(Inspired by Bruce Horovitz,
“10 Subtle Signs That You Are Ready to Retire”,
Wall Street Journal, 19 November 2025)
We always imagine a dramatic moment of revelation, a thunderbolt from above announcing: it is time.
In reality, for most of us, no epiphany ever arrives.
What we do receive are small messages, discreet yet insistent. Tiny yellow lights blinking inside our head.
Here are the most common ones.
- You arrive at work already drained
A touch of tiredness happens to everyone. But when it becomes the rule rather than the exception, perhaps the cycle has run its course. It’s not failure: it is a change of phase. - You no longer feel like learning new tools
Technology is not the real issue. The question is the silent one within you: do I really want to invest energy here, now? - Promotions no longer interest you
Once upon a time they would have excited you. Now they feel heavy, or simply outside your horizon. Or they do not arrive at all, and you realise you have been placed on a sidetrack. - Sunday evening anxiety
The thought of “tomorrow we begin again” no longer enthuses you. The body knows it before the mind does. - You check your financial situation more often
Savings, investments, projections. Not out of anxiety, but to understand whether “you could manage it”. The mind has already started to detach. - You wish you had more time for volunteering
A community you had not noticed starts calling you. And the desire to contribute becomes stronger than the desire for meetings and deadlines. - You realise your contemporaries have vanished
You find yourself among much younger colleagues with interests far removed from yours. It is not a problem: it is a change of season. - You feel excluded from the life of pensioners
Your partner and friends have new rhythms. You are still working, but you begin to wonder whether something important is passing you by. - You can no longer stand your boss
It happens. But when it becomes the last great battle… perhaps you simply no longer wish to fight it. - Your body sends unmistakable signals
A few aches, slower movements, the desire to travel now and not “one day”. The body often knows the truth before we do.
Retiring does not mean abandoning your story.
It means beginning another one, with a new rhythm.
The signals arrive quietly. It is up to us to listen.
My personal conclusions
Reading Horovitz, I tried to identify with the worker he describes.
I did not recognise myself at all. And yet I am approaching 67.
Let me review the ten points from my own perspective.
- You arrive at work already drained
It happens. But my mind switches on instantly and follows strategic paths. The issue is never “I am tired”, but “what can we improve tomorrow?”. - You no longer feel like learning new tools
And yet I continue. Dynamic websites, networking, technical systems.
For a lawyer by training, I would say that I am having quite a good time. - Promotions no longer interest you
I cannot have any more: I am already at the top of the “food chain”. But I can make the company grow, speak at conferences, and publish work-related articles.
Progress does not require someone above you, only a vision in front of you. - Sunday evening anxiety
True: I cannot wait to go back to work… albeit with calmer than in the past. Slow breakfast, slow ablutions, slow departure; once at the office by 8, now closer to 10.
Work, yes, but without marathons. - You check your financial situation more often
I no longer do it. I have decided that I will not retire. The mathematics is simple: if you do not stop, the problem does not arise. - You wish you had more time for volunteering
I have been doing it all my life. Associations, Rotary, and even a support website for online golf players. I am not sure where I could insert “more volunteering” without violating the laws of physics. - You realise your contemporaries have vanished
I never had any. I was always the youngest in the group, and I continue to say that “I shall die young”, surrounded by people older than me, even now that I am the “oldest” in the office. Young, yes. Soon, no. The others will become “old”, even if only on the inside. - You feel excluded from the life of pensioners
Many of my contemporaries are retired, and they seem happy. I am happy too, and I do not believe that I would enjoy doing what they do. It is not a judgement: it is a different life diet. - You can no longer stand your boss
Ah, that one is true. Every morning, while shaving, I tell him in the mirror that he must improve or I am leaving. So far, he remains exactly the same. A stubborn fellow. - Your body sends clear messages
Here I cannot joke too much: it really does send strong signals. Creaks, slowness, weights avoided. And I listen: I walk more slowly, I no longer lift like a porter.
The body speaks, and not always in a whisper.
What should I conclude, according to Bruce Horovitz?
That perhaps it is not I who should retire… but the very idea of retirement that needs reconsideration.
For some, retirement is an ending; for others, a liberation.
For others still — and I suspect I fall into this category — it is simply an abstract concept, useful for statistics.
As long as I wake up curious, passionate, and with a proper cup of coffee, I would say the yellow traffic light can wait a little longer.