Finding a new reason for being beyond your career and raising children can seem like a daunting task. And while there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to defining your purpose in retirement, setting aside some time to answer the following three questions is an excellent place to start.

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

1. What energises you?
Is there something you love doing or a particular subject you find yourself talking about to your spouse or a friend?

2. Is there a cause you feel passionately about?
Think about what it is that tugs hardest at your heart strings. Is it the plight of the disadvantaged or disabled? Do you wish there was some way you could help children in difficult situations? Or perhaps you’d love the opportunity to work with animals.

3. What skills do you have to offer?
Think about your specific skill set and how you might be able to use it to teach, tutor, motivate or mentor others.

What next?

With your answers in hand, you’re now well placed to start plotting your next steps. Here are a few of the opportunities you may want to consider:

Volunteering

Giving back to the community is a meaningful way to add purpose to your life, especially if you’ve identified a cause that resonates with you. Take some time to investigate charities in your area that address your chosen cause and decide how much time you’re able to give each week or month. Forgood.co.za is a wonderful initiative that connects people to causes around South Africa. What’s more, if you have a specific contribution you’d like to make, for example you’d love to knit toys for a children’s home, Forgood encourages you to create an offer and then connects you with a charity that will benefit.

Family

Are you a grandparent? Perhaps you could offer to fetch your grandchildren from school once or twice a week, transport them to their extramural activities, or spend an afternoon every week baking or connecting with them. Alternatively, if you love cooking, making and freezing meals is a practical way to support your family, especially if both parents work full time.

Meeting people

If spending time with friends adds joy and meaning to your life, and your friendship circle has grown smaller because you’ve moved to a new community or old friends have moved away, make time to forge new friendships. Not sure where to begin? Here are a few practical ways to grow your social network and find that purpose in retirement.

Hobbies

Taking up or pursuing a hobby is a wonderful way to add purpose to your life and connect with like-minded individuals. Use your retirement years to get around to all those things you’ve always wanted to do, but never had enough time for – gardening, writing, carpentry, cooking, photography, sewing, painting, bird-watching, crocheting… the list goes on.

It all starts with a vibrant community…

Evergreen Lifestyle Villages offer residents an ideal environment in which to live with purpose in retirement. At the heart of every village is a warm, welcoming Lifestyle Centre, the perfect space to catch up with a friend or neighbour over a cup of coffee, play regular card games, or join one of the clubs, societies or special interest groups that meet regularly to discuss everything from books and bird-watching to walking and wine.