Half The Money & Twice The Husband

Phil was a Senior Vice President for a consulting firm that provided highly specialized technology experts to Fortune 1000 companies. He had given little thought to how he would spend his retirement because he did not intend to retire. That is until one day Phil was informed that his company was downsizing and his office was being closed.

The weeks following the announcement were difficult as Phil moved from being a busy business executive to letting go his entire professional staff and administrative team. They were more than employees. They were friends, a close- knit group that he had personally hired. Not only had he been forced to lay off people who were close to him, but as he locked the office doors for the last time he suddenly realized he was actually out of a job and on the street for the first time in his life.

Phil was too young to retire! In his late 50’s he figured no problem, I’ll simply look for another job in my field. Surprise, he found no opportunities! Being a resourceful guy, Phil decided to start his own business, recruiting consultants for companies in the high tech industry. That’s when he realized he had no passion for the information technology field. Until this time he had never given “passion” any thought. After all, a responsible man finds a good job and provides for his family. If he enjoys what he is doing, well, that’s a bonus.

After reading many books and doing his research, he realized he was not the only one unprepared for retirement. He decided it was time for a total career change and went through the certification process to become a life coach. When he began he did not really know what a life coach was, just that it was something akin to an executive coach but assisting individuals trying to make a personal transition. It seemed perfect. He could help himself and learn to help others facing similar challenges.

Sadly, after he completed his training and certification he soon discovered he wasn’t the only person who didn’t know exactly what a life coach was. This made potential clients hard to find. Worse, the field was getting crowded with other newcomers to the profession. He tried again. He was certain all he needed was a specialty, a niche. Perhaps the answer was another certification as a retirement coach. He would focus on helping others work through the non-financial aspects of transitioning to retirement. Another roadblock: Still no clients, pre-retirees were not listening.

Phil knew there had to be some way for him to help others prepare for retirement and his wife was pushing him to do it … quickly! Sandy had become frustrated with Phil’s frustration. She had never had him in the house ALL THE TIME!

“Phil, you need to find something to do! You are driving me nuts. I now have half the money and twice the husband!”

Eureka! Phil found the he was not alone on this journey. The up side of all his new found free time was that Phil had more opportunity to read the newspaper. That’s where he first learned about a series of projects focusing on just the same issue he was faced with. The paper had picked up an article about the Next Chapter projects and Phil came to discover Boomerang, a Chandler area project designed to help Baby Boomers answer the question “what’s next?”

Phil started making phone calls, setting appointments and did everything he could to learn about the Next Chapter initiative. After meeting with members of the Boomerang project team, he felt he had found his niche. He loved the project and knew the chemistry was right. He decided he did not need to have his own coaching practice; he could make a meaningful contribution to his community by offering his training to support the Boomerang project. This was a way he could help others through waters he found rough navigating on his own.

Today, Phil is helping to develop the Boomerang project by designing peer programs, leading books discussions and hosting a conversation café, all intended to help others find a path to their “what’s next.”

“After meeting the people involved in the Boomerang and learning more about the project I knew right away this was the volunteer opportunity for me!” Phil says, “What has really captivated me is the fact I have been assigned to actual projects. This has allowed me to use my experience, creativity and initiative. It has truly been meaningful volunteer work! Another key for me is that I feel I am part of a team creating something that will help other people in the community. That makes it very rewarding!”

Join Phil and the other “Boomerang’ers” by visiting www.myboomerang.org and decide for yourself what’s next.