Giorgio Armani Retiring at 90? Not Yet! #FeelingFriday

Giorgio Armani, the famed Italian designer of his namesake fashion label was recently asked if he was going to retire at his age of 90. His answer was something to the effect of “maybe in a couple of years.” Wow!

Jane Fonda, at 85, says she has no plans to retire and in fact she loves her work now more than ever.

Cher, at 78, has a book coming out and has recently been in the studio recording a new album. Streisand at 82 recently released a new album.

These legends are still going strong after all these years with no end in sight and no sight towards stopping. And they have so much more to contribute to their craft as they remain as relevant today as when they were first starting and as when they were in what some might call their peak (although some might also say they are still in their peak). I might say they have not hit a peak yet. There you go!

And as a friend pointed out, at 90 years old Giorgio Armani is expanding his restaurant empire as well by opening his first place in NYC … as Giorgio says “the only limit is good taste.” Indeed. So not only is he not retiring quite yet if ever, he’s still growing.

I for one am so inspired by this.

While I personally don’t (yet!) match any of these folks’ age, I have absolutely no line of sight towards retirement. Nor do I plan to have one. Not on my radar.

I still have such love for my craft and I still work hard to stay relevant in it. While my roles have evolved through the years and I plan for that to continue, I also plan to evolve with the industry that I have chosen and plan to continue to shape it along the way.

Hey, I want to go back to school to keep learning more! Like Giorgio, I want to keep growing.

I feel fortunate that these role models like Giorgio and Jane exist that I can look to for inspiration to keep the love of my craft, regardless of age or tenure. And there are many like them in my industry as well, who continue to love the work and the people they work with and have no plans to retire … but look to merely evolve and grow as we continue to shape how we work and shape the work we do. With the people we love doing it with!

And … continuously improve all along the way!

Join me! What’s your experience? JIM