Retire…go off, withdraw, go out, exit, depart, go away, adjourn, suspend, postpone, defer, shelve, table, stop, halt, cease, retreat, close, dismiss.
Some of the many reasons why I really do not like the word retirement.
I was recently on The Mister Productivity Podcast with Mark Struczewski, and we got into a discussion of a life wish, adventure, or bucket list. One of my items is to learn how to hang glide. It is not on the top of the list, but I have it on there because I have always been fascinated by the sport. It sits there as a reminder to me that retirement is not about withdrawal, but engagement.
Consider some of the statistics around activities or projects people do in a post-career life.
- About 10% of all skydivers are over the age of 65.
- The number of adults over 65 who have published a book has increased by 50% since 2002.
- Eleven million retirees travel outside the United States each year.
- About one in four hike on a regular basis.
- Somewhere in the neighborhood of 20% of retirees participate in visual arts activities, such as drawing, painting, or sculpting.
- Almost 17% of registered sailboats in the United States are owned by people over 65 years of age.
Each of these are the anthesis of the concept around and describing the word retire. On the other hand, to do any of the above consistently causes you to have to prepare, plan, and execute. I am not advocating any of these (hang gliding included), but I encourage you to plan for a post-career life that lets you rethink…well…you.
The Preparing of Rethinking You
Many business strategies start with a SWOT analysis, why not you? Take a good look at your strengths and weaknesses (internal factors) as well as opportunities and threats (external factors). The SWOT will challenge you to understand the reality of any limitations as well as the possibilities of new experiences.
The Planning of Rethinking You
Once your SWOT is developed, now it is time to have fun goal-planning. Create a detailed design through the following methods.
- A Life Purpose Statement. Define your own mission and vision statement.
- A Bucket List. Let your imagination take you on a journey to build a series of activities that push beyond your comfort zone (keep it legal and healthy please).
- Long-Term Goals. Taking items from your bucket list, start to add details around ambition to determine if you are able to make it a reality.
- Annual Goals. You have planned out and set all the details on a long-term goal into a specific time frame, falling within the calendar year.
- Short-term Goals. Interesting events can come up unexpectantly. Formalizing them into a formal short-term target eliminates missed adventures.
The Execution of the Rethinking You
Now it is time to go and have fun. Execute against the plan you have created. However, before you begin, I ask you to do three things.
- Talk to your doctor. If you are going to jump out of an airplane, make sure you are physically ready or learn what you need to do to be ready.
- Take your plan to your financial professional. Ensure they are comfortable and that you have the resources to make your dreams come true.
- Talk to your spouse/partner (if applicable). This really needs to happen at the prepare stage, but I put it here to emphasize that this should or actually must be a part of rethinking you.
The Rethinking You Take-Away
Rethinking you does not have to a series of personal “I dare you” items that push you into uncomfortable and unhealthy actions. Anything you undertake deserves careful consideration and outside counsel for a reality check. However, you can create fabulous options to keep the retired you far away from the rethinking you.
Additional Resources
The Four Phases of Post Career Life
Take the complimentary Post Career Lifestyle Quiz
Need More Help?
Book a virtual office to discuss the Infinity Lifestyle Design process that lets you rethink you.
Come to the Audio Event
As we get older, patterns in life can become rigid models of behavior that limit us and our desire to branch out to enjoy fresh experiences.
Join me on Thursday May 11, 2023, with the international best-selling author and founder of Daring to Transcend, Karen Ann Bulluck. We will discuss her new book Discovering Power. In addition, we will examine her own personal journey of being a risk-taking specialist who thrives on challenging deeply held assumptions and behaviors.
Karen will motivate you, whether in a career or retired, to transcend the limits of your own human awareness to achieve new and exciting possibilities.
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