My colleagues at the Harvard Business School and I dedicated a decade to speaking with individuals in order to reveal the psychological, relational, and transformative aspects of their lives.
challenges of retiring
—and the most effective ways to maneuver through them.
We found out that questions around one’s identity often become significant for individuals. This tends to be particularly relevant during the initial stages of retirement, as they face decisions regarding the timing and manner of leaving their work life behind, and strive to emotionally disconnect from their professional journey.
These worries can be particularly challenging for those who
connect deeply with their work.
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In retirement, numerous queries may arise; foremost amongst these is ”
Is my savings sufficient?
Before clocking out for the day.
However, among the most significant questions is undoubtedly, “Who will I become once my work is gone?”
Here is my top guidance on how to address this for yourself.
To be truthful: Do you consider work as just an activity you engage in, or does it define your identity?
People who believe they haven’t strongly associated themselves with their profession over the years might still experience unexpected identity crises.
Consider Irene, among the 120 participants we tracked. Prior to retiring, she appreciated her role in the technology sector, got along well with her colleagues, and held her employer in high regard. However, her career did not define who she was. It still took her four years to finally make the decision to retire.
Whenever she posed the question to herself, “Why don’t you simply retire?” her response would be, “People tend to show more respect when you’re actively working. Perhaps less so once you stop.”
The notion of being a “successful career woman” was more significant to her than she had acknowledged.
What actions can one take when unable to completely define themselves outside of their profession?
- Begin by posing this self-reflection query to yourself: “Am I inclined to describe my occupation as merely something I do, or rather an integral part of who I am?” If your truthful response reveals that your profession defines your sense of self, recognizing this might assist you in evaluating how deeply entrenched your professional identity may hinder embracing a potentially enriching retired lifestyle, or at minimum, complicate the shift into retirement.
- Enumerate your primary self-identities alongside your key needs, principles, objectives, and inclinations—both how they stand now and how you envision them evolving in the near term. For instance, someone could identify themselves as a “leader,” “outgoing individual,” “parent,” “mentor,” prioritizing things like “social connections,” “personal growth,” and “purposeful engagement.”
Consider the elements of your current identity before retiring that you wish to maintain during your retired life. This concept is known as “identity bridging.”
Ways to close the identity gap between your working life and retirement
A former corporate executive known to us as Victor closely aligned himself with the role of a leader within his organization. After retiring from his job, he continued to embrace this sense of leadership by taking up a significant leadership role in his church shortly thereafter.
Shortly after stepping down from his role at the consultancy firm where he was a partner, one of our interview subjects, Jay, mentioned that his identity was tied up with what he did for work. During his extensive professional journey, he had either overlooked or failed to uncover who he truly was as an individual outside of his profession.
Gaining fresh insights or making discoveries turned into his major undertaking post-retirement.
Jay revived an inactive persona as a “hot rodder,” drawing from his younger days when he actively customized vintage vehicles, raced them, participated in rallies, and relished the sense of belonging within that close-knit group.
When he cut back his job hours to part-time for half a year, he purchased a hot rod and started modifying it. For Jay, this seemed like a crucial move towards uncovering his true self, free from work being a dominant factor in his daily life.
What about Irene? Shortly after she retired for good, she relocated to their getaway house near Cape Cod with her spouse who was still working. There, she managed the refurbishment of the property. In less than twelve months, she connected with an organization focused on protecting oceans and immersed herself in various aquatic pursuits. This led her to adopt a significant new role following retirement: becoming known as an “ocean person.”
In the end, when you delve into retirement planning, reflect on your current professional identity and decide which aspects of it you can carry forward. Also, determine what parts you wish to shed. Afterward, let your imagination run wild. Consider what fresh roles and personas you could embrace in this upcoming chapter of your life.
If you manage to accomplish this with honesty, you’ll be more likely to discover a fulfilling retirement ahead.
Teresa M. Amabile
She is the Emerita Edsel Bryant Ford Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. Teresa earned her Ph.D. in psychology from Stanford University, and
She is one of the authors of ”
Stepping Down: Crafting a Lifestyle That Suits You
.”
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Adapted from “Retiring: Crafting a Life That Suits You” by Teresa M. Amabile, Lotte Bailyn, Marcy Crary, Douglas T. Hall, Kathy E. Kram. Copyright © 2025 by Teresa M. Amabile et al. Reprinted with permission from Routledge. All rights reserved.
