Diane sighed again, knowing this familiar conversation like the back of her hand. As the top sales executive at Quest Media, she was used to hearing that she was needed everywhere. But was she?
“All right,” Diane said, “I’ll be there. Got any other great news for me?”
“We still have to talk about the party,” Jocelyn said firmly. “You can’t keep putting it off much longer. We’re getting close to the big day. I’d like to make it special, but I’m going to need your input.”
“Oh, that.” Again, Diane sighed. “We can talk about that tomorrow. I’ll be in by nine.”
Diane ended the call, staring at her blank phone. I’m not even excited by my own birthday party, she thought. What’s happened to me?
She switched to her photos and looked at the newest pictures of the twins. Their big eyes stared back at her and she shook her head, still not believing that she was finally a grandmother. She couldn’t wait until they were old enough to smile.
I should take off a day before the end of the month to see Sarah and the girls, she thought. Or wait, when did she have to go on her next trip for those client meetings? Could she get the flights changed to see the twins on the way home? Probably not; the schedule was tight as it was.
For the tenth time that day, she sighed.
Maybe I’m getting too old for this. Should I retire? she wondered.
Diane had no idea. But she knew who might.
*
Warren Riggs.
Diane—now settled in the backseat of the airport shuttle—searched for the name as she scrolled through her phone contacts. Once she found it, she tapped the number and waited for the line to connect.
I hope he’s not out on the water, she thought. I need him on the top of his game, not catching another fish.
Warren Riggs was Diane’s first boss. And he changed Diane’s life. From the beginning, he believed in her. Even when she was a rookie—a clueless yet driven twentysomething who knew she wanted to be in the media industry but had no idea where to start.
From her very first day on the job, Warren saw something in her that others didn’t. And over time, he helped her realize her own strengths by teasing out her passions and putting her on the track to become a blossoming television sales executive. When she switched jobs—leaving Warren after six great years—he stuck by her, never failing to offer advice, support, and clear direction just when she needed it. Diane didn’t know where she’d be now, if it hadn’t been for Warren.
“Hello?”
“I’m glad I caught you, Warren. I thought you’d be out on your boat.”
“I should be!” Warren said with a laugh. “But I’ve been working all morning. Remember my semiretirement party a few years ago?”
How could she forget? At that party Diane had met a number of people whose careers Warren had shaped over the years. She wasn’t the only one who had him on speed dial.
“Of course I remember,” said Diane.
“Remember that absurdly long-winded banner they had?” Warren asked.
“You mean the sign that said, ‘Semiretirement at 80 Is the New Retirement at 65’?”
“That’s the one. So you caught me semiworking,” he said with a chuckle. “To what do I owe the honor of your call?”
“Oh, Warren. Sometimes lately it all seems too much. I’m on the road all the time. My poor husband hasn’t seen me in weeks, and I’m missing my new grandchildren. I’m wondering whether or not I ought to semi-retire, too.”
“What’s your thinking behind that?”
“A lot of people my age are thinking about retirement, not an endless cycle of logistical gymnastics. My assistant tries to keep my schedule sane, but it seems to get worse every year. Frankly, I’m feeling drained. Things have been so hectic at work. I just don’t have my old passion for the job anymore.”
“Go on,” said Warren.
“I always said I’d never retire at sixty-five. But now that it’s only a few years away, I’m not so sure. Maybe I just need something to reenergize me. Is feeling burned out a reason to throw in the towel?”
“What do you see yourself doing if you retire?”
“I definitely want to spend more time with Sarah and the twins.”
“But all your time?” Warren asked.
“Not really, but I keep hearing my friends’ voices ring in my ears.”
“What do these voices say?”
“They keep saying, ‘Haven’t you worked hard enough, Diane?’ Everyone seems to be convinced that I should let my career take a backseat for once. I particularly get that message every time I forward people another beautiful picture of the twins.”
Warren paused before replying. “What I hear you saying is that right now you have a lack of passion in your career, you’re feeling overwhelmed, and you have the nagging sense that maybe it’s time to put this whole work world behind you once and for all and hang up the big retirement sign on your door.”
“That’s about it. What do you think?”
She expected support from Warren, but his reply immediately put her on the defensive.
“I think you need more balance in your life. Right now, you’re giving too much of you to your business. You need to share yourself with people outside of work.”
“But I already do!” she answered, a little too quickly and a lot too loudly. “I donate to charity, I volunteer on holidays at the food bank, and I do my best to be available to friends and family—”
“Maybe I didn’t make it clear. You don’t need more items on your to-do list. You need to share who you are with others. Have you ever thought about being a mentor?”
“Warren! I need energy and focus, not another distraction.”
“Here’s the thing,” Warren said. “If you find someone you genuinely want to mentor, that relationship will give you the energy you need.”
“But who would I mentor?”
“How about a young person in sales? That will remind you why you got into the work in the first place—and show you how far you’ve come. And mentoring a young person will help you focus on your own next steps.”
“Where would I find this person?”
“Just keep your eyes and ears open. Once you set your intention to be a mentor, you’ll be amazed at the people who show up.”
Mentoring another person will help you focus on your own next steps.
“Now that I think of it, over the years people have approached me about helping them. I’ve always turned them down, because I was too busy. And I’m still worried that I won’t have time to do this well.”
“Don’t worry. Many people avoid mentoring because they think it takes a lot of time. It doesn’t have to. Some of the best advice I ever received came from tidbits during casual conversations with my mentors.”
Mentoring? Me? Diane still wasn’t so sure. But it wasn’t the first time she hadn’t agreed with Warren right away. Over the years, she’d learned to take a breath before responding to big ideas—especially from Warren.
“All right. It scares me, but I’ll