Is retirement looming for you? How are you feeling about it? Do you see it as a time of withdrawing from the working arena, going out of circulation and becoming less useful or do you see it as a time of new birth, recovery and revitalization? For some it is the beginning of the end and for others it is a chance to live a new life. I choose the latter and I hope you do too. The retirement years for many of us will be one-third of our lives – that is a long time! If you have not planned for it you might lose out on a fantastic opportunity.
In my coaching workshops and one-on-one retirement coaching with clients I often hear the comment, “I am done with goals. I just want to relax and play golf, bridge, etc. I don’t want to think about goals right now!” I don’t blame them. We are use to goals that focus on what we have to do like lose weight, exercise, eat better, etc. I see retirement goals differently. I see them as things we want to do – they are like creating a bucket list if you don’t already have one. They are things we want to do.
The problem is that after a while the things we thought we wanted to do like playing golf, bridge, tennis, etc. become old when we do them day-in and day-out. It is important that we make our retirement more than that. We need to be doing things that feed our souls. When we don’t retirement becomes a time of inactivity, anxiety and depression – not a very exciting prospect!
It is best if we think and plan for our retirement beyond the financial aspects of it. What will we do about friends? Will we be moving? What will we do with our time? How will we give back? What is our vision for our future? How will we keep ourselves healthy? What will be the motivating forces in our new life? How will we keep our brains exercised and keep learning? Where will we get our emotional support? How will we keep a positive outlook on life?
These and many more questions are real food for thought as we begin to plan for a healthy, active and fruitful retirement. If you have not thought about these questions now is the time to start. It might be really helpful to find a workshop or seminar that goes beyond the typical look at finances. There is the whole other side of your life – the daily living that is just as important and that will give you satisfaction and joy if you plan for it properly.