- John Galligan worked continuously for nearly 60 years under constant pressure.
- He realised he had little time to identify personal hobbies during his career.
- His children grew up while he managed financial and work responsibilities.
- Retirement begins in three months and brings mixed feelings of terror and excitement.
- He plans to face the change and embrace the final quarter of life.
- John Galligan shared “The prospect of not having to get up for work again, ever, is extremely daunting.”
He has worked non-stop for almost 60 years and now John Galligan faces retirement in three months time.
In a Linkedin post he described the prospect as both daunting and exhilarating. Pressure from deadlines and financial responsibilities shaped his career.
He noted that he never had time to consider personal interests because work demands always took priority. His children grew up while he focused on earning a living. Colleagues who retired told him he would stay busy.
Galligan accepted the transition to the next phase of life. He expressed some regrets about time spent away from family when his children were young. He chose to embrace what lies ahead.
John Galligan shared “Whatever happens, I have only one option. To face it and embrace it. Would I even want to go back? I would love to be back when the kids were small and do a better job with them. Like all fathers, facing retirement, I regret being too busy then and regret not spending more time with the kids. We only have them for a short time and we don’t get a second chance. But the rest of it? You can keep that and I am delighted to be moving on to Quarter 4 of my life.
All very well and good but after working non-stop for almost 60 years, the prospect of not having to get up for work again, ever, is extremely daunting. In three months time, that is exactly what lies in front of me.
Those who have already retired, tell me that I will be busier than ever. I take that to mean that I will be moving slower and will, thus, manage to fill up my days doing less. Someone recently asked me what I like doing, assuming that I would be doing more of that in my retirement. But here’s the thing.
There has never been a time when I was not under pressure, deadlines, targets, financial and family worries. Even, at times in the early years, desperate to keep my job in recessionary times while under great financial stress. That pressure was everpresent, whether I was working for someone else or in my own business. It seems daft to suggest it but I have never had time to think what I “like” doing. There was too much of what I “had” to do. Too busy earning a living to be able to make a life, if you will.
While I was so busy trying to keep the lights on, my kids grew up and now have their own lives. I have arrived here, with three months to go, with remarkable speed. Now, the only thing I ever knew – working hard – is no longer to be the case. The prospect is terrifying. And exhilarating.
