.** 

Figuring out if you have enough money to stop working full- time is pretty important. I talked to my financial advisor 5 years in advance. Don't be afraid to start figuring out your new life ahead of time. And although I know you're super-smart and everything, hire a certified pro. Plus, you can go into most financial planners and get an initial financial evaluation for free.

4. **Think about your future.**

If you retire in your 60's and you're in reasonable health, chances are you're going to live for decades more. Give some deep thought in ADVANCE about what you want to do next. Most people spend more time planning a 10-day vacation than how they want to live for the next 20+ years. 

5. **Don't jump off a cliff.**

One of the worst things you can do is have this hard-driving career for 25++ years and then just stop one day into the retirement abyss, telling yourself you'll be able to figure it all out when you have more time. DISASTER ALERT! It truly takes some serious commitment to figure out who you are outside of your career. But you're worth it!

6. **Try the gentle slope idea.**

If you're in the corporate world, maybe discuss with management about working into a part-time or consulting position. If you're an entrepreneur, go ahead and start off-loading responsibilities to staff. Or hire a consultant to figure out what part of your operation is more profitable and get rid of the part of the company that isn't successful. Do more mentoring and less "working."

I know my tips probably seem like added work when you're contemplating retirement. It's a big decision to end a career you've had for a long time. It might even feel kinda scary. But these tips are inspired by my discussions with over 90 successful people who have taken the time to do (un)retirement right!

Tags:    The Carl Diary   unretirement   retirement   retirement tips   future   strategy   I Used To Be Somebody  

In this week’s podcast, we talk with Michela O’Connor Abrams about facing life’s challenges head on and starting anew. Michela is the former CEO of Dwell Media, building the company from its early phase as a small magazine about esoteric design to an internationally recognized media brand. This was a huge achievement: The Internet has changed magazine publishing in dramatic ways and the brands that didn’t learn to develop new channels for their customer base sank quickly.

With Michela at the helm, Dwell became a 7-platform media brand. It’s known for showcasing gorgeous photography and innovative design and for bringing together architects, designers, and the trades in creating beautiful places to live.

Although there weren’t very many female CEOs 30+ years ago, Michela was a trailblazer in publishing. Prior to Dwell, Michela led companies from startup to exit and turnaround to high growth, at companies like IDG, Softbank, McGraw-Hill, Ziff Davis and Future Media.

Then four years ago, she faced the unimaginable. First, her mother unexpectedly was diagnosed with non-smoking lung cancer. Soon after that, one of her dearest friends died. Two weeks after that, her husband died, and then two weeks later her father died.

Flash forward to now. Michela says she is “emboldened and resilient.” She said it helped to imagine all four of her loved ones standing in front of her, telling her to go live her life with reckless abandon. “So that’s what I’m trying to do,” she says. I had to answer the question, “When, where and how do I recreate my future?”  

Looking forward, she has been eager to draw on her many years of leadership and coaching experience. Michela founded a new media company, MOCA+. Tapping into her vast experience and connections within the industry, she creates a team to help her clients depending on their need: Coaching, fine-tuning, pivoting, buying and selling. She’s loving it!

In her spare time, Michela serves on the board of Arcbazar and is an advisor to Turkel Design, Nebia, Aplat Inc., NextPlay, and NewStory. She is a sought-after speaker on leadership, design, and media and is always game to share her passion for good design and business innovation.

3 key takeaways on beginning anew from Michela:

1. You choose what “balance” is and what work you take on. There’s so much to get involved in, you have to decide what you really want for you—first.

2. Ask, “What’s my time worth?” Decide a price/value ratio that not only works for you but for the client as well.

3. Take enough time off. Michela says she jumped back in after only 2 months but wished she’d taken more time in between business ventures.

For the full interview, listen to I Used to be Somebody, Episode #6 with Michela O’Connor Abrams. For listening details go to our website.

To learn more about Michela check out her website.

Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the I Used to Be Somebody weekly blog.

Tags:    blog   interview   podcast   Michela OConnor Abrams   adversity   future   new beginning