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My first stab at retirement came in
2002, as part of a corporate redundancy programme. I volunteered for
redundancy, only to be refused – much to my surprise.
It was then that I started to plan
my retirement.
I talked to a lot of people, and
perhaps the best advice I received was
to view retirement as my next job. True, it wouldn’t pay
so well as my current one, but it had the huge advantage that I got to write
my own job description.
And this I did – including on it a
course of practical study, a course of academic study, voluntary work,
keeping fit, extending a number of hobbies that I’d not previously had
enough time for (eg golf), watching more sport, becoming more sociable,
doing the garden and DIY projects, putting my financial affairs on a more
stable footing, starting some new hobbies (e.g. digital photography), and
just a little work.
Now, one year into retirement – I
finally left in 2003 - I can’t claim to have done all of these, but I have
done some, and the exercise was very enlightening.
Recently a friend brought to my
attention the 3*3 grid approach of Susan Jeffers in Feel the Fear and Do
It Anyway – which
essentially advises that you have a range of pastimes rather than depending,
as some people do, on just one or two.
Plotting my main pastimes on to such
a grid showed me that, in retirement, I’d generated three new ones and
amplified six others that I’d never had enough time for before.
I get slightly irritated when I meet
people who say ‘but what do you do all day?’ (my reply, incidentally, is
‘whatever I like’). I’m told that in Italy when someone retires they are
generally asked if their hammock is sound and their cellar well stocked. But
being time-rich does take time to adjust to. No longer do you need to rush
around on Saturday and Sunday – the weekend is seven days long!
I’d been warned that retirement
could bring about loss of self-esteem because you weren’t doing a ‘valuable’
job any more, and another setback would be the lack of sufficient
intellectual stimulation and the reduction in social contact.
It’s certainly true that work had
become my ‘comfort zone’ and leaving would present difficulties. But
recognizing this and tackling it meant that
the ‘relief’ factor – less
stress, being time-rich and doing what I choose to do – far outweighed the
negative aspects.
One year on, I have the balance
between physical, mental, social and spiritual activities that my new course
of study in Psychology recommends. My kids tell me that I’m more relaxed and
are relieved that I’m not pestering them all the time (in fact, they claim
that they have to make an appointment to see me!). My voluntary work is very
fulfilling. I’m able to keep my hand in on IT developments by helping three
friends with their private ventures. I’m fitter than I’ve ever been. I’ve
watched a lot of cricket, and my golf handicap has come down. And, perhaps
most important of all, I’ve spent more time with friends.
Perhaps
the only real surprise is that I haven’t missed work at all.
 Go on – what’s stopping you?
Enjoy!
SEE
WHAT GEOFF HAS TO SAY ABOUT LATERLIFE'S PLANNING RETIREMENT WORKSHOP
just click here
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