Welcome to the Passion Never Retires Blog where Peter de Kuster tells on a daily basis the stories of passionate professionals from past and present who created a life and work which they love and never want to retire from.

Illusions, Delusions and Hype

The message financial services firms are sending is not resonating with the baby boom generation (and the next generation!).  The message basically is: ‘You are not saving enough; you spend too much; you’re too shortsighted. Shame on you’  The industry assumed that the problem was simply that this generation lives for the here and now. ALthough that may be somewhat true, it does not get at the core of the delayed investment toward retirement.
The problem is, if you can call it that, is that people don’t want their parent’s retirement. Over 80 percent of the baby boom generation want to continue work for different reasons and at varying paces throughout their lives. They’ve already witnessed what happens after working 40 years: a golf membership, a motor home and a retirement community – a virtual transplant to the fringes of society.

What Do You Like To Do When You Grow Up?

One seminar I asked a group of businesspeople: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”The emotional uncoiling that took place in the conversation that followed convinced me of a fact of modern life I was growing increasingly aware of: Far too many people are unhappy with the work they do.

Their responses revealed to me that many people deep down feel they have compromised, to varying degrees, who they are for what they can get. Even some of those who had the things they wanted often felt they were lacking in terms of fulfillment.

Have we become a lost generation that is huffing and puffing down a fast track to nowhere? Do we look only to the money sign for direction and have we lost recognition of all other standards for living? These questions led me ponder both what work and retirement have become in our society.

Passion Never Retires

All you need to do is look around to see that times are changing. The vision of a retirement spent sipping martinis and playing golf can be more  of a dead end than a dream. For many of us, retirement may span 30 years or longer and will not be viewed as an isolated economic event but rather a part of ongoing life planning.

Passion Never Retires is the ability to achieve the freedom to pursue your own goals, at your own pace, on your own terms … regardless of your age.  Passion Never Retires  -The New Retirement Story will help you paint a detailed portrait of your own perfect future and show you how to achieve it.

Spirit Never Ages

Quotes from Isabel Allende’s TED Talk about Passion at every Age

“Spirit doesn’t age.”

“When do we start aging? Society says from 65.  In reality we start aging with birth”

“I choose to live passionately”

“What have I gained at 71? Freedom!  I don’ t have to prove anything any more”  ” I don’ t have to please men anymore”  “I feel lighter, – i don’ t feel grudges, ambition anymore”