I've had a number of clients who no longer needed to work for financial compensation. In some cases this was the result of a landmark event, such as the sale of their company. In others there was simply the realization that they'd reached the point where they were unlikely to spend more than they currently possessed. Although chance always plays a role in human affairs, and all of these people could consider themselves lucky in various ways, they didn't achieve this milestone by accident. They worked hard to get there, typically for years on end, and yet many were somewhat surprised by what they found when they finally arrived.
We have a number of preconceived notions about what it would be like to not have to work, and they're often some form of "life as permanent vacation." That's certainly what some people do when they realize a windfall, and if it brings them joy, then good for them. But that's not what I've observed in my practice. It turns out that many people who've worked hard their entire careers have a finite capacity for being on vacation. And even if they deliberately pursued a lucrative path, the realization of financial freedom didn't necessarily affect the deeper motivations that drove them as professionals. So what do you need when you don't need the money?
A team of Swedish and American researchers provided some answers to this question via a longitudinal study of a group of workers who were in their mid-60s, concluding nearly a decade later when almost all of the subjects were retired and none were working full-time. [1] Most of my clients who no longer needed to work are younger, and none of them permanently retired, although some took an extended break. But the study's conclusions are consistent with my clients' experiences, suggesting that not needing to work has some typical effects no matter what the cause, at least for some subset of the population. So if you find yourself in similar circumstances, consider the following factors:
Obligations
The study of retirees found that some people were surprised to discover that they missed having any external demands imposed upon them by work: "They expected that the lack of such demands would give them more control over their own time. They also anticipated that a lack of demands would make life less stressful and, thereby, preferable... Surprisingly, the absence of external demands among these participants felt like a void in their lives." [2]
My clients who no longer need to work undeniably value having more autonomy in determining how to spend their time. This includes both the "freedom to" invest in personal pursuits, such as time with family or travel, as well as the "freedom from" onerous professional duties, such as resolving conflicts or...travel. [3] And yet they reliably find that having no obligations at all "feels like a void." The fulfillment derived from the ability to choose how to spend our time is not unlimited, and in some cases we don't resent obligations--we require them.
Contrast
Some study participants were also surprised to find that certain activities they previously experienced as rewarding no longer had the same effect: "Before retirement, going [to his summer cottage] allowed him to escape the demands of the workweek and to rest and relax; it was a well-earned retreat before the next period of work. But once he no longer worked, going to the cottage did not feel the same. The joy of relaxing and well-earned rest was, to his surprise, no longer present." [4]
Many of my clients report a similar shift. Rewarding activities don't entirely lose their savor, but they're less reliable sources of pleasure and rejuvenation. This may simply be a matter of insufficient contrast. The relief we experience when we turn away from onerous duties is part of what makes avocations and pastimes rewarding, and should those onerous duties come to an end, those avocations and pastimes now occupy a different space in our lives.
Colleagues
The study results highlight the unique role played by colleagues: "After retiring, some participants came to realize that their relationships with coworkers were of a specific type that could not be re-created in relationships with friends and neighbors... The problem was not that they lacked social involvement, but that the nature of social contact had partly changed, leaving one type of social experience out of their narratives... It came to most as a kind of 'revelation' that their previous relationships at work had been quite special and could not be readily replaced." [5]
My work with clients invariably involves their difficulties with colleagues--it's not uncommon for that topic to be the primary focus of a coaching session. So it often feels liberating to be less dependent on colleagues or even entirely free of those relationships, at least for a period of time. But eventually this is also experienced as a gap or an insufficiency. Even as my clients enjoy the ability to spend more time with family and friends, they seek to sustain or recreate collegial relationships.
Engaging Occupations
These factors manifest in what the researchers describe as a profound need for engagement: "Here we refer to engagement as something that goes beyond ordinary daily experience. Engaging occupations are those that evoked a depth of passion or feeling... The presence or absence of engaging occupations appeared to be the main determinant of whether participants were able to achieve positive life experiences... Engaging occupations are done with great commitment, enthusiasm, perseverance and passion." [6] More specifically, engaging occupations possess several distinct characteristics:
- Meaning: "An engaging occupation was infused with positive meaning connected to interest (pleasure, challenge, enjoyment), personal causation (challenge, indication of one's competence), and value (something worth doing, important, contribution to family or society)."
- Intensity: "Engaging occupations were typically those that the participant did with some sort of regularity over the week; they were not sporadic. Moreover, engaging occupations were also long term in nature."
- Coherence: "The occupation might have begun as a single activity, but over time it became more intense and involved interrelated activities and projects."
- Duty: "The dutiful nature of such occupations was evident in their descriptions of how not all aspects of engaging in the occupation were pleasurable. In fact, the very nature of duty seemed to be connected to a willingness to fulfill the required duties whether or not one actually felt like it."
- Community: "Discussions about the occupation, planning future involvement, problem solving related to the occupation, and giving and taking advice from others about how to do the occupation contributed to the sense of community." [7]
It's clear that engaging occupations are a form of work, although I'm reminded that some years ago I first appreciated the difference between our work and our job:
We often talk about "my work" and "my job" as if they're interchangeable concepts, but it's important to distinguish between them. I define "work" as a vocation--a calling or a personal mission that provides us with an intrinsic sense of meaning and purpose. A "job," in contrast, is a set of responsibilities we fulfill in exchange for various forms of compensation. We get paid to do the job, but the work is its own reward. [8]
In short, when you don't need the money you no longer need a job, but you still need to work. You need not continue to work in the same capacity, and you may choose to take time away, to work less, to opt out of unpleasant tasks or taxing relationships. But you need an engaging occupation, and the absence of a financial imperative won't necessarily affect the many other needs that are filled by such an enterprise. Freud himself felt this need keenly, seeing patients until shortly before his death at age 83, even as he was suffering from cancer, and he touched on this theme at several points in his life:
I cannot imagine life without work as at all comfortable; giving my imagination free play and working coincide for me. [9]
No other technique for the conduct of life attaches the individual so firmly to reality as laying emphasis on work; for his work at least gives him a secure place in a portion of reality, in the human community. [10]
Footnotes
[1] Narratives and Experience in an Occupational Transition: A Longitudinal Study of the Retirement Process (Hans Jonsson, Staffan Josephsson, and Gary Kielhofner, The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2001)
[2] Ibid, page 427.
[3] Freedom From and Freedom To
[4] Jonsson et al, page 428.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid, pages 428-429.
[9] Personal correspondence from 1910, translated and cited by Walter Kaufmann in Discovering the Mind, Volume 3: Freud Versus Adler and Jung, 1980, page 160. Cited in Apocryphal Freud: Sigmund Freud's most famous "quotations" and their actual sources, page 15 (Alan Elms, Annual of Psychoanalysis, 2001). This sentiment is often expressed as "Love and work are the cornerstones of our humanness," or something similar, but there is no evidence that Freud ever wrote or said this. In 1950 Erik Erikson, who trained with Freud's daughter Anna, attributed a similar line to Freud but provided no documentation and later admitted it was possible that he mistakenly invented it (see Elms, page 13).
[10] Civilization and Its Discontents, page 80 (Sigmund Freud, 1930 / 1961 edition). Also cited in "Apocryphal Freud."
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