The Foreign Service Journal, May 2016

24 may 2016 | the foreign Service journal T his lyric, from “The Finer Things” by Steve Winwood, was blaring frommy car radio on a freeway in San Diego at the instant I decided to accept State’s offer to join the Foreign Service in March 1987. And, quite consciously, it was also the first song I played after crossing the Mexico-U.S. border from Juarez in late July 2011 as I drove into my retirement. Words matter and have power. Early, voluntary retirement can open the door to pursue your dreams. By Dean J . Haas Dean J. Haas, a Foreign Service officer from 1987 to 2011, served as deputy chief of mission in Ljubljana, principal officer in Ciudad Juarez and executive director of the Bureau of Consular Affairs among many other assignments. He currently serves as a retiree representative on the AFSA Governing Board, is a leadership coach and training consultant at the Foreign Service Institute, andmaintains a private coaching and consulting practice. So time is a river rolling into nowhere I will live while I can I will have my ever after * Before I share some reflections about “life after the Foreign Service,” including the value of retiring as soon as you’re eligible, finding a new path and chasing new dreams, let me offer a few facts up front: • I was inspired to retire at age 50 by two other colleagues whom I admire and sawmove away from the Foreign Service suc- cessfully as soon as they were eligible. • I wanted to leave the Foreign Service feeling positive about my career experience and ready to continue contributing to State in a new way. • I am single with no children, making the financial side of this decision somewhat less fraught with nervousness or guilt. (But do know that the FS retirement package provides a life-long cushion, the true monetary value of which too many people underesti- mate, particularly the health care benefit.) • I left the Service as a Minister Counselor, with 10 years of time in class remaining. So the decision to retire was mine alone, not made for me. Saying “No”—and “Yes” So, what’s the deal here? What would possess me to walk away from a successful career and consciously choose a new path? For me, it was about passion and the need to find a new call- ing—not unhappiness with my Foreign Service assignments. Retiring Early and Finding Your “Ever After” FOCUS On Life after the foreign service

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