Be Thankful For Family And Friends
I always look forward to November because it marks the beginning of the holiday season as we celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas and then the New Year. It’s also a time of the year when we make special plans to spend more time with family and friends.
2021 has been quite a year with the unexpected continuation of COVID, even with new vaccines available to all groups age five and over. You may have already received your booster shot. You or someone you know has probably lost loved ones to the virus or contracted the virus. Environmentally, our nation has experienced multiple fires and floods. While many have escaped with their lives, their homes, health, and livelihoods may never be the same.
We have also witnessed the wave of the “great resignation!” Hopefully, you are one of the many individuals who have had time to think about the quality of your life while working virtually from home and have now chosen to leave unsatisfying work to find a more fulfilling career. Some have chosen to leave work behind altogether and retire to new and different opportunities. Quality is becoming more important than quantity to boomers and to younger people alike.
If you are thinking of retiring or have already retired, it’s important to consider how you will integrate your new lifestyle into being with loved ones and friends. This is especially important during this holiday season.
In September 2007, my husband and I bought a condo in Tampa, Florida where we spend the last 10 days of each month. During the first holiday season of 2007, we spent the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s holidays in Florida because we were so excited about having our condo and wanted to spend every minute of those 10 days in Tampa. It was the first time in our lives that my husband and I were not with family during the holidays. However, we quickly realized that even the excitement of having our second home in a warmer climate didn’t compensate for missing the traditions of the holidays and being with our families and friends.
The following year, we decided to change our travel schedule to be in Virginia with our families for the Thanksgiving holiday. We have continued that “new tradition” to the present. When my dad, who lived close to us in Virginia, was still alive, we felt a strong need to make sure we spent as many holidays as possible with him. This change kept our families feeling happier and more connected.
Values
Changing our holiday schedule to be with family was a value-based decision. We all make these kinds of determinations throughout our lifetimes.
- How, when, and where will you spend your time with family and friends?
- Do you want to be present when your first, second, or third grandchild is born?
- Is your adult son or daughter celebrating an accomplishment or does he or she really need your support right now?
- How involved do you want to be in their lives?
- Do you have elderly parents who you are still responsible for?
- Do you have close friends who could use your support or presence right now?
These are the kinds of value-based decisions that we all need to consider as we plan our retirement years and our holiday schedule.
One of the recurring themes for some of my monthly newsletters during the past thirteen years has been to be more conscious and purposeful in all aspects of life. This is especially important after we leave work. I’d like you to think about the Six Life Arenas that I have mentioned in many of my newsletters.
- Career and Work
- Health and Wellness
- Leisure Pursuits
- Financial Planning
- Family and Friends
- Personal Development
For your life to be successful, retired or not, these Six Life Arenas need to be in balance. This means you will need to find the best substitute for working after you retire. It might be working part-time, volunteering, mentoring, or even starting your own small business. The bottom line is you need to find a purpose, a reason to get up in the morning, and you need to create meaning in your life. In this time of focusing on what you are grateful for, don’t forget to think about giving back to your community.
In addition, while you concentrate on how you will fill the time that was previously occupied by your career, don’t forget the importance of spending time with family and friends. It’s hard to find a substitute for them!
Studies consistently indicate that people who are grateful and thankful for what they have live longer, more successful lives because they recognize the positive aspects of all six of these Life Arenas. Take some time during this holiday season, before the end of the year, to identify the things you are thankful for, using the Life Arenas as a guide.
- In my career and work, I am thankful for _____
- With my health and wellness, I am thankful for _____
- As I enjoy leisure pursuits, I am thankful for _____
- In the area of financial planning, I am thankful for _____
- Thinking of family and friends, I am thankful for _____
- In Personal Development, I am thankful for _____
Now make the best of your life for the rest of this holiday season and for the rest of your life.
Dee
As you face the challenges due to COVID-19 as well as changes and transitions in life and work, I welcome the opportunity to assist you. I am available for virtual consultations and virtual presentations at this time instead of in-person corporate and group seminars and community workshops. Please contact me.
Dee Cascio
Author, speaker, Licensed Psychotherapist, Certified Life Coach, Retirement Lifestyle/ReCareer Coach, and Life and Work Transitions Strategies Coach.
The Life and Work Transitions Community
You’ve joined a great group — people who plan to make successful transitions in life and work. May you be inspired to use your strengths and skills to grow in this season and may each transition be your best ever.
“My family/friends will take care of me” is not a retirement plan.
These books give you other options.
Ready To Retire? Successful Retirement Planning To Make The Best Of The Rest Of Your Life
