Many in our hard-working generation are looking forward to the day they retire. The expectation is that many of us will just go with the flow, relax and do the things that we always wanted to do.
However, it doesn’t take long before one day resembles the next and you are developing habits that don’t serve you well. Sometimes these bad habits are so subtle that the damage they cause happens before you even know it. Eventually you realize that because you have always been part of a high achieving generation, you will need much more purpose in life than you will get in a traditional retirement.
When we were working and raising families, our life purpose was built-in. We knew what was expected of us and what we expected of ourselves. However, because we have 20 to 30 more years in retirement than our parents and grandparents did and we now have fewer obligations to others, we have to create a life based on our own personal interests, values, skills and passions.
How will you spend your time? What will give you the sense of purpose that has been built into every other stage of your life? Along with less obligations there is also less information readily available about what we call the internal shift, better known as an inside job that will occur in your life at this critical stage. There are no two people alike, so this transition requires a different kind of preparation that is not very concrete or well understood. Only you can decide how you want to spend your time in your retirement years.