We receive a lot of emails from our readers asking how they should begin their retirement journey. As one email began, "How should I start my retirement? Where do I begin?" Retirement can be very confusing. After all there are so many things to consider as we face the future.
One of the most important steps you can take is to get to know the new you. Of course, you’re still the same person, but there will be many changes in your life that will require you to adapt, expand or contract activities, assume new responsibilities, try new activities or go on adventures that you have always wanted to take.
After years of researching retirement and speaking with thousands of retirees, we have compiled a list of positive steps to consider as you look forward to retirement. Below are a few of those steps to get you thinking. They also work for those who are already retired but need to rethink the future.
Accept the Future as a time of endings and beginnings. Think about what will end with work. Ask yourself what will you miss and how will you replace it. Also ask how will you keep in contact with work friends? You will experience many endings and beginnings in retirement. This is the first one.
Acknowledge how you handle change. Do you run from it or embrace it? Change even for those who embrace it can be difficult if you haven’t planned for it. Leaving work is a huge change on the mind and the body. You'll want to prepare for it. Retirement is not a marathon. It is a series of sprints.
Don’t forget your values: Our values are our anchors. How highly do you value your work? Recognize that the absence of work may leave you feeling adrift. What will you replace it with? What anchor will you need?
Go on vacation. Do something totally different the first week or month of your new life. If you know that change is hard for you that the first Monday of your new life may be difficult. Being in a different environment or on vacation can lessen the blow and help you ease into the future.
Take the time to know yourself. It’s a journey well worth taking. As a start read Don’t Retire, REWIRE! The book contains several exercises that help you focus on the future and how you can best achieve fulfillment in the next act. It takes time to know yourself post retirement. Be patient with yourself.
Remember, you are not alone. Talk to other retirees who you consider role models. Find out what they did to right and what they did wrong. Learning from the retirement mistakes of others can be a huge time saver. If you find you need more help, consider engaging a retirement coach. A good coach reduces retirement anxiety and can save you time and money.
Let the kite out. Take one off-beat idea you have and play it through. Let the kid in you emerge. There may be a whole other side of you dying to get out. What a great way to start the future!
