Are you the job? If you are then what are you going to be without a job? If you define yourself by work, well then that’s another thing all together.
My wife has an 86 year old aunt who works for the Social Security System. Without that job she’d be dead. Remember Woody Hayes, legendary football coach of Ohio Say. I don’t think he lasted a month after he retired. Died of a heart attack as I remember. Off hand, I don’t think those situations are healthy.
When I talk about a job, I mean something you do for pay for someone else, sleeves rolled up type of work. I don’t mean the senior member of a law firm stopping in at a 11 and leaving at 2.
In the past men have always had a job identification problem when they retired. Now, with so many women in the workforce it is becoming more prevalent with women also.
Understanding the relationship between how you define yourself and your job isn’t something you should put off until the day after you retire. It’s not an simple question. A more interesting question and a corollary is “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Answer the one and you may answer the other.
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