Lead your Life in Retirement

Like many of you, I was surprised that the United Kingdom voted through a referendum to leave the European Union.  I thought there was the possibility that the "Leave" side might win but I never really considered that it would happen.  But now that the vote is in, the world is full of uncertainty as to what will happen next.

I find it hard to believe that the leaders of Great Britain and the European Union are now trying to figure out what the next steps are.  I would have thought that the leadership of these two governing bodies would have this situation planned out from the very beginning of the formation of the European Union and certainly from the time the referendum was first proposed.

However, this "world crisis" give you an opportunity to think about your own life and your retirement.

How will a crisis impact your life in retirement?  What is your plan to deal with unexpected life events?  Life doesn't always go the way we want and when you are unprepared for crisis situations, these times can be even more traumatic.

Retirement is a time of major change.  The relationships you have in your life will change.  Your lifestyle will change.  Where you live will quite likely change.  Your health will change.  The way you see the world will change.

How will you handle these changes and how will they impact the kind of experience you want to have in retirement?

No one knows ahead of time when these changes will occur but we know that change in retirement is inevitable.

But unlike what is happening with Great Britain and the European Union, you can provide yourself with some certainty by thinking ahead as to what you will do as the changes take place.  You can be the one who provides the leadership.  In other words, don't just live your life but lead your life.






  







  

  




  

Your Greatest Resource in Retirement

A lot of people believe that to have a fabulous retirement, you need access to a considerable amount of money.  This belief is understandable given the attention that the financial aspect is given by the financial institutions and the media. 

Some people are under the impression that having a wonderful retirement comes about due to having plenty of time in retirement.  For these people, time was elusive during their working years as they always seemed to be running out of it or other people always seemed to control their time.

Although money and time are key to the quality of your retirement, the reality is money and time are simply resources that you can use.  Money and time are tools to be employed, much like a hammer and saw are tools to be used by a carpenter.  However, you still have to decide how to use these resources or tools.  A carpenter can own the best tools ever made and have access to a fantastic group of workers but there is no guarantee that a well-made house will be constructed.

Before anything in life comes into existence, it must be created first in thought.  If the carpenter wants to erect a well-built house, he must have a set of blueprints that detail how the house will look.  Whether the carpenter creates the blueprints or an architect does, the blueprints were developed through thought and thought takes place in your mind.

In retirement, as in life, you use your mind when you decide where you are going to spend your money or your time.  Your ability to think, therefore, is your greatest resource in retirement. 

     

Human beings are the only animals with the ability to think.  All other animals operate by instinct even though sometimes it looks like they are thinking.  Our ability to think and to choose makes us unique and gives us tremendous power and opportunity.

How will you use your mind and imagination to make retirement the best time of your life?

Retirement is a Personal Journey

Retirement is a personal journey and you are the one who decides how “personal” your journey will be.  You have the opportunity to experience a retirement that is unique, enjoyable, vibrant, meaningful, and true to your heart.  You also have the option to experience a retirement very much like that of the average Canadian.

The retirement you experience will depend on how you think about life, retirement and yourself.

How do you view the past and what impact will your experiences of the past have on your retirement?  Will past disappointments and events weigh you down like an anchor preventing you from enjoying life in retirement or will you draw whatever lessons you can from the past and invest them in your future? 

How do you view the present?  Do you wake up thinking about what you did yesterday or worrying about what might happen tomorrow or do you see that all we have is now and try to make the best of each moment?

How do you see the future?  Do you view the future with anticipation or apprehension? 

How do you think about retirement?  Is it the end of the line or the finish line or is it just a curve in the road that leads to new opportunity?

How do you see yourself in retirement?  Will you be the same person you are today or will you be somebody different?  Who is it that you want to be?

Retirement is a personal journey.  Decide now what you want that journey to be like.

Make Your Life in Retirement Memorable

Jim Rohn, someone who I consider to be one of my mentors, once said “life is not just the passing of time.  Life is the collection of experiences and their intensity”. 

If a complete stranger reviewed how you are currently living your life in retirement or how you are planning to live your life once you retire, would they see any intensity or emotion or enthusiasm in your life?  Or would they simply see someone going through the motions?

Thomas Parr lived a long time ago and he lived a long time.  But Thomas did not let reaching a certain age slow him down.  You may not agree with everything he did but had Thomas reached age 65 and simply let time pass him by, you would never have heard of Thomas Parr. 

Thomas Parr was born in 1483 in the West Midlands of England.    

As a young man, Thomas led a pretty normal life laboring in the fields of the local estate.

Times were tough but like any healthy young man, Thomas liked to spend his time with the ladies of the county.

The years went by and although Thomas was enjoying life, he decided it was time to settle down and so at the tender age of 80, he married a lady by the name of Jane Taylor.

We don’t know a lot about Jane Taylor but we are pretty sure that she was younger than Thomas because Thomas and Jane had two children, a son and a daughter.

Now, although Thomas and Jane were married for over 20 years, we know that Thomas continued to like the ladies for at the age of 100, he was forced to perform public penance for adultery after fathering a child with Katherine Milton.

Sadly, time caught up with Jane and she passed away leaving Thomas to fend for himself.

But, as we have already noted, Thomas was not the type to let age slow him down, so ten years after Jane’s death, Thomas found himself another bride and coincidently, her name was also Jane, this time Jane Lloyd.

In 1635, the Earl of Arundel, the lord of the estate on which Thomas lived, kept hearing fantastic stories of a fellow called “Old Parr”.

As the Earl was trying to get on the good side of the King of England, Charles I, the Earl thought Thomas might be useful, being the oldest man alive and all.

So, the Earl whisked Thomas off to London and presented him to Charles I.

Almost immediately, Thomas became a public celebrity and he met more people in London than he had known in his entire life back home, extensive as it was.

Even a well-known artist of the day painted his portrait.

Unfortunately, Thomas was used to more of a country life and the rich diet of the city, the myriad of visitors and London’s pollution did not agree with him and he fell ill and died.

His body was examined by the eminent physician, William Harvey, who could find no apparent cause of death apart from old age.

Charles I accorded Thomas Parr the privilege of burial in Westminster Abbey and his portrait now resides in the National Portrait Gallery.

Thomas Parr lived 152 years and 9 months.

For Thomas Parr, life was not just the passing of time.    Don’t let it be for you either.