Redefining Retirement Routes
At the airport this week, construction wrapped up and a new terminal opened. At baggage drop they told me, “Good news…there’s a faster route to your gate.”
And it was good news. But it also threw me off.
I travel monthly, and for the past year and a half I had my routine down: security, latte at Starbucks, quick bio stop before boarding. Suddenly Starbucks was in a different direction, the surroundings had shifted, and my “autopilot” no longer worked.
That small disruption reminded me how much we lean on familiar rhythms, whether it’s a morning routine, a role we play, or a career built over decades. When that path disappears, it’s not just logistics that shift. It can leave us feeling out of sync until something new takes shape.
And yet, those very moments hold powerful opportunities if we approach them differently.
Why We’re Creatures of Habit
Neuroscientists estimate that 40–50% of our daily actions are driven by habit rather than conscious choice.
Routines reduce cognitive load.
They free up mental energy so we don’t have to decide every small thing.
That’s why my “airport autopilot” felt comforting. I didn’t have to think.
Charles Duhigg, in The Power of Habit, notes: “Habits are powerful but delicate. They can emerge outside our consciousness, or be deliberately designed. They shape our lives far more than we realize.” So when our routines are disrupted, it’s no surprise we feel unsettled. We’ve lost a source of predictability. But here’s the good news: when autopilot turns off, awareness switches on.
Psychologist Ellen Langer, author of Mindfulness, has shown that even small disruptions to habit can spark greater engagement and learning. She writes, “When we actively notice new things, we become more sensitive to context and perspective, more present, and more alive.” In other words, novelty jolts us back into the present. Instead of sleepwalking through the terminal, I was noticing signs, directions, new spaces. My brain was awake. And this matters not just at the airport, but in life’s bigger transitions. Retirement, a career shift, a move…all these force us out of the well-worn path. If we meet them with curiosity instead of resistance, we expand possibility. So how do we grow our curiosity muscle?
One inroad is adopting a “beginner’s mindset” where we approach new experiences with openness, not expecting ourselves to know everything at once. Research shows that this perspective helps lower anxiety and build confidence. As Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki famously said: “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few.” Approaching disruption with a beginner’s mindset reframes the question from “Why is this happening to me?” to “What can I learn here?”
That mindset is critical in retirement. The old route with meetings, titles, deadlines has ended. The new one hasn’t formed yet. It’s easy to feel unmoored. But curiosity and experimentation can transform that gap from a void into a canvas.
So if you find yourself feeling unsettled when the familiar path ends, know that this isn’t a sign you’re lost. It’s proof you’re in motion. That in-between space is where awareness sharpens and new direction begins. I invite you to put this approach into practice: The next time your routine is disrupted, whether by a new airport terminal or a life transition, pause. Notice what feels different. And ask: What possibilities does this open up for me now?
Because every shift is an invitation to reimagine, not just replace, the path ahead.
Conflux Retirement Coaching is about merging the best of who you are with who you want to become. Redefining retirement routes isn’t about replacing what you’ve lost. It’s about charting what’s next. Your retirement chapter provides the opportunity to step out of autopilot, notice what feels different, and begin shaping new directions. It’s the chance to move beyond old routines, experiment with new ways of living, and design a future that’s not only fulfilling, but truly your own.
