Gong Xi Fa Cai!
(Wishing you wealth and prosperity for the Lunar New Year!)
Today, I want to talk to you about retiring.
No, I haven’t pivoted into financial advice services, rather, I’ve been prompted by posts on LinkedIn this week from two friends of mine (thanks Whitney Iles and Samir Khattab)
The first asked “What would life look like for you, if your needs and self care happened first and the work came after”, to which I jokingly replied “I’d probably retire, tbh”
And the second asked “How do we cope with this work we do?” and reminded us to “not set ourselves on fire 🔥 to keep other people warm. We are replaceable, and our wellbeing is just as important as the youth we serve”
And I was reminded by thoughts I’d had when I left employment to set up my business, when I started to see that this work really does have a shelf-life.
Our work can be all-consuming. Many of us pour so much of ourselves into what we do that we forget to leave space for anything else. Over time, this can take a toll, leading to burnout, resentment, or even the loss of the passion that drew us to this work in the first place.
When I left my job, I had to grapple with the idea that I couldn’t sustain working in a sector that no longer ‘fed’ me, no longer energised me, and in fact, actually really drained me. It wasn't the people (service users or staff), far from it, but the trauma, the constant lack of resources, the politics and the lack of real progress.
It was uncomfortable, but also liberating. I started to think about my “retirement” not in the traditional sense of stopping work completely, but in terms of what I wanted my work-life balance to look like. What would it mean to “retire” from the patterns of overworking, overgiving, and under-prioritising my own needs and values?
For me, it meant redefining success. It meant creating boundaries that allowed me to show up as my best self in every area of my life. It meant realising that I didn’t need to sacrifice myself to make a difference- I meet and train SO many more staff now, and therefore have a ripple effect on many more service users as a consequence. And this motivates and energises me so much more!
The Year of the Snake represents calmness, introspection, thoughtfulness, so I want to invite you this week to spend some time thinking about what “retiring” could mean for you. Could it be about retiring from burnout, overwork, or perfectionism? Could it mean choosing to let go of things that no longer serve you, whether that’s certain commitments, ways of thinking, or even relationships?
Whatever it looks like, I hope you’ll join me in finding ways to make your wellbeing a priority in the same way we often prioritise the wellbeing of others. Because here’s the truth: you matter, too. And the world doesn’t need you to set yourself on fire to keep it warm—it needs you at your fullest, happiest, and most fulfilled.
What’s one thing you could “retire” from this year? Hit reply and let me know—I’d love to hear from you.
