A quiet milestone in my retirement journey happened today — and it surprised me more than I expected.
It’s been three weeks since my last day of work, and today I finally emptied out what remained in my laptop bag — my modern‑day briefcase. Somewhere among leftover folders, random cables, and a couple of loose coins were the final day‑to‑day artifacts of the professional rat race I stepped away from when I retired.
While it may sound like a small thing, for me it represented the end of an era. Will the person I became over 40 years of professional life still be there now that my briefcase is empty and my corporate title gone? Will I recognize this new version of myself each day when I look in the mirror?
The good news is that I had already given this pivotal life change months of thought and developed a personal action plan. My goal was not to fall into a never‑ending vacation cycle, but to refocus my time and energy on priorities that support my core values — values I identified and documented with great care.
So I took a deep breath and stored my briefcase away in the closet alongside the other empty luggage. Doing this brought a sense of relief and, in a way, created more space in my life for some new — and intentionally planned — adventures.
What will you do with your life when the time comes to empty your briefcase for the last time?
-Steven