The Best Retirement Habits
I love to read. Books become my friends and source of inspiration. I am always reading self-improvement books and have done so for about forty years. One of the most impactful books in this category was Stephen Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and, if you haven’t ever read it, I would highly recommend it. The book got me to wonder if there was any application to being retired? Could I name the best retirement habits to have? Obviously, I did or I wouldn’t be writing this now. With apologies to Mr. Covery, I made my own list and edited it down to four habits that I think have made a difference to me.
The first of the best retirement habits I would like to write about is to BE GRATEFUL. Life is a gift and to get to this point in your life is something a lot of people don’t get to do. And, no matter what your situation, I think you could make a list of the wonderful things about your life and be quite surprised at how long that list is. That list can contain big things and small things because what makes us happy is unique to everyone. I love waking up without an alarm and having my coffee in complete relaxation sometimes watching geese float by on the lake outside our door. That’s totally different from my working years. It sounds very trivial. But, for me, it’s one of life’s great joys. That is what being grateful is all about. We rush through life and don’t appreciate the small things that bring a smile to our face. Savor the small things in retirement and you’ll find that you’re even more appreciative of the bigger things like family and friends, good health and the opportunity to enjoy this wonderful time in your life. End the day by appreciating the sunset. Make it a habit to be grateful for all that you’ve been given.
The second entry on my list of best retirement habits is to KEEP IMPROVING. The first time I heard the phrase “best version of yourself” was from one of my favorite authors, Matthew Kelly. He writes about the importance of knowing yourself and realizing that you can’t do everything. There are limitations on what people can accomplish. Not everyone will become a star athlete even if that is their dream. His advice is to become the best version of yourself that you can. I don’t that stops when you retire. In fact, I have used my post-working days to learn as much as I can about the world. Education is the key to solving many of the problems we see in this world. Travel has been tremendously enjoyable but its also shown us that people are the same wherever you go. We all want the same things. And we’re all part of the same world. What happens in one place affects everywhere else. Why don’t we treat everyone we meet the way we want to be treated. Watching a group of folk dancers in South America made me realize that if I had been born there instead of the United States, my world would be completely different. Constant learning and constant exposure to new ideas has made me a better person. Make it a habit to constantly try to improve yourself.
The best retirement habits are the ones that lead to happiness.
On the list of best habits in retirement, the third item is to GIVE BACK. I think retirement is a time to give back to those around you. And by that, I mean giving of yourself. Not just financially, although if you’re able to do that you’ll be making an impact even bigger than you can imagine but also giving your wisdom to those around you. You have lived a life that is as unique as your fingerprint or DNA. Share what you’ve learned and especially reach out to those who are the most vulnerable. We all have causes that are closer to our heart than others. Take the time to improve the life of even one person and you will be amazed at how it will make you feel. You might be one of those people who everyone is grateful for being in their lives. Make it a habit to give back a little portion of all that you’ve been given.
When I make my list of best retirement habits, I think the last would be PRIORITIZE. Let’s be real, we have less time on this earth than we did yesterday. We have to make our time count, and we need to make sure we spend our time as wisely as possible. No one ever says they wished they spent less time with the people they love or that they shouldn’t have helped anyone along the way. Be as kind and loving and caring as you can to the people you love the most and let them know how grateful you are to have them in your life. While you’re at it, make sure everyone who meets you is glad that they did. Kindness doesn’t cost anything. Make sure you prioritize the important people in your life.
That’s my list. What’s yours? You’ll be surprised how helpful it is to make a list like that. It gets you to think about what’s important in your life and I have to believe that’s always a good thing to do. As it turns out, Matthew Kelly has a book entitled “The Fourth Quarter of your Life” that is very pertinent to what we’ve been discussing here. It sounds a bit fatalistic but it’s more inspiring than you think. I appreciate that you took the time to read this, and I apologize if I offended anyone because that was the last thing I wanted to do. I hope I didn’t give anyone the impression that I have my life figured out because I don’t. I’m a work in progress like everyone else but I do give some thought to what the meaning of life is all about and I think that’s always worth doing.
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