I Cannot Wait to Retire!
Even more than my hobbies, I love spending time with my wife and kids. We recently welcomed a new baby boy into our family. I cannot believe how lucky I am to have two healthy children. It was difficult to understand the joy of parenthood before having them in my life. It is important for me to spend time with them. When my first son was born my mom said, “Time steals your babies, so enjoy every moment!” What a sobering thought. Well, I’ll be darned if I don’t enjoy every second I can with them. It is bittersweet how fast kids change and grow. However, it is okay because after they’ve grown up, time will reward me with grandkids. Now that sounds fun!
It is important to maintain a healthy home and work life balance. I am constantly striving for it, but why can’t I wait to retire? It is because I need more time! I want to learn all kinds of skills and hobbies. Some people cannot wait to travel to exotic places. That is all fine and dandy, but I want to learn welding, silver smithing, bee keeping, just to name a few random interests. Oh, I would also like to improve my mechanic skills; you know, complete engine design and building. Whatever your personal passions and interests are, you will need time for them. Those are a few positive reasons I look forward to retirement. Fortunately, there really are not any negative reasons I look forward to it.
Remember our Perfect Calendar? If not, here is a quick refresher: imagine you have a blank slate calendar in front of you. You have all the time and money necessary to do anything you want. So, start filling out your calendar. What are you going to do on a typical daily basis? What will you do during each week, month, and year? Most of you completed this exercise when you first joined Strategic Planning Group. When was the last time you looked at it?
You should revisit your Perfect Calendar. Better yet, complete a new one and compare them! Give us a call and we will send you the blank form and a copy of your original. Do not look at the original until you have competed the new one. Then compare! Have your hobbies, interests, or passions changed? Are they the same? At the very least, think about what you WANT to spend more time on. Whether you are preparing for or already in retirement, please give this some serious thought.
I recently lectured a great client (yes you) about retiring so they can get after their projects and hobbies like they have always wanted. Ryan recently lectured another great client in a similar way (yes you too). We are professionals. This ain’t our first rodeo. If we say you are ready for retirement, we mean it! We would never risk such an important decision. Also, if we say you can afford to spend on “this or that,” we mean that too! Your financial situation is carefully reviewed and assessed. You need to trust us when we say you can do things.
Once we give you the green light, you really have no monetary excuses to keep working. Quit stressing about retirement and get after it! By the way, don’t you dare retire and sit on the couch. Learn new things, go to new places, and have fun. You might just like it.
The reason part of me looks forward to retirement is I see so many people enjoying it. Sure, we need to use a cattle prod to get some folks to enjoy retirement properly; however, that is not the norm. Most of our clients are having a blast in retirement. That is the norm around here!
What are some of your interests? Do you want to travel, learn a new skill, or expand an existing skill? Nurture your curiosity and creativity. That will mean different things for different people, but the result is all the same: fulfillment!