A new look at retirement

Retirement needs a do-over, according to Concord-based consultant and author Tom Wilson. In fact, he prefers to call it the “next stage.”

In Wilson’s new book,Next Stage, In your retirement, Create the Life You Want, he argues that leaving your job at the end of your career isn’t what it used to be. He calls it “reinventing adulthood,” one of 10 stages of life outlined in his book.

“You realize you have this freedom,” he said from his Concord home. “It’s exciting and scary. You’re not beholden to a boss or a deadline anymore. It’s the most unique time in life.”

Statistically, he said 10,000 people turn 65 every day, and there are 55 million people between 55 and 75, most of whom must figure out what the next 20 years have in store.

Wilson, 71, found that researching the themes for his book came about naturally. He is part of the wave of seventy-somethings who are changing the concept of life after work.

He spent many years growing his compensation and incentive consulting firm, eventually selling the firm to two of his employees who now look to him for advice and counsel.

Wilson grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, learning life lessons from his family, including one about fear from his part-Cherokee godmother.

“She said, ‘if you’re crossing a raging river on horseback, focus on a point on the horizon, not the water beneath you,’” Wilson said. He returns to that advice more frequently now as he plans how to use the next decade or two.

“You want to get clear about what is important in life,” he said. “You can’t be stupid about it, but you can be optimistic.”

Wilson moved to Concord about 40 years ago after college at SMU in Dallas, Texas and business school at Vanderbilt, in Tennessee. While in Nashville, he talked the B-school dean into starting a co-op program (a la Northeastern), and was able to earn enough money to pay his tuition.

He loves Concord for its natural beauty, and its remarkable literary history.

He said when he needs to solve a problem, he will often walk in Fairyland or Walden Woods with his dog, Ollie, where he swears he hears the voices of Alcott, Thoreau and Emerson, who also walked there.

In practical terms, he said retirement is about “reinventing adulthood,” a natural stage between “pinnacle adulthood,” the period when people may reach the height of their careers, and “consolidating adulthood,” when “time is less focused on the future and more focused on the present and the past.”

He advocates drawing up a “personal master plan” of goals for motivation. And he said it is important to create a sense of urgency.

“Don’t wait, don’t put it off for another day,” said Wilson. “Without deadlines, or a report that is due, it’s not going to happen unless you make it happen.”

His research tells him strong personal ties are the key to a healthy life when no longer working, and advises repairing any fraught relationships.

He said a man came up to him after a talk he gave and said, “my sister lives less than a mile away and I haven’t talked to her for 10 years. Now I will.”

Another recommendation is to accept limitations but not give up on one’s goals. He told the story of wanting to renew his interest in whitewater canoeing after age 60, so he took a challenging course in northern New England. Once he completed it, he was satisfied that he could do it, but knew he couldn’t pursue the sport as avidly as he once had.

Wilson is upbeat about the post-career years.“I know who I am, finally,” he said. “I’m a triple A. An author, adviser and adventurer.”