Retire with Meaning: Redraw Your Life Map After Work Ends
Retirement can feel like crossing a boundary you didn’t quite realize was there. In the past, your calendar, your identity, your purpose are pretty clear. Now in retirement, there’s space—sometimes too much of it.
Jordan Peterson’s Maps of Meaning offers a compelling lens through which to think differently about retirement. He doesn’t offer easy answers for filling your schedule or finding your purpose, but he does offer something better: a map to navigate uncertainty and to rebuild meaning where things have been lost or left behind.
I found that there are three ideas from Peterson’s work that are especially relevant for retired individuals—and how you might begin to use them to reshape your next chapter.
But before I dive in, here’s a paraphrased synthesis of his view and definition of meaning:
“Meaning is the instinct that guides us when we are taking responsibility for our lives, confronting the unknown, and improving the world, even in small ways. It’s nature’s way of telling us we’re on the right path.”
In short:
Meaning = Voluntary responsibility + Moral aim + Engagement with the unknown.
If you’re wondering about ‘values’ and how that fits with his view, the concept of values and his definition of meaning are deeply interlinked. Values are the deeply held inner principles or beliefs that guide our perception, behavior, and judgment. They determine what matters most to us and what we believe is worth striving toward or protecting.
Redraw Your Map: From Lost to Re-aligned
Peterson’s Insight:
We live inside structures of meaning—our jobs, routines, goals. When those structures collapse or change, as they do in retirement, we have to confront the unknown. Peterson writes that when the map no longer matches the territory, we don’t just feel confused—we feel anxiety, aimlessness, even despair. Across cultures, myths depict a hero leaving order, facing chaos, and returning transformed. Some favorites are Harry Potter or The Lord of the Rings. This universal story underpins how we handle life’s transitions. [View this Youtube video so hear Peterson’s describe this more.] But that doesn’t mean something is broken. It means a new map needs to be drawn.
Taking Action—Map It Out:
This isn't a quick fix—it’s a process. But here’s a way to begin:
What’s Gone? What’s Left?
Start by listing what brought meaning before (e.g., structure, contribution, leadership), and what remains now (e.g., time, relationships, health, skills). This contrast is the first step in naming the “gap” you feel.Clarify Your Values
Use a values sorting tool to discover the values that matter to you now. Often, what mattered at 35 isn’t a top 5 value at 65.Consider Your Strengths
Listing your top strengths helps you identify traits like curiosity, wisdom, or kindness—parts of you that can guide new purpose.
Sketch Your Life Map
Draw a basic timeline of your life. Plot past turning points and where you are now. Then mark possible paths forward. What unfinished dreams or emerging interests show up?
2. Trust Your Step into Chaos—It’s Where Growth Lives
Peterson’s Insight:
Chaos isn’t bad—it’s the place where transformation happens. In myth, the hero doesn’t grow by staying safe. They venture into the unknown, face challenges, and come back wiser. That’s not just a story—it’s how humans change.
Why It’s Hard Now:
After a career of confidence and competence, it’s humbling to start something new. But discomfort doesn’t mean you’re on the wrong path. It often means you’re learning.
Action—Take One Brave Step:
Choose one discomfort you’re avoiding: maybe it’s joining a new group, starting a hobby, or trying something creative.
Make one small move. You don’t need to “conquer” chaos—you just need to step into it.
Write down what you noticed.
Peterson says confronting chaos brings order not by controlling everything, but by integrating what you learn into who you are becoming.
It’s Okay That This Is Hard
When retirement dissolves familiar roles and routines, you enter chaos. Your old map no longer works—you need to redraw it to reclaim direction and significance. Peterson doesn’t promise easy answers—and neither do I. What is powerful is that meaning arises through responsibility—not because it’s easy, but because it’s essential. When we take on something that matters to us and to others, we build a sense of direction and identity.
But what Maps of Meaning also teaches us is that struggle itself is part of a meaningful life. Retirement isn’t about stepping away from challenge—it’s about facing new kinds of challenges that reveal more of who you are.
You’re not starting from scratch. You’re starting from experience.
Here’s are some basic steps to starting building your map
Step 1: Reflect on What You’ve Lost and Gained
“Which roles and routines shaped my identity?”
“What values did I honor in my work—and how are they unmet now?”
“What strengths am I underusing?”
Step 2: Identify Next‑Steps Anchored in Responsibility
Choose one low-risk, meaningful action aligned with your mapped values and strengths: mentoring, volunteering, creative expression, community organizing.
Declare a small commitment, like “lead a 6‑week writing circle” or “volunteer monthly at the food bank.”
Schedule it and share with someone for accountability.
Redraw your map. Walk into some unknowns. Choose responsibilities that reflect your values.
That’s how you don’t just retire—but retire with meaning.
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