"I've been called a lot of things in my life, but nothing prepared me for the word "retired." I'm a freelancer, so no one is coming to my house with a gold watch as a reward for loyal service; I have no desire to move south; and I don't play golf. My equally self-employed friend Roland had a suggestion: Why not consider myself "situationally" retired-that is, retired until the phone rings."
"A friend who's spent decades in a grueling C-suite position still can't bring himself to retire, despite vested stock and a strong financial footing. Happy or not, he remains in the grip of his job, unable to let go of a role he believes defines (and so ultimately confines) him. I’ve been an outside observer of corporate America long enough to understand his struggle, although it is not my own."
An operative researcher in luxury retail faced widening gaps between corporate contracts as tariffs affected the industry, leaving freelance income sporadic. A colleague suggested adopting a "situationally retired" mindset—retired until the phone rings—to make the gap feel temporary and manageable. The label "retired" felt foreign and frightening, while adding "situational" restored familiarity and purpose by connecting to the freelancer's habitual adaptability. A long-tenured C-suite friend, by contrast, remained unable to leave a defining role despite financial security. The core freelance problem was displaced energy rather than loss of professional identity, with work persona fluidity having previously stabilized the career.
Read at Fast Company
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