This is a "how to" book for those of us approaching or forced into retirement who want more than a leisure only activity base. Based on research and experience, the authors describe and illustrate an easy to implement process for using ones strengths and abilities, staying active and working at something new, you love, or staying connected to what makes you special. What makes this book enjoyable reading is the numerous "real quotes" and "real people" scenarios.

Their Top Ten Reasons to Rewire is a helpful check list in determining if being rewired is for you:

1. Need mental stimulation.
2. Desire to do something meaningful, significant.
3. Want to do activities I?ve postponed.
4. Seek a balance between work and play.
5. Want to continue to make money, but doing something I love.
6. Hope for a chance to turn an avocation into a vocation.
7. Want to stay physically and mentally healthily.
8. Desire to remain productive.
9. Hope to make a difference for others.
10. Need to stay connected.

If you find yourself in agreement with many of these, this book is for you. The authors recommend that you start five years before retirement to plan for your rewirement. Don?t have five years, this book and process can still be of help. Here is what you will produce by following their process:

1. Identify your 5-8 primary drivers.

• A list of thirty drivers, e.g., Belonging, Competition, Recognition, etc.
• The thirty drivers with assessment questions quiz.
• An appendix contains a detailed list of eighty-five drivers.

1. Define what driver related work activities are going to go away with retirement.

   The authors introduce "Calendar Analysis" of a typical day and a typical week to match up current work activities with driver fulfillment/payoffs. With this same calendar then everything work-related is eliminated as though it?s already retirement time. What?s left and what is being left behind is quite revealing.

2. What are you doing with your free time?

• No leisure
• Work and leisure are integrated
• Interests can be expanded
• Blank spaces are exciting
• Activities can be discarded

1. Creating your rewired vision.

   Three chapters are devoted to helping you discover your dreams, interests, accomplishments and strengths. Various lists, exercises and questions are used to help accomplish this inventory of your unique self. One "real quote" best captures the goal of this section: "If we wish to have the brightest of futures, we need to know the best of our pasts." The resulting product is a "Personal Discovery Inventory" of drivers, dreams, interests, accomplishments, strengths, and skills.

2. Rethinking the world of work.

   The authors encourage us to not look at work as one-dimensional rather to think more broadly of work in the following four categories: work for wages, work for fee, work for me, work for free. These are not mutually exclusive and allow us to see new potential rewired work opportunities.

3. Defining a Possibility Profile and action plan.

I found this book to be easy reading and loaded with helpful tips, lists, exercises, quizzes and other tools to help think about your rewirement years. Those involved in outplacement, career/life planning will also find this to be a valuable resource.