I agree with Serena Williams, retirement isn’t a modern word

I love that at the age of 40, a mum of a 4-year-old, open about wanting more children, Serena used her retirement from tennis to challenge what retirement is and what it means today.

We need these moments to act as a mirror for us to see how societal norms are changing.

Serena doesn’t have to do the maths on whether she can or can’t financially retire, which is where most retirement conversations end up, her focus is on what this moment in her life means to her. She is expressing her feelings and emotions about leaving a sport that she loves and has dominated her adult life so far and where she goes from here, her transition.

She talks about role models such as Billie Jean King, who transcended her sport and whose legacy is bigger than tennis, all the time giving you this reassurance that we aren’t just one trick ponies, we can do more than one thing in our lives, and be good at them all.

Serena chose the word “evolution”, somehow it didn’t seem to replace the word retirement but did perfectly describe her moving forward into what she wants to do next. It’s a philosophy, as well as an action.

To be curious and want to contribute in the best way you can, means different things at different stages in your life, why wouldn’t it?

The dictionary definitions all centre around “the act of leaving one’s position and ceasing to work” which of course, as Serena points out, is flawed.

Serena herself will retire from playing competitive tennis, leaving one position that she is known for, but that doesn’t mean she will cease to work. Of course everyone that plays elite sports understands that they will retire from that for physical reasons.

It’s a recent thing that some people have been in their 40s; it’s more common to retire in their late 20s and 30s. Will our health match our desires? This is a question we all have.

It’s a topic that has crept into conversations with my friends, as if it’s a rite of passage that we are heading towards and need to understand where, and how, we exit. It’s funny really because the last time I remember giving this any thought was when I started work and everyone encouraged me to start saving for a pension right away, “make it something you always do, then you can forget about it” – if only!

Transition is the word that stands out the most for me in what Serena talked about. It’s about change and embracing that change in our lives.

Not expecting everything to remain the same, looking to hang on to a system or terminology that is no longer relevant, instead look at what you want to do and how you can achieve that.

In my circle of friends, our work and life experiences are so varied, everything from complete free spirit to those who have worked for the same organisation their whole lives, and everything in between.

Which makes the topic of retirement fascinating because it doesn’t mean the same thing for any of us, and often our conversation will end with “what is retirement nowadays? Is it just about having enough money to make nice choices?” And on a certain level, we all agree it is.

As our life expectancy increases, our social infrastructure also needs to change. In the UK we have already seen misalignment in policy and government spending on social care and the age at which you can receive your state pension increasing.

There is a strong possibility that you will care for children, parents, family members and friends and still have a mortgage, or need to pay rent, at the age people traditionally thought about “retirement”.

We make different decisions now for a variety of reasons, and that’s why I love what Serena has done. She is facing the heart-breaking reality that one part of her life is finishing but she is also embracing the opportunities that change offers her and the choices she is able to make.

We aren’t all elite sports people; we don’t all have the money that give us unlimited options, but we do all transition through our lives and can do that positively.

Whether we retire traditionally and choose to exit the workplace, or we “evolve” and do something different, there are a few things that can help us along the way (just in case you don’t have a deal with Vogue):

• Think about your health and wellbeing as your biggest asset. Exercise, eat well and enjoy life, it’s by far the best way of ageing well. Nothing stops you in your tracks faster than ill health

• Plan as if you are going to live to 100. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t live in the moment, balance both, fun now, with one eye on the fact you want that fun to last

• Stay curious. Keep learning new stuff and keep meeting new people. Not all relationships have to be long lasting, take the positives from situations you are in and people that you meet and keep moving

• Be financially realistic about your life transitions. Houses, kids, travel, voluntary work, rest, and relaxation, all take different amounts of money at various times in your life. Give that some thought and put a loose plan around that. It is amazing how even loose plans provide some helpful direction

• Don’t wait to retire to live your life. Retirement isn’t a modern word is it?

Nina changes the tough stuff necessary to keep leaders’ visions and strategies alive and prosperous, planet and people engaged, healthy, smiling and having fun. Coach, Consultant & Trainer. Contact her when you are ready to make your contribution to changing the world at ninadar.com the first session is free.