Retirement never quite agreed with Richard Smith.

“You move to Florida, you play golf, you go to the beach, and you get on your wife’s nerves,” he says. “I decided pretty quickly I had to do something else.”

For Mr. Smith, that “something else” turned out to be not a weekly bridge game or a model-airplane hobby, but a Ph.D. in American history. For the next several years, he chipped away at the required coursework, archival research, and finally, the grandfather of all academic projects: a book-length dissertation.

The effort paid off in August, when, at the age of 87, he received his doctorate from Florida International University, becoming the oldest graduate in the institution’s history.

(For the full article, visit The Chronicle for Higher Education)

I am very much a workaholic, constantly pre-occupied with my work.  One day, I woke up and decided I needed to change my routine.  I enrolled in an art class.

My journey began with watercolour painting and I  was surprised by the scientific approach taken to create something artistic.  But it bode well for me, and that  is when I discovered my “talent.”  I amazed myself by producing an array of “beautiful” art pieces.  They  were adjudged to be so good that a local art gallery  invited me to showcase my pieces.
I was proud of my progress and was motivated to continue sharpening my skills.  In no time, I began singing the mantra “everyone can paint.”  It all boiled down to technique and practice.  It was about taking something I like and replicating it.  I was getting really good at it.  I felt good being recognized and commended for my talent.

Deep down inside though, I felt trapped as I was nothing more than a great “copycat.”  I was a diligent pupil and followed the rules of watercolour painting to a tee.  I am probably better than average, but I was nothing special.

Disheartened, I decided to rediscover myself.  I wanted to unravel the creative secrets, to explore new perspectives and experience new possibilities.  I decided to step out of my comfort zone and I began oil painting lessons.

My new teacher taught me to look at an object, and to make it come alive on my canvas.  For my first attempt, I was given an apple to paint.  I thought it would be easy, until I had to battle with different lighting angles.  After several lessons, I went to class only to find that my apple had been eaten!  The significance was far-reaching for a then beginner like me.  I had to continuously adapt myself to the changes that affected the apple.  It has taken me months and it is still an unfinished piece!

Following my experience with the “apple,” I became more adventurous.  I enrolled in acrylic classes.  I thought it was just more art lessons but to my surprise, I got something I did not bargain for – a new and fun creative experience!

I always prided myself upon having an end in mind and I put in a lot of effort to plan my journey.  My art teacher challenged my conventions to not only produce masterpieces but also to take the road less taken, towards self-discovery.  The tangible outcome was immaterial.

My acrylic lessons turned out to be a life‐changing experience.  I underwent a total paradigm shift.  The sessions evolved into my personal creativity journey. Each lesson taught me something new because it forced me out of my comfort zone.  I took risks and squeezed every single drop of my creative juices onto bare canvas.  I exercised my right brain like never before, and the more I did, the better I felt.

Now, I am an “artist” in my own right.  Every piece I paint is my masterpiece.  There is no other like mine.  Over two years have passed, and I have matured from merely deriving pleasure from seeing and showing off my completed “masterpieces,” to discovering the powerful lessons in art that have changed my life.

It is about CREATIVITY and ME!

Two weekends spent sharing the above topic. I walked away satisfied as it was well received by the 14 participants who gave up their weekends to be with me. Yes – only 14!

I am a champion of this – better late than never! But this time I beg to defer – the reality is, in this particular instance, many are too late! Each time I conduct a training session for “Plan now for your retirement” many of the participants are weeks or months away from their retirement. They come because they were selected by virtue of their age and / or to meet their mandatory training hours. They leave the session wishing they had come earlier. What can I say but better late than never!

I congratulated these special 14 who paid on their own to be there. In fact, I candidly mentioned that they are the ones who are ready for it! The 30 to 40 years of our working career is to prepare us for the next transition or the next phase of our life. It is NOT about doing nothing – we retire from our job BUT we don’t retire from life!

Having had similar speaking engagements in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, as well as having worked closely with students from the UK, US and Australia, I realized we have a UNIVERSAL PROBLEM – fresh graduates are ill-prepared for the “harsh” realities of the world of work and business. In my professional experience, I have come across fellow professionals who chose to remain status quo despite the whiplash of change that stare right into their eyes. Furthermore, with little or no effort to learn new skill sets to remain relevant in the marketplace, retirees who are not mentally, physically, emotionally and financially ready for their golden years have sought my counsel.

My motto – Start right so that you have a higher chance of ending right. So, what must we do? Let me share with you some of my thoughts:

Accidental future vs planned future – Accidental career vs planned career
Let me paint you a scenario – the moment we graduate we apply for a job and the next thing we know 20 years has passed us by. Suddenly, a sense of reality emerges and we find ourselves caught for “it is not a job we like”… too bad it is too late to do anything; it is too late to change! Many people out there are facing this predicament, what I often refer to as the “trapped generation”. Frustrated we may be but, still too afraid to change the status quo.

In The Straits Times article dated August 5, 2008 “50% of workers regret choice of study”. Kelly Services reports: “Many Australian workers regret their education and job choice according to new international survey”. I have no doubt in my mind that these people will become the future “trapped generation”.

I was no different from everyone else. In my younger days I wanted to be a teacher, a uniformed officer, a graphic designer, a stage actress, and the list goes on. But never had I dreamed of starting my own business. It took me 15 years to realize I was in a dilemma – I had a good paying job, well respected by many but I wasn’t sure I liked it anymore. Yet, I couldn’t exactly say I hated it too. That put me in a limbo for it dawned on me that I invested so many years into a profession that was merely an accidental career.

Start right by PLANNING your future and PLANNING your career. Don’t join the many who, at best, accept or tolerate their career. It is no fun! Start right, if not immediately, quickly so that you can achieve your career goals and derive more satisfaction in what you enjoy doing.

