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Reaching Retirement

Ah, retirement! You are now armed with the hard-earned wisdom of your years, and are eagerly anticipating what the next 50 years will bring! After the retirement bash has ended, and you have graciously accepted the “cute” presents from your friends (tee-shirts and hats with silly slogans), you may find yourself gazing down the road wondering what lies ahead.

Rather than viewing retirement as a period of boredom, many people feel that reaching this milestone is an unparalleled opportunity to uncover new possibilities. If you are beginning to think of life beyond your job, you might want to begin by examining how central work has been to your lifestyle.

Many people, either by necessity or choice, have made work the focal point of their lives. Indeed, high achievers and “workaholics” typically have little time for anything but work. Even to those for whom work is not all consuming, its importance to our sense of self-esteem is not something to be underestimated. However, in later years, some may feel that although careers were once the focal point of their lives, multiple avenues of possibility do exist outside of work, and they look forward to exploring those opportunities.

Carpe Diem

Retirement offers the perfect chance to seize the day and set new life goals. You may now have the ability to diversify your activities and do things that may have seemed impossible in prior years. Some people enjoy the prospect of charitable work, while others wish to pursue activities that relate to their interests and passions. Many people seek travel adventures for the pure fun they provide. With so many possibilities, now may be the perfect time to emphasize lifestyle. You may now be able to integrate work into your life, rather than try to shape your life around work.

An evolving lifestyle based on this model might look like this: part-time work to help fulfill productivity needs; charitable work to satisfy an urge to “give back” to your community; taking a class to rekindle the joy of learning; and engaging in sports and hobbies that are intrinsically fun and healthy.

Is this really possible after retirement? The answer might depend on how well you have planned financially for a time when you can work less, and how easy it will be for you to psychologically de-emphasize work. If such changes are not yet feasible, there is still plenty of time to plan around a different timetable or age. If you are not yet retired, you might want to begin planning a strategy that will allow for some lifestyle changes when you do have the free time that retirement provides.

But, what’s the big deal about retiring anyway? Retirement is somewhat unique in that, for many of us, it comes at an age in which parenting responsibilities may be behind us, our work responsibilities have abated, and we can finally afford the luxury of thinking of ourselves, while actively maintaining good health and high energy.

Self-assessment may be difficult, but it can also be enlightening. Your horizons are limited only by your willingness to think in terms of possibilities. Shakespeare wrote of the “many stages of man,” and while retirement may represent “just another phase” to some, it may also pose limitless possibilities to others. Opportunities are endless, and sometimes the world does look different when viewed through a new window!

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