In satire, movies, advertisements, and cartoons – heaven is usually portrayed as clouds in the sky. You’ll see characters with halos on their heads, dressed in white robes (maybe looking like hospital gowns), and even wings. To the average person, that doesn’t sound very appealing. In fact, it sounds quite boring. Why would I want to spend eternity sitting on a cloud, doing nothing? That does not seem like “heaven” to me.
Retirement living is often given the same whitewash treatment. I did an internet search asking this simple question, “What are typical retirement activities?” Here are some of the top pursuits that were suggested.
– Sleep
– Declutter your home
– Celebrate yourself
– Watch TV (yes, that was actually listed)
– Travel
– See family
– Volunteer
– Get in shape
– Find a hobby
Now, I am not saying there is anything wrong with those activities, in fact many of them can be very appealing. However, it can bring images of a life settling into a mundane set routine; lacking the diversity, engagement, intensity, meaning, and purpose that a career gives. Retirement could be an earthy version of sitting on a cloud playing the harp all day.
What we love about this life are the things that resonate with the life we were made for. The things we love are not merely the best this life has to offer—they are previews of the greater life to come.
Randy Alcorn, Heaven
One of the books that changed my perspective on the afterlife was Heaven by Randy Alcorn. The author goes into great details on the amazing possibilities about the material reality of our existence after our life here on earth ends. He paints a picture of tangible activities filled with intention and function. Our experiences will have meaning and purpose. Randy makes heaven something to look forward to instead of a time of uncertainty, apprehension, and even fear.
The same needs to be said about a post career or retirement life.
If you work a standard work week, about 1/3 of your time is spent at your job. Upon retirement, you have a 40 hour void each week that will be filled. If you do not invest the time to develop a plan, get ready to reserve your space on a post career cloud. So, what does planning your life look like? Ask yourself these questions.
– What is my current career mindset? Am I looking forward to retiring? Do I want to keep working? Does work bring me a major source of satisfaction in life?
– How do I manage my time today? What will I do with all that extra time?
– What is my retirement mindset? Do I like the sound of saying, “I am retired?”
– What is my financial mindset? Am I too pessimistic or optimistic about my finances?
– What kind of lifestyle do I want to live? The same, simpler, or more than I live today?
– What kind of activities do I want to do early and well into retirement?
– What does my spouse or significant other think? Are we on the same page? Have we discussed life together and life alone when one leaves first?
Well, how did you answer? If you are like many I have worked with, it was probably more difficult than you thought.
When you are intentional and decide to work through a process, post career life becomes tangible, filled with amazing opportunities. That’s what I help people do.
Don’t delay planning because retirement is like the boring view of heaven we are given. Make it a reality. Make it a precursor to heaven.
I am Dave, I guide senior business professionals from their late forties on, who struggle with a lack of flexibility in their life and want more quality personal time or be semi to fully retired.
Start by assessing your current post career approach by taking the Retirement Time Analysis (RTA) and get a complimentary summary report.
Understand the time investment you will need to have a solid social network in retirement. Download the Social Network Audit Tool. Get it here.
Get an overview on the art of goal planning as well as a complimentary Life Purpose Statement (PLS) worksheet.
Get to know more about me and why I do what I do. Hi, I am Dave…
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