Baby boomers will enjoy an estimated 30 more years of life than the previous generation.

Because of these “bonus years,” those of us born between 1949 and 1964 are poised to create a new life stage and one of this century’s most powerful cultural phenomena.

This current “longevity revolution” calls for new options that transform the traditional retirement lifestyle. The “Golden Years” concept of leisure-focused retirement is no longer appropriate for today’s more active, healthy and vibrant adults.

Consider Rick M., a 58-year-old successful professional who devoted three decades to building his career. An engineer-turned-business owner, he once felt ambitious and proud of his work, but now feels disengaged and restless for a change.

Rick frequently dreams about leaving his business and beginning a new life chapter — one that would require a different set of skills, fewer hours and would add a new dimension and challenge to his work life. Rick feels stuck as he experiences being in between life chapters — an unprecedented phenomenon new to this generation of boomers.

Even seeking counsel on an exit strategy and succession plan for his business didn’t move him to action because he couldn’t quite picture what he’d do with his life without his business to run.

Rick is hardly alone in his dilemma. In fact, he is part of the largest generation in American history due to retire in the next decade. While many boomers want to transition from their established career path, a significant number lack clarity about options that will engage them and meet their increasing need for meaning and new challenges in their next life stage — one that extends beyond a leisure-based retirement.

In 2009, the Mature Market Institute, MetLife’s organization that provides objective research on issues of aging and longevity, released a groundbreaking study: “Discovering What Matters: Balancing Money, Medicine and Meaning.” The study offered valuable insights into the measurable role that purpose plays in the lives of people over 50. As the study says, “for most people, their primary goal is not financial freedom or good health, or even free time — it is to have purpose and meaning in their lives.”

Marc Freedman, CEO and founder of Civic Ventures, a think tank on boomers, work and social purpose, and author of “Encore: Finding Work That Matters in the Second Half of Life,” and “The Big Shift,” is a thought leader on opportunities for people over 50 who want to make significant contributions in their third or even fourth careers.

His organization highlights people who have “retired” from their businesses or careers to begin social entrepreneurship ventures that combine their skills and talents with a critical social need. The results have been tremendously impactful for both the individual and the causes they serve.

Since today’s boomers nearing an end to their primary careers lack models to emulate, their task of creating meaningful options for themselves is significant and one that might be informed by these simple questions:

• What is the significance of this stage of my life? What would give it meaning?

• What are the primary skills, competencies and talents that I’d like to offer in my next experience?

• Where in the world is there a match between my skills and what would give me a sense of meaning?

• What might I do next to investigate possible options?

There’s a new way to retire these days. It might be going back to school to develop new competencies, spearheading a community-based initiative, or serving as an adviser in one’s field.

Taking time to consider ideas, possibilities and changes that are aligned with priorities and talents can create a whole new sense of purpose and fulfillment for this next stage of life.