Another View: You'll just know when it's time to go

 

Connecting state and local government leaders

Search the subject of retirement on the Internet and you find most responses provide computational models to help you decide whether you have enough money to retire. The human, emotional side is rarely addressed.

Search the subject of retirement on the Internet and you find most responses provide computational models to help you decide whether you have enough money to retire. The human, emotional side is rarely addressed.But, suppose that you have enough money. Frank Lloyd Wright said in 1932, 'Give me the luxuries of life, and I will willingly do without the necessities.' He found the balance in his day, and I have found it in mine.If money is not the issue, health often is. But I'm lucky here as well.My father grew up on an island off the coast of Galway, Ireland. There, he, my grandfather and great-grandfather dined mostly on deep-sea fish, a few vegetables and potatoes. The occasional treat at Christmas was an orange. No fast food for them. So I inherited good genes.Why, then, would one want to retire from what many have said is the best job in government? I want to tell you right away that it is not to play more golf. Many a Monday morning after a crummy weekend match, I am happy to get back to work where a quick success or two will restore a positive outlook.For me, the decision to have surgery after a gym injury was easier than the decision to retire. There is both remorse and excitement associated with retirement.Why remorse? Why a bit of fear? For me, it has to do with the nature of work, how it changes throughout life. Early on, it was a way to pay for the necessities plus a few of the things I really liked at the time, such as going to the beach or having some fun on the town. Later, work grew more interesting, even if on the occasional bad days it seemed to be a sentence equal to the length of the mortgage on a home.A close confidant told me 10 years ago that work takes on a new meaning when you no longer have to work. 'To find joy in work is to discover the fountain of youth,' Pearl Buck said. In my case, I have worked long enough to find that joy. It was important to me to find a proper door through which to leave government. My retirement would have to occur when the organization and I were riding high, even though it seems irrational to the inner spirit to exit when things are going well.A single incident caused me to refocus early this year. A colleague suggested that a certain private-sector job would provide a good fit with my experience and abilities. That conversation started a process. Years ago, I learned that when my mind starts to think about changing jobs, it will not rest until I make the change.Still, everyone has doubts. Some of it is silly: What if nobody comes to my retirement party? Some is more serious: What will I do now?As in The Celestine Prophecy, if you listen in the silence, you will hear the right thing to do. For me, it was last month, during the closing hours of a Washington conference I hosted. Visitors from our own government, Canada and Mexico were generous in their praise. So, on April 11, in mid-morning, I nervously approached my boss, M. J. Jameson, telling her I would be leaving in six weeks or so.Since then, I feel like a kid on a giant slide at the swimming pool. The notes and calls complimenting me on a great career are like the water propelling me along. The end will be a big splash Wednesday at my retirement party'and I hear a lot of people will be there.

Frank McDonough



























Frank McDonough, deputy associate administrator for intergovernmental solutions at the General Services Administration, retires this week after 38 years of federal service.

NEXT STORY: NMCI redux

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.