What is your "magic number"?

People who work at jobs that have a pension component or other retirement supplement by their employer often calculate their last day of work by a formula that calculates a point total to create the maximum benefit.

This came to mind the other day when talking to an employee at a client I'm working with. It's a large financial institution, and she's been there for 25+ years. She's very well thought of by peers and superiors, and in my view, could be considered a linchpin as defined in Seth Godin's latest book Linchpin. It's amazing how much she knows and how she helps us get things done.

The thing is, she expects to get laid off next year after the work she is doing is completed. She's not worried because she'll have achieved her magic number of 80, though she's not sure she's financially ready for retirement.

I've also come across the "magic number" scenario with folks in the public sector. Stories now are coming out about some rather lucrative pensions, especially in states that are in severe financial straits. Some of these individuals are retiring at age 50 with guaranteed six-figure pensions, for life!

Is this the purpose of work, to reach a "magic number" to maximize retirement pay? Or should work be something that provides a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment of purpose? I lean towards the latter.

For those who are near their "magic number", I encourage you to look at this next phase of your life and consider how you might fulfill your calling.