So you’re thinking about retirement! Sitting at your desk or standing by your machine, you picture waking up in the morning when you’re ready, lounging around the house with a cup of coffee and the paper, calling up friends for tennis or a game of golf and playing cards in the evening. Ah, freedom at last! You’re no longer working. You’re no longer commuting. For the first time in a long time, you’re really enjoying life. Finally, you are retired!

When most people think about retirement, they imagine leaving a job they dislike, dropping out of the rat race and turning their back on the pressures of employment. They often see retirement as a welcome change or an escape to something more peaceful and serene.

But retirement is not only about giving up your job and relaxing. It’s entering one of the most exciting and challenging stages of life. It can be a time to draw upon your personal and professional experiences to open new doors of opportunity and education. It can be the time when you realize your potential and accomplish significant goals previously delayed by the responsibilities of working and raising a family.

The opportunities in retirement are endless; however, a successful retirement doesn’t come without its hurdles. There are many considerations such as living on a reduced income, creating a health and wellness strategy, examining relationships with family and friends, allocating personal time, establishing living arrangements, adopting, and adapting to different social roles and adjusting to the eventual death of a spouse, friends and family members.

Successful retirees recognize the need to plan for happiness and productivity. They evaluate what’s important to them and construct actions to satisfy their needs and wants. By creating a vision of a realistic retirement and building an action plan to achieve it, they are proactively and energetically seeking results.

So now, the choice is yours. Reserve your place in the rocking chair or grab the ring of life. Sit and wait for whatever comes along or tackle the challenges and opportunities. Be sedentary and without purpose or get involved and make a difference. Once again, the choice is yours.

Strategies for Retiring Right! – Self-directed course

I’ve recently created a 10-module, self-directed holistic retirement planning course. It is designed to assist with your retirement planning process. It outlines some of the problems and questions to be addressed when thinking about retirement and is intended to provide you with insight and direction, without taking away from your individual decision-making.

The inspiration for my course, Strategies for Retiring Right! and my three books on holistic retirement (Don’t Just Retire – Live It, Love It! Strategies for Retiring Right! and Why Me? And No Gold Watch!), came from observing people who retired from successful careers to lead inactive lives focused on television programs or computer games. Many had no hobbies or outside interests, Few had friends other than ‘work buddies’ and most were reluctant to join any organizations or social clubs. For some they had relatively short lives after retiring and for others, they appeared unhappy and unfulfilled. Though tragic, it is not uncommon, and I believe such unhappy endings can be prevented.

If you are around or between the ages of 45 to 65, it’s time to explore your future as a retired person. Consider my 10-module course, take the time to complete the exercises. Be sure to share your thoughts and plans with your spouse or partner as you progress towards developing your personal retirement vision and plan.

Thank you for taking a proactive interest in your retirement and all the best in developing a plan that enriches your life.