Looking to Retirement

Many people look forward to retirement, but not everyone finds it pleasant when it finally arrives. How can you make the most out of your so-called “golden” years?

Retirement is a time that some people look forward to and others almost dread. One thing is certain, though, retirement is a time of life that produces many changes – and some of them you might not expect.

For example, John Mosedale, author of “The First Year, A Retirement Journal” pointed out that not having a job any longer can mean a loss of self-esteem and a lessened sense of worth – especially for people whose whole identities have been wrapped up in their work, for many, many years. Mosedale wrote that it is important to figure out who you really are before you retire. It is vitally important to realize that you are far more than what you do at work, no matter how absorbing and interesting your job may be.

If you want to be a well-rounded person and really enjoy your retirement when it rolls around, now is the time to cultivate interests, hobbies and even passions that you can expand and explore more deeply later on. Keeping busy, setting and achieving meaningful goals, maintaining good health and financial security, and especially feeling that you have a purpose in life are keys to a fulfilling retirement.

These things won’t happen by magic when you turn 65 or 70. The time to start is now. What sort of retirement would you like to have? Can you see yourself at age 75 and beyond? What are you doing? Where are you doing it? And what can you do right now to make sure this vision of your future becomes a reality?

The Baby Boomer Generation is expected to live longer and more active lives than any past generation. Perhaps, we need to find a different word to describe “retirement,” one that does not infer stopping or withdrawing, but one that means “having the time of my life.”