A year ago, June 30, 2025, I retired from the full-time job I had for 14 years. I walked away from something I committed to with every fiber of my being. While I knew nothing about software when I started, I worked hard to become the #1 global sales rep. As a result, I made a good living. One that allowed me to walk away when things changed in ways I was no longer comfortable with.
There is no book that tells you how to prepare for retirement mentally or emotionally. Don’t get me wrong, it was the right decision. One that I have never had even a split second of regret for. I only wish I had been prepared for some of the emotional changes I would experience.
Let me start with the more challenging ones and then move on to the fun ones. For the first six months, the 15th and 30th of the month were tough. Those were the days I’d log into my bank account and see how much had been deposited. The 15th also included commissions, so I looked forward to that one most of all. Not only were there no deposits, money is now only being withdrawn. This definitely takes getting used to.
The next adjustment was being home all the time. Four months before retiring I was on the road weekly, and prior to that every other week. I was not the person that went to the grocery store and prepared meals for myself. I ate out while home as much as when I was on the road. There was sticker shock on grocery prices and the responsibility of having 3 meals a day. It may sound weird, but a life on the road creates a very different lifestyle and retirement required I create a new one.
As if all of this wasn’t enough, I found myself with relationships all over the world thanks to my love of travel and the people I meet. There were a chosen few to get together with for dinner, coffee or anything else. One of the biggest costs of my career choice was my social life when I was home. I was usually catching up on errands, things around the house that needed to be taken care of and normal day to day things people that don’t travel for work take care of without giving it a second thought.
Now comes the fun stuff. I have had a blast joining all kinds of groups and meeting lots of interesting people. Groups like Cool Retired Women, Atlanta Women Who Love Travel, North Georgia Singles Over 50 and several others. I even started hosting monthly dinners for one of the groups. Some weeks are so busy I need a day of rest. I’m still figuring out how to balance this with other obligations.
I forgot to mention that I started my own one-person business to leverage all the connections I made in my last career. I didn’t want to completely leave the business world, just the one I was in. It is something I only plan to do part-time, but like any new venture, it takes more time at the beginning. This has proven to be quite interesting since I have never done anything like this before. I’ve made mistakes and hopefully will learn from them the first time.
Travel feels different. I don’t have to think about how much time off I have. I can go when I want and manage my business meetings around my travels. Depending on where I am going, I work while away or may choose not to. There is a sense of freedom that I have never experienced.
Having choices has been the greatest gift of all. I can sleep in if I want, get up early, make plans to do fun things or stay home and read a book. I missed out on so much over the years and can’t take it back. I’ve had a wonderful time making memories while watching kids grow up and creating deeper bonds with people I love.
Gd has put so many incredible new people in my life this past year. Having time to feed those relationships and see what happens has been such a gift. The last 365 days have helped me learn more about myself, grow and build connections and see wonderful places both in the US and abroad. I can’t wait to see what the next year brings.
