Why is it that, in the past, so many people simply survived in the "traditional retirement lifestyle" and never got to where they could genuinely thrive?

Retirement, in the traditional sense, offered few real options. Typically, there was a set of prescribed steps that all retirees went through that ultimately led them to the same unsatisfying "traditional retirement lifestyle." Thus, the perception that new retirees face more challenges, changes, anxieties and losses at "retirement" than they do at any other time in their life.

Some people planned for their financial future but not their emotional, work, leisure or spiritual future. Some individuals who ran corporate entities or their own company and always seemed "in control" of their destinies. They were so "defined" by their role in corporate America that once they retired, they perceived themselves to be a mere shell of the person they used to be.

Fortunately, that no longer has to be the case.

Today, most "Baby Boomers" and retiring professionals cannot see themselves in the "old" retirement lifestyle at all.

If you are in this group, you are active, health conscious adults with a wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise. You may already know how to "play" but even if you do, that is not enough for you.

You have so much to contribute. You come from all levels of the corporate world and all walks of life. You may have the money you need to live comfortably in the lifestyle you choose. It's not about that. You have spent most of your adult lives in one or more careers and cannot fathom a life where you no longer play an active role in the area of your choice whether it be a new career in a "for profit" venture or giving of yourself in the "not-for-profit" arena.

In a study of baby boomers from AARP, released at a symposium with Harvard University's Generations Policy Initiative, researchers found that 80 percent of baby boomers expect to continue working after age 67. Thirty percent will work part-time for fun, but 25 percent will do it for the money. And interestingly, seven percent will quit their current jobs to work full-time elsewhere.

The Harvard School of Public Health reports in USA Today that Boomers who are looking at the not-for-profit arena are "planning on doing meaningful, not menial, volunteer work."

The new LifeOptions Program offers the individual the power to "shift gears" repeatedly moving from lifestyle change to lifestyle change without skipping a beat! Today's Boomers want to live every single day of their life to the fullest with a full unending menu of choices.