Retirement Reinvention by Robin Ryan

I was surprised at how much I liked RETIREMENT REINVENTION by Robin Ryan.  A veteran career counselor (20+ years) with extensive speaking and writing accomplishments, she decided to write this book after battling cancer in order to provide some advice on planning happy years of retirement. She includes sections on making a plan, where to live (two homes or one?), giving back, travel and education. I especially liked her emphasis on finding something fun to do. Ryan encourages her readers by suggesting they craft a new life with purpose and that they explore new ideas such as the many, many hobbies and part time work or volunteering options listed in her book. In fact, she asks: “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” and advocates: “do what you love simply because it will make you happy.”

Subtitled “Make Your Next Act Your Best Act,” RETIREMENT REINVENTION offers great advice for baby boomers about having a “fun job and leisure stage” in your life. Ryan says, “This is the best time of your life, because this is the moment that you’re living right now.” That reminded me of John Leland’s recent talk on PBS NewsHour regarding "Learning how to think about death changed how I live;" he also talks about Happiness is a Choice You Make here.  

And one more important point: Robin Ryan is making a difference by donating her book profits to breast cancer research.

Mistakes I made at Work by Jessica Bacal

Just released Mistakes I made at Work is already winning praise: it was named by Fast Company as a "Top 10 Book You Need to Read This Year" and a “Top 10 Business Book for Spring 2014” by Publisher’s Weekly.  This new book is a series of essays from 25 successful women about their toughest work moments and what they’ve learned. Interviewees include best-selling authors like Ruth Ozeki (Tale for the Time Being), Cheryl Strayed (Wild), and Ruth Reichl (Delicious!); plus a Director Emeritus from McKinsey, Joanna Barsch, and current Stanford Professor, Carol Dweck (author of Mindset), who will be speaking in Evanston on May 9th.

Somehow, we often struggle to gain perspective so as to learn from our own mistakes; how refreshing to be able to sit down with this book and readily learn from the interviews gathered by Jessica Bacal, director of the Wurtele Center for Work and Life at Smith College. Written in a mostly conversational tone, Mistakes I made at Work is filled with tips and stories that will surprise you. In fact, PsychCentral has already published a review called “3 Lessons from Making Mistakes at Work.”

Perfect for soon-to-be-graduates, Bacal's collection of essays is divided into four main sections:

• Learning to Take Charge of Your Own Narrative
• Learning to Ask
• Learning to Say No
• Learning Resilience

Overall, I found that Mistakes I made at Work dovetailed nicely with another new book on my shelf titled Thanks for the Feedback by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen (both of whom spoke locally for Family Action Network in early March). That, in turn, complimented suggestions from Carole Robin, a Stanford lecturer, on Feedback as a Gift. In fact, I see many ways to use these resources with classes.  Each year our business students choose some independent reading titles and I will be purchasing Bacal’s Mistakes I made at Work and recommending it.  English classes, especially Senior Writers’ Seminar, will also likely use some of the essays for class discussion. A former teacher herself, Jessica Bacal has provided a wonderful way to offer mentorship to young women.