People who have been working for the most of their productive life face the inevitable question, “What will I do when I retire?” We’re not just talking about those who are in their ’60s here. It doesn’t matter what age you want to retire at. Regardless of when you decide to wrap it up, you don’t have to rack your brains to figure out what’s in store. Treat retirement as just a phase and not the be-all and end-all of your life.
“Planning to retire? Before you do find your hidden passion, do the thing that you have always wanted to do.” — Catherine Pulsifer
Why is retirement the beginning of a better lifestyle?
It gives you time to work on your bucket list seriously
Everyone should have a list of “wants” before leaving this world. Make ’em ten or a tenfold; the more, the merrier. When you’re retired, you have a clearer perspective of what you want to do. But it shouldn’t stop there. The list should have a timetable that you alone can estimate and be sure to update and complete the “items” for as long as you have the strength and resources to do so.
It’s a chance to get educated again
Your retirement money should not just go the purchase of a dream property or shares of stocks. The greatest investment is always in yourself. Learning should not stop after you say goodbyes to working. You now have the luxury of time to get your hands on information that will add to your value. Whether it means going back to school or doing self-help study, acquiring new knowledge and skills allows your mind and body to stay young and active, and ultimately healthy.
It allows you to make a fool of yourself and not look like a fool
There’s no denying that you’re likely to have a nagging curiosity or desire to do something that you think would be so unlike you. You find the mere thought outrageous yet interesting and exciting. These could be skydiving, singing in front of a stage, sporting a ridiculous hairdo, or milking a cow. Anything that catches your fancy yet you’ve been afraid to do because of what your colleagues might say. Well, now you can knock yourself out and do it.
It lets you re-evaluate your wants
Inevitably, you now have the courage and the time to do some soul-searching and re-assessment of what you long for on a higher plane. While your bucket list provides you with more specific activities to target, you now have the ripest of opportunities to decide towards which direction you’d want to go in your life.
It makes you love yourself more
It makes perfect sense that you will have reached a point where you’ll have a crystal-clear picture of your old and new self once you retire. You look back at what you’ve accomplished and reward yourself perhaps with a sweet vacation or a complete makeover — anything your heart desires. You then look forward to a renewed you in the next chapter
