Feel Your Best in Retirement

We all know that everyone loses the battle to Father Time.  Despite all of our efforts to try and cheat the aging process, our bodies are losing strength and vitality with each passing day.  What can be done to aid in this fight against the clock?  I think there are three areas to focus on to feel your best in retirement.  The first and foremost is to get control of your mind.  Your mind creates your world and your thoughts control how you react to the way your life unfolds.  You can’t stop certain things from happening, but you can control how you react to it.  You can control your mind the same way that you can control your body and you do that by watching your diet.  People never question the fact that a healthy diet is beneficial and that, when they don’t watch what they eat and drink, there are consequences to pay.  But they don’t think the same thing is true for their mind.  You’ve got be just as careful (maybe even more careful) about what your mind focuses on as you are about what foods you consume throughout the day.  Feed your mind nothing but the negative events in the news, the gossip that comes across your cell phone or the conspiracy theories and violence that you see on television and you’re well on your way to an unhappy state of mind.

Your thoughts have more impact than you think in helping you to feel your best in retirement.

From my first journey into the world of self-improvement through a book by Zig Ziglar called “See You at the Top”, I knew that I wanted to be in control of my thoughts and how I reacted to the world around me.  I was headed for a breakdown because of the pressures I was feeling at work.  I quickly learned that I was the one creating those pressures and that a change in how I looked at life was the only thing that was going to save me.  I have been on an adventure of the mind for the past forty years of my life and have learned a great deal in the process through the writings of Dr. Wayne Dyer, Bob Proctor, Matthew Kelly, Maxwell Maltz, Napoleon Hill and many others. It has led down a much more peaceful path that I will reference later but it all began with gaining an understanding of how your mind works.  You cannot feel your best in retirement if the way you view the world and react to the events that come your way is not grounded in reason and a desire to improve.  When you start to gain a greater awareness and understanding that there is a better way to go through life, your whole world changes.  I am still a complete novice in understanding the wisdom that has been revealed to me through the writing of the authors listed above.  They have been my mentors, and I suggest that they should become yours.  Please don’t tell me you’re too old to change because I will tell you to go watch Christmas Carol.  Don’t tell me that you don’t like to read because almost all of the books by these authors are available in audio format and Wayne Dyer’s lectures are available on YouTube and are just as relevant as when he recorded them.

The second area to focus on is something we have mentioned and that is the care of your body.  We know a healthy diet and exercise make a difference.  A good night’s sleep is essential and staying limber in our aging bodies through stretching and yoga can make all the difference in the world.  The question is, do you do it?  Everyone has periods when they’re better than others but the thing to focus on is that it’s an ongoing process and we need ways to maintain our desire to stay physically fit.  There are ways to do that.  Instead of working out in a gym, you can create more enjoyable ways to get a workout like a hike in the country or playing golf without the cart and walking the course.  Look for ways to change things up a bit to keep things new and, when it comes to diet, look for ways to make those healthy foods taste as good as you can make them.  Why not take up cooking as a hobby?  I did and, in the past five years, I’ve probably consumed more vegetables than in my previous seven decades.  It makes a big difference when you’re the creator of a meal and take an interest in how it tastes.  We all know you can feel your best in retirement if you eat healthier and exercise, so why not help things along by looking for creative ways to stay on track. 

The last area that I would suggest focusing on is difficult for some people to talk about or even describe and that is your “spirit” or sense of fulfillment in life.  Yes, it is related to the first thing I mentioned about feeding your mind, but it goes deeper than that.  We all hope to have made a difference in this world and, as we come what Matthew Kelly calls “the final quarter” of our life, it is only natural to think about what we have left behind and, when our name comes up in conversation, what other people’s reaction to who we have been as a person will be.  This evaluation is an important one and, for many, not easy to do or even something they have no intention of doing.  I don’t believe in accidents.  I think we were all put here for a reason and determining what your reason might have been and how close you came to fulfilling it is always worth thinking about.  If you want to feel your best in retirement, it always helps you to be able to look back on your life and have no regrets.

I am fortunate to have had a wonderful life, and my retirement years have been far better than I could ever have imagined.  I hope you’re able to say the same thing and pass on what you’ve learned to others to help them navigate this journey we call life.  There will always be “rough seas” to navigate, and you have more wisdom than you think.  Don’t be afraid to share it because it could bring about a tremendous sense of fulfillment and might be a turning point in someone else’s life. Go out and share your wisdom.  It’s time to Enjoy Retired Life!

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