You could be forgiven for thinking I had abandoned my blog site. Far from it. With my technical ability, I somehow managed to lock myself out of my own site. Now I think, or at least I hope, I’m back!

So what’s been happening in the meantime?

Well, quite a lot actually. My latest book, The More, is at the printers, and my e-book, Purpose Doesn’t Retire, is now available through my Stan Store.

So what’s it all about?

As I’ve said before, I’ve retired twice and gone back to work twice. I found retirement had very little to offer me. I wanted purpose, meaning, a reason to get up in the morning beyond golf, coffee, sunshine and the sea.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with any of those things. I enjoy them as much as anyone. But for me, they weren’t enough.

Making a difference, living a life of meaning and helping people has always been important to me, and for some reason retirement seemed to rob me of this.

I became reclusive. I felt I had little to offer and that life had passed me by. Stripped of my professional title, unable to advise on matters relating to my profession despite more than forty years of experience and know-how, I felt essentially gagged.

So I went back to dentistry, and it’s been great. I rediscovered much of what I had been missing. The opportunity to help someone, to make a difference, to use the knowledge and experience I’d accumulated over a lifetime.

But I’m not delusional. I know it can’t go on forever.

And that raised an interesting question.

If I can no longer do what I’ve always done, does that mean I can no longer make a meaningful contribution?

Of course not.

But it does mean I need to find another way.

Over the years I’ve come to realise that many of the people I’ve helped professionally were struggling with far more than the physical problems they came to see me about. Financial pressures, family responsibilities, jobs they no longer enjoyed, dreams they’d put aside because there were bills to pay and mouths to feed.

And isn’t that the story of so many lives?

We spend years earning a living, doing what we have to do, often at the expense of what we would really like to do. Then one day we look around and wonder where all those years have gone.

Perhaps we retire, only to discover that freedom from work isn’t necessarily freedom to live a fulfilling life.

I know. I’ve been there.

And that brings me to the work I’ve been doing behind the scenes, that now can enter centre stage…

Helping people find and fund their purpose.

For me, purpose isn’t simply something you discover. It’s something you do. It’s the contribution you make, the people you serve, the difference your life makes to someone else’s.

And I don’t believe that comes with a retirement date.

My work now is about helping people recognise that there is still more to life, more to give, more to experience and more to accomplish, whatever their age.

Through my books, speaking engagements and seminars, I want to share what I’ve learned, not just from my years in dentistry but from my own successes, failures, disappointments and changes of direction.

Because finding purpose is only part of the story.

There’s another question that needs answering.

How do you fund it?

It’s all very well knowing what you would love to do, but if you’re still tied to a job you no longer enjoy, or your retirement income barely covers the bills, having a dream doesn’t necessarily mean you can live it.

That’s why I’m also developing and sharing ways people can create what I call a Supporting Purpose Business, a means of generating income that supports the life they want to live rather than allowing the need to earn a living to dictate how they spend their time.

Not everyone needs a business, and it certainly won’t be the answer for everyone. But for some, it may open a door they hadn’t previously considered.

And that’s why I wrote Purpose Doesn’t Retire.

Because I believe that whatever your age, whatever your circumstances, whatever opportunities you may have missed or mistakes you may have made, you still have something to contribute.

Something that matters.

Perhaps you’ve spent your life looking after everyone else, meeting responsibilities, paying the bills and putting your own hopes and dreams on hold.

Perhaps you’ve retired and discovered that the freedom you looked forward to hasn’t brought the fulfilment you expected.

Or perhaps you’re still working, wondering how much longer you can keep doing what you’re doing, knowing there must be more to life than this.

I understand. I’ve been there.

But think about this for a moment.

What if the most significant contribution of your life is still ahead of you?

What if everything you’ve experienced, everything you’ve learned, including the mistakes, disappointments and setbacks, has equipped you to do something that only you can do?

I believe that’s a possibility worth exploring.

And that’s the invitation I’m extending to you.

Not simply to read another book, attend another seminar or listen to another motivational talk, but to begin thinking seriously about the life you still have to live and the difference you could make.

What would you love to do? Who could you help? What contribution could you make if you weren’t held back by the things that currently stand in your way?

And perhaps most importantly, what are you prepared to do about it?

The e-book, Purpose Doesn’t Retire, is a starting point. An invitation to think differently about retirement, purpose and the years ahead.

Get your copy of Purpose Doesn’t Retire here

My new book, The More, which is currently at the printers, takes this journey much further. It’s a story about life, the choices we make, the things that hold us back and the possibility that the life we’ve been living isn’t necessarily the life we were meant to live.

I’ll be sharing more about it shortly, along with opportunities to join me for conversations and seminars about finding and funding a life of purpose.

For now, I’m delighted to be back on my blog, and I hope you’ll join me on this journey.

Because I don’t believe your best years are necessarily behind you.

I believe you still have a significant contribution to make.

The question isn’t simply how much time you have left. It’s what you’re going to do with the time you have.

Purpose doesn’t retire.

And you don’t have to either.

Bill Kellner-Read

Author | Speaker | Helping people find and fund their purpose