Len Kaufman is the ‘whirld phamous’ travel photographer, thinking about different ways of looking at photography: with more depth, saturation, and more pixels. His philosophy in life is “Always chase the horizon. Whoever finishes with the most experiences wins.”
Which is why it comes at no surprise that Kaufman views retirement a little differently than most. He’s living proof that retirement really isn’t for everyone, and that working into retirement can actually give individuals an important sense of purpose, especially when they’re following their passion.
Who is Len Kaufman?
Len Kaufman is famed for the dramatic images he’s made in 91 countries as a travel photographer. And his advertising photography is just as popular… he’s been featured by cruise lines, airlines and tourism destinations around the world.
His unique philosophy and photography style have landed in a wide variety of major U.S. publications, including Travel and Leisure, Travel Holiday, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post. He’s also been featured in a number of airline magazines: we wonder if you’ve already glanced at his works once or twice without even knowing it!
He shares some of his favorite moments on his YouTube channel, which has skyrocketed with over 7 million views and over 20,000 subscribers.
We love him and he even sent us through to this Science Humor group… If that’s your style, we imagine it’ll teach you quite a lot about the kind of person Len is!
Len Kaufman’s perspective of retirement: groundbreaking
“There are different reasons why one might continue to work in what are often referred to as the “retirement years.” Perhaps a better question is “Why retire?”
“What you refer to as a “need” to work seems to refer to a monetary need. Whereas the extra income is nice, I “need” to work because I love what I do, and it gives me a day to day purpose. It keeps me sharp, engaging in the new technology that comes out almost daily.
“I’ve seen so many instances of people retiring at the “accepted” age of retirement, and that act of retirement is a prelude to deterioration.”
A prelude to deterioration? That’s right, and science is willing to back him up.
Age Watch shared an article which outlined a few key details about why delayed retirement can actually be beneficial for you, such as:
- People live six weeks longer, on average, for every year they continue to work.
- Retiring later appears to delay the onset of Alzheimers.
- And stopping all employment actually increases the risk of mobility problems, illness and a decline in mental health.
But from Kaufman’s perspective, we couldn’t agree more: if you have a passion, reaching retirement age finally gives you the kind of freedom to pursue it, to whatever degree you wish. It also gives you an important sense of purpose, something that we as individuals benefit greatly from having. And, in general, continuing to work through retirement can keep you on your toes, helping you stay active in the community.
Sure: we all have every right to step away from work and find retirement in our later years, especially if health or lifestyle concerns come up. But that doesn’t mean life has to stop, that we can’t continue sharpening our abilities, or that the passion that has driven us through life has to fall to the sidetracks.
In fact: it’s the perfect time for you to take a chance on yourself and follow whatever dreams you may have. Len Kaufman is living proof of that fact.
If you liked this post? Learn how Denis Ristic plans for retirement, or check out one of our many blogs designed to help you prepare for or enjoy your retirement here.
Because retirement doesn’t have to mean the end. In fact, it can be just the beginning…
“Always chase the horizon. Whoever finishes with the most experiences wins.” – Len Kaufman
