{"id":415,"date":"2023-03-28T12:10:21","date_gmt":"2023-03-28T17:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/?p=415"},"modified":"2023-03-28T12:10:21","modified_gmt":"2023-03-28T17:10:21","slug":"retirement-identity-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/28\/retirement-identity-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Retirement Identity Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I never thought that I would experience an identity crisis at 72. But I did!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the last thirty years, I have had fun, made great life friends, won cruises and awards, and made great money. But that ended abruptly one day. Senior leaders were invited to a conference call where company leaders informed us that the last day of business would be December 31, 2021. The reasons were partially due to Covid and a change in people’s buying habits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Identity Rocked<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This announcement was an earthquake to me. My identity as a successful entrepreneur was all about the business I represented. Sure, I had thought I would someday end this incredible business journey. But, at that time, I had no idea somebody else would make that decision for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We all had a month to process the closing announcement. It gave me time to shed some tears and reflect on what this fascinating journey had provided for myself and my family and the intentional hard work that led me to be a top performer in the company. Over the years, I have done scores of Bible studies, read hundreds of books, and listened to thousands of hours of teachings and podcasts on being a better person, leader, believer, and servant to my organization and customers. I felt I had earned an additional degree in entrepreneurship during this time. Additionally, I was able to help scores of women learn what it means to become a Proverbs 31 Woman. I also experienced the joy of sharing my faith with my friends and was blessed to see some of them know what a loving relationship with Jesus is like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shift thinking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Now it was time for me to shift my thinking about whether to be a part of a similar business or discover new facets to my life, marriage, grandchildren, church, friends, and community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are days and weeks when I have wondered what my purpose in life looks like. Through the encouragement of others, time in the Word, conversations with John, and allowing myself the time and space to hear from the Lord, I am embracing the journey of the latter part of my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thankfully my friends who have retired have helped me make the transition. It’s like experiencing grief, the death of a company and my part of that company and the lives we could touch. I no longer carry business cards or use my “elevator pitch” with everyone. Now it is just me, no cards, no pitching, just Angie Thurman, a woman who loves Jesus, John, her children, and grandchildren and is living my life for an audience of one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New Me Skin<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Can I be comfortable in my new “me” skin? The answer is yes, though some days I miss living like “my hair is on fire,” and other days I am content with becoming the new and updated version of me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life is filled with transitions. If you lean into them, your life will be enriched if you embrace the adventure and move through the transitions. On the other hand, if you fail to embrace the changes and transitions, you might become bitter and feel useless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My question for you: When you face some of the transitions that life throws at you, will you be bitter or better? The letter I or E is always a choice. Choose wisely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope you will embrace the transitions and enrich others’ lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A closing thought from the Book of Proverbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With all your heart rely on him to guide you,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and he will lead you in every decision you make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Become intimate with him in whatever you do,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and he will lead you wherever you go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Proverbs 3:5-6 The Passion Translation<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n
\n
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Angie Thurman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Angie Thurman is a mom, Mimi, wife, and successful entrepreneur who spent more than three decades in the direct service industry and became a Senior Leader in Premier Designs Jewelry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like so many women, Angie has dealt with issues from emotional and physical abuse as a young girl and a battle with depression since she was in her thirties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She has two successful adult children and five amazing grandchildren.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Life is filled with transitions. If you lean into them, your life will be enriched if you embrace the adventure and move through the transitions. On the other hand, if you fail to embrace the changes and transitions, you might become bitter and feel useless.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":417,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,14],"tags":[42,99,43,25,33],"class_list":["post-415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soul","category-transitions","tag-grief","tag-identity-crisis","tag-loss","tag-retirement","tag-transitions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=415"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":418,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415\/revisions\/418"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}