Retired life is perfect, isn't it?
I’m guessing you’ve worked hard at your job for 40 years, you’re getting older, you deserve a great retired life. That’s obvious. Except maybe for those whose work life ended in termination, who then can’t find another job, so retirement has been forced on them.
Let’s not spoil a good story. So here you are in what is called the honeymoon period of retirement, where you sleep in and then complete those pesky tasks you never had time for when you worked and that makes you feel great.
But all honeymoon periods end. What now? Well, you’re playing golf or bridge or pickleball and having lots of fun. As well, you have a routine that gets you out of the house as much as you want. But have you put all your eggs in one basket: what happens if you start to feel jaded by those activities?
This could be the perfect opportunity to find out what your deepest needs are. Then you can fulfill them.
For example, in your retired life, do you want to:
· Use your skills to mentor people
· Volunteer
· Learn something new or improve on an old skill
· Have a bigger social life
Only you know, but I would say that the answer won’t be obvious to you. Why is this important? Let me digress.
Wait, there is more. What if you have a partner and your partner is still working, yet you have retired? This can raise tensions around the issue of who does what in the house. What can you do?
Let’s not ignore your social life. If you take the attitude of “build it and they will come” then you may be disappointed. Typically social life happens because you make it happen. How?
Finally let me mention a thorny topic: your emotions. If you thought that retired life must mean you no longer live within a maelstrom of emotions (for example because you go fishing from dawn to dusk) then let me mention my experience. The world of grandparenting (which doesn’t apply to everyone of course) seems to float on a platform of “my little Jimmy is top of the class”, “my little Esme won a gold medal for ballet”. Doesn’t that annoy you? That’s an emotion. How can you deal with it?
Let’s return to your retired life. Nothing I listed above is inevitable but at the very least it paints a picture of complexity. Here is the good news: if you are interested in getting to know yourself in terms of your identity in retired life and what your actual needs are (the activities you engage with are there to satisfy your deepest needs) then contact a retirement coach.
Perfection? Maybe not. Improvement? Why not. I am here to help you with your retired life.