Are you merely dreaming and planning your retirement or are you fully embracing and enjoying retirement right now? Retirement, for a great number of us, is the ultimate goal of our entire adult working lives. We dream, we plan, we save, and we count down the days, and then, finally...we retire! Now what do we do?
Retirement is many things to many people, but I think it all breaks down into two categories of individuals who retire:
Category A.
These individuals can barely clean out their desks on their last day of work because they're so tired and fed up with life. During the nice retirement party their co-workers give them, the song, 'Is That All There Is?' keeps running through their minds. They have slaved and worked their bodies half-way to the grave already, what's left to enjoy now...
Category B.
The folks in this category believe things like:
'Retirement is when every day is Sunday.'
'This exciting new 'life' is now in front of me, what do I do first!'
'Oh, boy, now I can do all those great things I've always wanted to do but
haven't had time!'
These people are the proverbial 'glass half-full' people. They believe retirement will be a full life of health, vigor and enjoyment. They still feel young and ready for anything. These people know the secret.
Maybe they've planned for retirement, monetarily and don't have any money worries. Maybe not. This does not seem to matter much to these folks. It's all in their attitude. People from this group are the ones I will be addressing in this article. The first group will probably not be on the computer reading this anyway; they will either be watching TV or napping...not that there's anything wrong with this, but not every single day...All day long!! There's so much more out there just waiting to be enjoyed...Here's how to do it...
Ask Yourself this question: What is really the only thing I need to have a good retirement?
Most of you are rattling off things like money, health, family, security, a loving spouse or partner. No! These things are all important, but none of them will really matter much unless you have this one thing...
No, really, it's not being rich with no worries about bills and things like that. This, of course, is great, but it's not the one most important thing.
The one real thing you need to have a successful and happy retirement is finding your "meaning of life."
This is not a bunch of hooey...or really even a philosophical question and you aren't going to find it at a retreat or at yoga class.
You find it by looking deep inside yourself. The answers are there already. It's your dreams. You've always had dreams and now is the time to rediscover your dreams and do them. You'll have all the chances you need or want because dreams never retire! They are always there.
All you need to do is search them out and follow them. Start doing them, one by one, Now! Today!
And, always remember, no one can give "meaning" to your life except you so find those hidden dreams and begin making them happen. Enjoy retirement!
Source: Doreen Bradley Satter, RN
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