A new beginning
Fred Rogers said, “Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.” That is especially true for retirement because you could be retired for 20 or 30 years or more. Retirement is a new beginning. Think of retirement as a second or third act. This can be a time to reinvent yourself since you’ll have the time to do all the things you’ve longed to do. What have you put off for someday? Someday is now in retirement.
When it comes to planning for retirement, money gets all the attention; however, most of what you will have is time. It’s worth spending a considerable amount of time planning what you want to do in retirement. Having money does not guarantee a happy retirement.
Many people view retirement as the ultimate goal, a finish line they are excited to cross. The media portrays retirement as a permanent vacation with endless days of golfing or fishing, spending time with the grandkids, traveling, and taking a dance class on a Tuesday afternoon, and this leaves people unprepared for the changes that come with retirement and sets them up for disappointment. Retirement is a journey, not a destination.
Retirement has changed in the last few decades and Baby Boomers continue to redefine retirement. People are taking longer to grow old. It’s worth taking the time to consider who you want to BE, what you want to D0, and what kind of lifestyle you want to HAVE in your retirement. This will shift over time, of course – as a retirement plan is not one and done – and you’ll adjust to a different lifestyle and priorities. The retirement lifestyle is becoming a balance of purposeful life mixed with other pursuits including leisure and continued learning.
For others, it can be a lonely and depressing time. Nielsen, the TV rating group, reports that retirees watch nearly 50 hours of television each week. Since you are reading this post, I imagine this is not how you want to spend your time.
The loss of identity, purpose, structure, and social connections can have a profound impact, as it did for the 72-year-old woman referred to me last fall. She had lived a full life with many accomplishments but was feeling lonely and like she no longer had a purpose. Coaching helped her regain her footing and she started to re-engage with her community and reported having fun again when we last spoke.
One of the most common regrets in retirement is not having planned enough for all of the time that retirement brings. You’ll need to fill the 8 to 10 hours you used to spend working once you retire. This requires you to play an active role in what your retirement will look like. This is not just retirement planning, but life planning.
If you’d like help designing your ideal retirement, let’s chat. You can sign up for a free, no-obligation call here, and we can talk about your goals and dreams.