Happy Retirement - New Beginning
What comes to your mind if you think about "Aging"? Getting wrinkles on your face? Not being able to run as fast? Having to see a doctor more often? Your dream retirement life? Perhaps living in Las Vegas where the sun shines 300 days a year?
People are living longer than ever before, so planning for the future includes more than just an investment portfolio. Retirees need to find meaningful, productive activities to fill out the last part of their lives, not just busywork.
Good healthy aging has several key components: Good physical health; possession of basic resources (housing, food); good social network; sense of purpose; and engaging in activities such as volunteering, working, and hobbies or interests. These components may seem obvious, but seniors need to assess the balance in their lives with the above in mind to uncover not just challenges, but opportunities as well.
Being aware of the challenges ahead is a good point from which to start. Amazingly, many people never give any thought to how they’ll spend their days once they stop working and the routine that they had for decades. The irony is that retirement often brings about identity crises – because work was how the retiree has defined him or herself for the last 40-odd years. Society defines us by our achievements, and what you do often becomes who you are. Retirement, therefore, may require a redefinition of self. If approached from a positive angle, i.e., the opportunity to reinvent oneself, retirement can be the most rewarding phase of life.
Make a Bucket List - I Want To Do (before I die…). The list helps to uncover past dreams, wishes and activities or interests they haven't pursued in a while. You’d be surprised at how difficult this can be, though, because people tend to think, “Well, I always wanted to skydive, but now I’m too old.” This is where thinking outside the box comes in, which often requires prompting.
What if you had the resources and energy to make your dreams come true? The point is to open up possibilities, even ones that seem “too young.” Movies need older extras. Skydiving can be done at any age with good health. Why not get a college degree now? It may take a little longer to learn that musical instrument, but one thing you have now is time. Forget about what is “expected” of older people, and follow your heart’s desire.
Retirement need not be viewed as the end. It should be the new beginning of your life!
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