I met Joanna Maxwell in 2015. I was hosting a couple of radio series for the Fairfax Network about retirement and she was hauled aboard to be the program’s ‘life coach’. We laughed a lot, and tried our best to come up with a better word than ‘retirement’ – which somehow seems to imply bowls and bingo and polished wooden boxes. (Not that there’s anything wrong with TWO of those lifestyles!)
It’s important to think about life and work as we age, because life expectancy in Australia has doubled since Federation. And people are not just living longer, they’re healthier, too. And if they’re lucky, they may have a few more dollars in their pockets than their parents did. They want to start a new chapter in life beyond just buying a caravan and hitting the road as grey nomads. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just not for everybody.)
It’s not about stopping, it’s about having a go.
I once asked David Attenborough, who has just turned 90, ‘What’s the secret of success in later life?’ He said, ‘Within reason, you don’t do anything you don’t like, you don’t do anything you like, you only do things that you love.’ That’s a great mantra.
I’m on that journey already. I’ve spent about 50 years as a journalist and I’ve loved it – writing stories and putting them on television. But I’ve also had a passion for taking photographs, almost on the quiet. Well, now I’ve come out, as they say. I’ve had a photographic book published and I’ve been part of a photographic exhibition. For me, rethinking my career has given me the chance to write some books and turn my hobby of photography into a bit of an obsession. It’s allowed me to turn a dream into reality.
Whatever stage of life you’re in, one of the things we know is that it’s important to set some realistic goals and have a sense of purpose. Having a plan and being willing to take a few risks also help when you’re rethinking your career.
In one sense we can say, ‘I’ve got a lifetime of experience, I know what I can do and I can’t do’, but we also have to know that you can teach old dogs new tricks. Nearly 150,000 Australians un-retire every year and about one-third of those say they were just so bored that they went back to work.
People who get to a certain age have had a life – they’ve had jobs, they’ve had children and homes, they’ve succeeded or they’ve stumbled, they’ve really chalked up some victories. They have what it takes to do a new challenge, but they need courage, they need to be flexible. They need to avoid saying, ‘I can’t do that, I’ve tried that and it doesn’t work.’ To take a deep breath and say ‘I am just going to have a go’ is probably the toughest thing of all. Persistence is the key to success, really.
At the end of the day, you have to get out the front door and make it happen. This book will help you do that because Joanna has a way of cutting to the chase, identifying the problem and offering some colourful options. That’s what you need when you’re at a crossroads, I reckon. A lawyer in an earlier life – I suspect a very good one – Joanna chooses her words carefully, not given to rash generalisations. Or loose talk. So, if you are searching for some tips as you rethink your career, she’s a wonderful mentor.
Joanna makes me smile. Sometimes even laugh. That’s gotta be a good thing. She’s calm and gently confident, easy-going, a listener – and not judgemental. She has the knack of quickly understanding a situation – no matter what the circumstances and oddities – and dispensing fresh ideas and solutions. It’s a real skill.
If you’re wondering whether you should buy Rethink Your Career, I suggest you do – for yourself, a parent or a friend. Joanna Maxwell is terrific value and her book is highly readable, illuminating and wise.
Ray Martin AM