I had a client retire recently after 43 years of dedication to the same company. John was

successful by all means of measurement in his career. In fact, I had first met John when I was 19

years old working my first career-level job at a local chiropractic office. I remember John telling

me about the business lunch and dinner meetings he’d periodically have. I remember thinking

WOW! He must be really important if dining out is part of his job! Coming from a blue-collar

family, I hadn’t known such a thing existed and thought someday, I want to have a level of

success like that!

For the past 11 years since John and his wife have been my clients, John has always spoken

positively about his job. Knowing how his work was a significant part of his life, I asked how it

felt to pivot into retirement. Like so many, he said it felt good. He said that since his work was

such a meaningful part of his life, it was an adjustment. But he also said something profound,

one of those “you’ve hit the nail on the head” moments in conversation. John said that he no

longer felt stressed. After 43 successful and enjoyable career years, he knew he liked what he

did for a living. He always chose to focus on the positive and therefore, never really

acknowledged that he had varying levels of stress and didn’t realize the gravity of the pressure

that he was under. Of John’s most insightful reflections on his retirement, John said that what

felt the best is relieving “the stress I didn’t know I had.”