When you think of retirement, what do you envision?
Thinking back to my grandparents, I remember their move from Massachusetts to Florida. The house was in a small community, several houses around a pond (which they called a lake) that was about the size of a football field. Their retirement years were simple, watching PBS inside or listening to the radio on their sunporch. Looking back at it, they seemed so old. Reality is they were not much older than I am now.
I know it is different today, but if that is retirement, I never want to retire.
So, if that is not the type of retirement I want, what do I want retirement to look like?
“Retirement is a blank sheet of paper. It is a chance to redesign your life into something new and different.”
— Patrick Foley, Family Wealth Adviser and Author
Design Your Retirement
I’ll be honest, I don’t exactly know what I want to do in retirement. I actually have a clearer picture of what I don’t want to do. The primary reason I started the blog and podcast was to share my discoveries as I investigated and searched for the answers to the myriad of questions that I needed to address as I considered retirement.
Later I will share my current thoughts on my own retirement, but let me first share with you my approach to designing my retirement.
It’s your turn to dream…
Take a weekend away from your daily responsibilities. Don’t turn the television on. Stay off of social media and the internet. Brew a pot of coffee or tea. Find a comfortable chair near a window. Grab a pad of paper or journal and a pen. Settle in and dream.
As you listen to the birds chirp or the leaves rustling in the wind, ask yourself what your dream retirement would be.
Don’t judge your answers. Write everything down. Waste no effort organizing your thoughts. Wherever your mind takes you, go there. Don’t be limited by money or resources. Don’t dismiss any thought for any reason. Just write.
As you do this exercise, do you feel a sense of power or optimism? These dreams, regardless of how realistic they are, create energy. Seize this opportunity to enjoy this force!
Organize your thoughts…
Do you see patterns or common themes?
Where do you see yourself living? Who are you spending time with? What are your day-to-day activities? How is your health?
Start grouping your thoughts into the different areas you have identified. Is there anything missing, possibly an area of your life you didn’t consider?
Do you see your undefined retirement plans taking some form or shape?
Making it happen…
Taking your dream to reality is the real challenge, but it is also your reward.
This is the process I am going through right now.
Taking my dream or vision from aspiration to reality is exhilarating. And I have only scratched the surface.
There are tools to help!
I wandered aimlessly in designing my plan for retirement. Then I found LifeFocus from Full Focus, a Michael Hyatt company (www.fullfocus.co). I am working through the comprehensive plan, giving tremendous and intentional thought into what I want my life to be in ten years with one-, three-, and five-year milestones to keep me on track.
I have no financial interest in the organization, nor am I compensated for recommending the product. But I endorse the product/program wholeheartedly. I am convinced that LifeFocus will help me live in retirement on my terms, having everything I dream or plan.
Another book I recommend is Designing Your Life, How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. I think this book is best as a hard-copy book with the related workbook. The audiobook left something to be desired for me, but their content is solid and relatable.
Both of these tools help organize your dreams and turn them into reality.
Notice what I left out of this process…money!
This was purposely intentional. Nothing will kill your ability to dream than concern over financial scarcity or security to make the dreams come true.
Being “practical” is so limiting to what you can make happen. Do not allow this thinking to damper the desires you have for your retirement.
Tony Robbins altered my thinking about accessing the resources to make dreams reality in his book, MONEY Master the Game: 7 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom.
My friend wanted to spend a month in Hawaii. It could have cost her a mini-fortune, but instead she was PAID to visit Hawaii for 30 days! How? She was paid to house-sit for a family while they were away. This arrangement gave her time to be a tourist (and eventually a quasi-local), hiking and sightseeing, while experiencing local cuisine.
Brilliant, right?
Do not, at this time, let money be a limiting factor in your ability to dream.
My Plans (subject to change!)
As promised, I will give you my current vision for my retirement.
First thing you should know is I can’t imagine not being busy. My retirement will not be sitting on the porch of our Georgia home sipping lemonade. Nor do I have any desire to spend each day on the golf course.
I plan to live to see 100. Not hanging on with a withering mind and body, but instead active and vibrant. My grandchildren will need to try to keep up with me!
The plan is to keep working, part out of financial and emotional need, but mostly out of a desire to serve and leave a lasting legacy. My Next Up: Retirement platform is exactly the place for me to serve a community and make a difference.
Mark Cuban, Kevin O’Leary, and Grant Cardone can keep the 100-hour work weeks. I don’t want those for myself or wish them upon anyone. I will make my contribution to the world in other ways.
I plan to volunteer my time at organizations and causes that matter to me, which at this time is helping people experiencing food insecurity.
Travel and cultural experiences enrich my soul and I plan to do more of each over the next ten years. In this digital world, I can conduct business and write from anywhere in the world. I find this opportunity to be incredibly exciting!
Lastly, I will continue to grow and evolve during my retirement.
Still have a lot of unknowns at this time (little things like where to retire, when to draw on retirement benefits, etc.), but with time and intentional thought comes clarity. The answers will come.
