Ever ask a recently retired person how they’re doing? You probably heard something like, “I’m so busy I don’t know how I ever found time to go to work!” We’ve all heard it, or perhaps even said it.

I enjoyed some meaningful interaction with readers on last week’s topic of ambition. I hope these posts can be the catalyst for important dialogue, both in your own mind, with trusted friends, and with this community.

“What is your relationship with ambition?” For several weeks now, I’ve been asking this question of clients and friends. Understanding ambition has become the focal point of my curiosity. The most common response has been, “Wow. I’ve never thought about it,” followed by a lengthy pause.

The issue of identity may not come up much in day to day life, but it’s core to our work at Second Rodeo. It’s particularly relevant for people whose primary profession tended to provide an easy source for that identity.

“I’m Demaryius Thomas, and I’ve finally come to a decision to hang it up. I’m going to retire, and I’m going to retire a Denver Bronco…

Ever notice how much of our lives we spend wishing we were at a different place on life’s timeline? When I was a child, I thought teenagers were the coolest people ever. I couldn’t wait to drive and have a girlfriend.

I’ve been slowly reading and reflecting on a book I first read in a philosophy class 40 years ago, Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl, an Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist, and philosopher. Prior to the war his primary focus was in the areas of depression and suicide.

Ever ask someone who’s been retired a year or so, “How are you doing?” The typical answer is, “I’m so busy I don’t know how I ever had time to go to work!” Think about that.

Occasionally we reflect on the lives of real people whose greatest impact came later in life. This week we look at John Glenn–war hero, astronaut, business leader, congressman, and public servant.

As we continue to grow our community, it feels important to periodically revisit our purpose and practices. A Second Rodeo is our term for a purposeful lifestyle characterized by deep satisfaction in how I spend my time and energy.

Twenty years ago, I wrote a book on finishing well, not just in a career, but in life. That book is no longer in print and was never a best seller. Still, that book means a lot to me because it marks the beginning of my own desire to live with a different perspective–shifting the focus away from self and instead focusing on making a difference in the lives of others and the world at large.

In a “truth is stranger than fiction” story last week, Beyhan Mutlu was having a good time, drinking with friends in the Bursa province of Turkey. After one too many, he stumbled off into the woods and disappeared.

I was recently looking for a tape measure, so I went to the junk drawer in our kitchen. If you are too fancy to know what a junk drawer is, it’s a catch-all place for all the little stuff you might need someday that has no home of its own.

You’ve probably read the same articles I’ve seen in recent weeks about the massive shift in American attitudes toward work, triggered by the COVID pandemic.