A New Game Without a Scoreboard: Reflections on Identity, Purpose, and Acceptance in Retirement - Softcover

Troup, Daniel J.

Softcover

ISBN 13: 9798996530113

Publisher: Daniel J. Troup, 2026

Synopsis

Retirement is what happens when the scoreboard disappears.

For decades, your life had structure. Titles. Deadlines. Goals. Expectations. A way to measure progress and know whether you were winning. Then one day, it's gone.

Retirement doesn't just change your schedule. It changes your identity.

In A New Game Without a Scoreboard, Daniel J. Troup reflects on the often-unspoken transition from a life that measured everything to one that measures almost nothing. Through personal stories of loss, reinvention, friendship, family, purpose, and acceptance, he explores what it means to step away from a career and into a different kind of life.

This isn't a retirement guide filled with financial advice, formulas, or five-step plans. It's a conversation about meaning, identity, and what comes next when the structure of work disappears.

If you are approaching retirement, recently retired, or years into it and still asking questions, this book is for you.

You may see yourself in these pages if you:

• Feel unprepared for the emotional side of retirement
• Find yourself asking, "Who am I now?"
• Miss the structure, identity, or sense of progress your career once provided
• Want to explore purpose without rigid rules or expectations
• Are ready to think differently about what it means to "win" in this stage of life

Written with honesty, perspective, and a touch of humor, A New Game Without a Scoreboard offers reassurance that uncertainty isn't failure. It's part of the process.

Because retirement isn't the end of the story.

It's the moment you realize the next chapter is yours to write.

About this title

About the Author

Daniel J. Troup is a writer, blogger, mentor, and retired business executive whose work explores the intersection of career, identity, purpose, and life after work. After a 30-plus-year career in sales, marketing, leadership, and career coaching, he retired at age 57 and began navigating the often-unexpected transition from professional achievement to a new chapter in life.Drawing on his own experiences, Troup writes about retirement, family, friendship, aging, personal growth, and the search for meaning beyond traditional measures of success. His essays combine storytelling, reflection, humor, and practical wisdom to examine the challenges and opportunities that accompany life's major transitions.He is the creator of The Sunny Side of 57, a blog dedicated to reflections on life, family, career, and retirement. Through his writing, he encourages readers to think more deeply about identity, purpose, acceptance, and what it means to continue growing long after a career ends.Prior to retirement, Troup held leadership positions in sales and marketing with several technology companies and later founded a career coaching and consulting practice. He also serves as a volunteer mentor with SCORE, helping entrepreneurs and small business owners pursue their goals and build successful ventures.A New Game Without a Scoreboard is his second book, and his first focused on retirement and life after work.Daniel lives in Central New York with his wife, Sue, and their dog, Rigby. When he is not writing, he enjoys walking, pickleball, mentoring, spending time with family, and exploring the back roads and lakes of Upstate New York.

Edition details

• Publisher: Daniel J. Troup
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798996530113
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 167