Looking forward to retirement is the preoccupation of many as they move towards the end of their working life or their career.
Recent chats with a couple of good friends of mine, who are in just that situation has lead me to realize two separate aspects of retiring.
Although many people are very organized when it comes to making best provision for their retirement financially, those very same people are ill-prepared when it comes to dealing with the psychological changes they are going to experience when the big day arrives.
Being prepared financially is something we are driven into by government legislation and lead into by marketing and the media which results in personal motivation to ensure regular payments are made into a pension fund that will then pay out a regular income throughout your retirement – and make sure you can keep a roof over your head and food on the table.
But what about the psychological impact. For some this can start to loom large in their mind several years before Retirement Day arrives with the result this part of their journey of life can start to feel very daunting.
For others it doesn’t appear to impact them until Retirement Day actually arrives and they enter into what should be a new and exciting part of life’s journey. They can be completely naive with regards to the changes that will come about.
So what is that makes this event such a problem? And where do you sit in this scenario?
It doesn’t matter whether you are employed or running your own business, you will have a routine or a series of habits that have made significant parts of your day run on autopilot.
From when you get out of bed in the morning to when you hop back into bed at the end of the day there will be many things you have taken for granted and perhaps won’t even realize how important they are in making your world move along smoothly.
When you get to the point Retirement Day many of these habits will become irrelevant to your new daily activities. That in itself is fine but still having these habits firmly in your subconscious can lead to all sorts of challenges and frustrations.
So if you are going to enjoy your new life then it is important to look at adopting new habits that will compliment your new plans and direction in life.
Now I know some will say that when you get to retirement age you are too old to change and will therefore have to go along with your old ways.
Fortunately research now confirms that we are never too old to change. That is if we want to change. So with that knowledge – which I will come back to in much more detail at a later time – wouldn’t be beneficial to start planning your future retirement psychologically as well as financially.
And that is exactly what I want to help you with. Changing your habits to suit your new place in life is not difficult if it is approached in a steady structured way and it will definitely result in a happier and more harmonious life.
I’d like to leave with a lovely expression that came for a lady who lives local to me. I bumped into her one day and said – “I understand you have decided to retire, may I wish you a happy retirement.”
Her immediate reply was – “No I haven’t retired I just decide to take my life in a new direction.”
Excellent. Let me help you take your life in a new and happy direction.
“Your Habits Control Your Life – But You Control Your Habits
You Can Take Back Control of Your Life”
Filed under: Retirement
