Getting Out of the Retirement Rut

Many people find themselves lost after leaving the office. Here's how some retirees are making over their lives.

What can you do if you're failing retirement?

That idea, of not making the grade in later life, isn't one that's normally found in discussions about aging. Retirement today is supposed to be rewarding, filled with opportunities and certainly less stressful than work. But it isn't always so.

For any number of reasons -- lack of planning, financial duress, caregiving responsibilities, the loss of a spouse -- retirees can easily find themselves carving out a dent in the couch or wandering down dead-end paths. As with some jobs, people start asking: "Is this all there is?"

Enter the retirement makeover. In an echo of the home and fashion makeovers that have swept cable TV in recent years, some retirees are seeking help from life coaches, financial planners, career consultants, fitness experts, and even fashion and hair stylists in some cases, to help turn their lives around. Often, the spark comes from looking in the mirror: recognizing that change is needed, and then seizing the chance to make it happen.

There are no retirement-makeover consultants per se. But several groups across the country -- including nonprofits in California and New Jersey, as well as two TV networks -- are assembling teams of experts to help people reshape their lives in retirement. The resulting makeovers offer some good examples of how even modest steps can lead to significant changes in later life.

If you're stuck in a rut -- or want to avoid one -- after leaving the office, consider how these people have shaken up their retirements:

Test Yourself

With so much time suddenly on the horizon, and with so many possible ways to fill it, many retirees find themselves paralyzed by indecision. One way to cut through the clutter is to take tests -- the kind often used by college students or younger workers to help determine their professional path -- to zero in on your current interests.

A great example is Darleen Maumus, who found herself at loose ends after a triple whammy. Within three years, she retired after three decades as an elementary-school teacher and principal in New Orleans, was widowed, and lost her home in her native city to the flooding that followed Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Ms. Maumus, who is 66 years old, moved to Paoli, Pa., after the storm to be close to two of her three children. But she quickly found herself overwhelmed by the range of retirement options available around her. "I was shocked by how active people my age are up here," she says. She enrolled in a lifelong-learning program at Temple University in Philadelphia, but even there she had trouble choosing among dozens of courses.

She found direction through two of the most widely used tests designed to help people understand their career options. The first, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, measures personality traits and preferences. The second, the Strong Interest Inventory, assesses personal interests, including preferred styles of working and learning. The test assigns you a "general occupational theme code," such as "artistic, social or enterprising," which you can use to help figure out your next steps.

"We work with a lot of people who are retiring from their primary career," says Michael Segovia, director of business development for CPP Inc., the Mountain View, Calif., company that publishes the two tests and administered them for Ms. Maumus. "This is a time when they can say, 'What do I really want to do? What are my real interests? What is my personality?' Let's put it together and see what we can come up with."

Ms. Maumus's assessments, Mr. Segovia says, revealed "an amazing person who is really interested in helping people and making a difference in their lives, along with a strong interest in theater."

Mr. Segovia also concluded from the test results that Ms. Maumus "is a real energizer -- a cheerleader. In talking with her, I thought, 'If she can find a place where she feels like she's making a difference in people's lives as a volunteer, why would they not want to hire her?' "

Ms. Maumus says she did have a strong interest in drama when she was younger, but she let it slide while raising her family and working. After getting her results, she started volunteering with a community theater. "I always enjoyed theater, but until then I had wondered if I was too old to start out in it," she says.

After she started volunteering, she learned about an opening at the theater. Last month, she landed a part-time job as an assistant house manager (which allows her to see plays at no cost).

You can take the Myers-Briggs test on your own and get an interpretation of the results at mbticomplete.com, for $59.95. The Strong Interest Inventory can be taken only through a career counselor who meets the qualification standards set by CPP. These counselors typically charge $100 to $200 to administer the test; Mr. Segovia also suggests getting a counselor's help interpreting the results. There are directories of counselors at the "Career Center" on the Web site for the National Career Development Association, ncda.org, and at the site for the National Board for Certified Counselors, nbcc.org.

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