Having purpose bigger than ourselves is a powerful driver. It gives us a reason to get up in the morning and something to look forward to. Sometimes purpose results from choices we make in life, such as a job we took or the decision to marry and have children. We find purpose at work by advancing the organization’s mission and being a reliable coworker; at home, our purpose becomes supporting our partner and helping our children thrive and launch.

The need for purpose doesn’t end when we retire or become empty nesters. It is up to retirees to define a new purpose. Without purpose, retirees can feel empty and aimless, leading to unhealthy behaviors or depression. My colleague, Peggy Floria, specializes in retirement coaching and says a happy retirement depends on having something to look forward to that has meaning and purpose.

Many of the leaders I work with are selfless to a fault. Throughout their careers they put the needs of employees, shareholders, and customers at the center of their lives. When planning retirement they may feel uncomfortable focusing on their own needs and downplay the importance of finding purpose. Months after their official retirement — after taking that dream vacation in Tuscany and spending time with grandchildren — they may find themselves adrift, feeling their life is meaningless.

For many leaders, purpose can be found in deploying the skills and expertise they honed during their careers but redirecting their efforts toward another cause. Of course, we gain many skills over the course of our careers, but activities that provide us with purpose involve skills that have meaning and significance for us.

For example, I might want to volunteer with a non-profit. I could certainly offer my skills in organizing and filing — skills I have in abundance after working for several companies. But that work, while important, would not provide the same degree of meaning for me compared to leading a time management workshop for employees. Likewise, I can entertain kids while their parents attend life skill classes, but teaching those classes is closer to what I like to do. And the non-profit may have more volunteers able to handle administrative tasks or engage children than people who can offer personal development workshops.

I’m fortunate that in my career my skills and passions are tightly aligned. But when it comes to activities outside of work, finding alignment can be challenging. While I enjoy gardening and art classes, these activities do not sufficiently satisfy my desire for purpose. But they do offer me opportunities for learning and flexing my creativity, which are very meaningful to me.

In defining your purpose, think about what you enjoy doing that has meaning for you. Consider what you did at work that mattered to you and how you might translate that into non-work activities. If raising children was the focus of your life, what part of it was most enjoyable and how can you apply the skills you developed in other ways? If you led your kids’ scout troop or coached their soccer team, how can you direct that experience toward other objectives?

My dear friend, Patti Rawlins, retired from teaching Latin this year and is already into her second career, leading exercise classes. She will miss teaching and her students, but she now finds satisfaction in mentoring other Latin teachers; they make sure her knowledge never goes stale. And she is already planning other “culture clubs” — bringing together people with shared interests who want to continue to learn and grow in their retirement. With her deep knowledge of art history, flower arranging, party planning, and cooking, Patti has a lot to offer.

Retirement affords you the opportunity to explore new things, try your hand at something you didn’t have time for before, and imagine what might bring more meaning into your life. Even if you are years away from retirement, becoming involved in outside activities can make the transition easier. A few of my clients found their outside activities so meaningful that they decided to retire early to focus on them instead. Pickleball anyone?