Did you know that while most retirees are having the time of their lives, there is a significant portion of the population, approximately 40% that actually struggle with this transition?

For some of us retirement is not what we anticipated it to be. Although retirement affords us FREEDOM from the 9 to 5 grind, demanding bosses and difficult coworkers, that sense of Freedom can quickly become replaced by feelings of boredom, emptiness and a sense of disconnection.

We often fail to recognize that work provides us with many golden nuggets. If we are lucky enough to like our jobs, and enjoy the people with whom we work, then our jobs become so much more than just a pay check.

Work provides us with a job title, a place to go to everyday, something to do, and people to do it with. For some of us work even provides an arena in which to pursue professional challenges, enrich our careers and develop our skills and talents. If the pursuit of goals and challenges is an important part of your life and excites you, then you will have to find ways to meet such needs in retirement.

My friends, you don’t wake up a different person the day you decide to retire. So the needs that work satisfies will have to be met by something other than work in retirement.

Retirement however, lacks the infrastructure of work. There are no built in goals or challenges. There is no set routine. You don’t start at 8 and finish at 5, and you are now responsible for building your social network. If you have been so busy working that you have not had time to develop friendships and hobbies outside of work, then you will have to learn how to make new friends, and engage in hobbies that that nurture your soul and excite your passions.

For many of us retirement will be the first time in our lives that we actually have to structure our own time. And if you have a partner or a spouse, this may very well be the first time in your relationship (since you courted of course) that you will be spending so much time together. For some people this is exactly what they are looking forward to and craving, for others the lack of structure, the endless freedom, and the constant companionship, can leave us overwhelmed, anxious, frustrated, depressed and wondering what our lives mean and if we matter.

In his writings about retirement, Professor David Ekerdt so eloquently captured the challenge of retirement when he expressed, “Whereas time is the great boon of not working, a day without urgency can be a gain but it can likewise be felt as a loss; one may leave the stress of work behind but with it the opportunity for achievement… Retirement, in this telling, is not one thing, but rather a mixed experience. Those living it are continually working out in their minds who they are now and to whom they matter”.

In North American culture we have been led to believe that a happy retirement is synonymous with the accumulation of a big nest egg to fund our retirement life styles. Yet countless studies indicate that a happy retirement requires that we have a reason to get out of bed in the morning, people with whom to share our time, a positive attitude so that we can live longer, and an identity beyond that of the position that we once occupied.

It requires that we ask ourselves, “What’s next” long before we exit the workforce.

It is true that some of us may never retire, others amongst us may continue working in order to support our desired lifestyles, and still others may opt for a complete cessation of work. But if you do choose to exit the workforce at the age of 65 and you are in good health, you may spend more years in retirement than you actually spent working.

HOW WILL YOU SPEND YOUR TIME?

In our one day workshop we will turn retirement on its head and explore what science has discovered about successfully transitioning to retirement, should you, opt to retire!

Scientific findings indicate that when people have a better understanding of the challenges they face as new retirees, they are better equipped to navigate the retirement transition and they are more satisfied with their lives once retired.

If you are thinking about retirement, or your spouse is thinking of your retirement, here are a few issues you should consider:

  • Why having something to retire to is more important than what you are retiring from
  • Why friends are more important than family
  • Why an optimistic mindset leads to longevity
  • What crucial conversations you must have with your spouse
  • The relationship between money and happiness
  • The art and science of a happy life
  • Why it is essential to have a balanced social portfolio

 

Call us to book your workshop today at 514.824.1967, toll free at 1.866.811.3055 or email  gill@rewiretoretire.com