A Career Of Choice – is not one that is dictated by your qualifications, training or your past. That is the traditional approach. I would like you to approach your career journey with this in mind – what are your qualities, what do you like, what are you passionate about – it is the ability to capitalize on your strengths and passion that is going to make a difference in your life – that will make you successful. Use your qualifications to help you pursue what you like successfully. For example, I may be pursuing a finance qualification but it does not stop me from joining the musical theatre industry. This is precisely what my colleague, an ex-research head of a brokering house did – pursued his passion which is now translated in him being one of the owners of a successful local production house. An envy of many as he can pursue his passion by capitalizing on his technical qualifications and experiences namely using the same vigour and meticulous research skills to write, create and produce musicals and plays. He is at his epitome of his career – a career of choice!

So I finally decided I will just share – I will share my journey of interesting insights, thoughts and books I read. Hopefully it will excite you!

British, Paddy Jones, has other ideas. At the age of 75, she’s salsa dancing her way to big money.

I’m enjoying a great start to the new year – I am going to Beijing, China!

I’ll be there for a training assignment in the first week of January.  Weather forecast – COLD!  I’m not sure I look forward to the cold but I will definitely have fun while working.

Cheers!

I am so glad I started blogging in 2009 and will celebrate my last post for the year by closing up the chapter on networking.

The crux of networking is this – we don’t network when we need to; we network so that when we need it, our network is already there.

Networking is about sincerity, and contribution, and building relationships. However, that does not give you the right to ask for a favour or help directly. Bear in mind that your contact may be put off by it. How would you feel if someone you had not seen nor heard from for decades calls you up asking for a favour?

So remember, there are some golden rules to adhere to:

• Ask for his / her advice, views, and recommendations
• Never expect the contact to offer you his / her help as though it is your right to it.
• Never use a contact’s name without his or her permission.
• Never betray the contact’s trust by revealing confidential or sensitive information which you have learned from him or her.
• Start NOW – it is never too late to do it RIGHT!

Good luck, good health and Happy New Year 2010 to you!

These have taken me a while to complete because I missed many lessons due to work. But here’s a preview of the pieces I’ve done in the last few months.

My response is there are two sides to the coin. Where I am coming from, networking is about being professional, about contributing and competency; it is about walking your talk; contributing first before you can call upon your network to advice and help you (should you one day need it!); giving without expecting anything in return.

I often highlight that people in your network, or the ones that you are networking with, are neither naïve nor myopic. Their understanding of networking is not negative unless that is clearly your intent – going out there to benefit only yourself, your selfish agenda. People can usually see through such selfish behavior and this is often the cause of broken relationships. Appreciate that you have to contribute, and that you have something to contribute to your network. Genuine networking is reciprocal and symbiotic.

What is the process?

Networking comprises of three simple steps:

1. Re-establishing “old” relationships with your retired friends, ex-school / college mates, professional and social contacts. These are the people who already know you.For retirees-to-be, it is inevitable that the people who will help you are the people whom you know. They are the ones who will take the effort because they are aware of your capability and competence. Start now and continue to stay in touch with your network even after you retire. You may decide you want to get back into some form of employment or start a small business. Keep your options open.

   Creating new networks beyond your natural network, especially for those who are serious about starting a small business. You cannot merely rely on your natural network.

   Just a couple of months back one of my participants shared about her interest in viewing new property launches. She has been doing it for the last three years. She is now confidently knowledgeable about the types of properties available, locations, and pricing. She even has an Excel spreadsheet tabulated to gauge property price fluctuations over a period of time.

   That is what I call passion. She plans to be a property agent when she “retires”. Her only concern is that she needs to build a wider network than existing one. She jokingly mentioned that she cannot possibly be selling her parents’ home, her siblings’ homes and friends’ homes. She has to network beyond her natural network.

   You can start with the people in your address / phone book, the name cards you have collected, your professional associates, ex-colleagues, customers / suppliers of companies you worked for, fellow course / seminar participants, relatives, friends and buddies, school / college mates, your doctor, lawyer, remisier, broker, banker, and anyone else you know, for that matter.

2. Maintaining the network via a systematic approach to building relationships. Most of us are probably familiar with the saying “out of sight, out of mind”. That is precisely what happens when we do not stay in touch. So the million dollar question how can I cope with having to consistently manage so many of my contacts?

   In today’s world of Internet connectivity, staying in touch has been made easier. We can use email, various social networking sites, text messaging, or whatever else that you are most comfortable with. In the past, it was a task, for staying in touch meant having to chat up contacts via landlines (think telephone) and visitations.

   Whom should I maintain a relationship with? How often? When?

   The answer to these questions is a system / schedule that you have to develop for yourself following the suggestions below:

   • Classify and rank network by importance (for example A being the most and C being the least) to your business / career objectives. The rationale for ranking is for the purpose of allocating time and resources in managing the relationship.
   • Set a schedule of activities to manage the network. The frequency at which you keep in touch with individuals in your network will again depend on their importance. For example, for “group A” – quarterly, “group B” – semi-annually, and “group C” – annually (and the best time would be during the holidays and festivities).
3. Tapping your network – earning the right to do business with / ask for a favour. Until and unless you nurture and maintain your relationships, it will be difficult to tap on any of your relationships when the need arises.

   I have been abundantly blessed, as a retiree, to be able to tap on my network for opportunities to do what I enjoy. Former colleagues have invited me to train in the organizations they are with now, professors that I have maintained relationships with have given me opportunities to help their students better prepare themselves for the world of work and business, my well connected friends who helped me when I lost my international passport… and the list goes on.

I don’t think I need to emphasize the importance and the benefits of networking again. So friends, work on re-establishing / creating your network; maintain it so that when you need it you can call upon your network to help you. Happy networking!