Learn A New Skill In Retirement

It happens at least once a week.  Someone comes up to me to complain about how bored they are in retirement.  They are even thinking about going back to work just to have something to do.  I find it hard to believe that they don’t have enough interests to keep them busy or enough curiosity to explore new things.  My advice to all of them is to learn something new.  For those who want a real challenge, I suggest to them that they should learn a new skill in retirement.  It can be a lot of fun and will certainly provide a challenge and, if they want, they might even make some money at their new endeavor. If that’s of any interest to you, you may want to keep reading.

Taking the time to learn a new skill in retirement, may be the best thing you ever do.

I think everyone reaches retirement age with a list of things that they would have liked to have done at some point in their life but never got around to.  That list could anything from skydiving to woodworking to creative writing or photography.  It could be taking the time to learn how to be a musician, a gourmet chef, a master gardener or a beekeeper.  There are no limitations except for the ones you place on those possibilities.  If you learn a new skill in retirement, that new passion can remain just a hobby or be turned into something more. We have seen quite a few of our friends moving down the road to learn a new skill or develop a new hobby and even some who have found a way to make some extra money doing something they love to do.  Someone I worked with taught himself how to play the guitar and enrolled in a songwriting master class.  He’s having the time of his life.

We attended a cooking class for fun but one of our fellow students was just getting started on a career path where he envisioned himself being a personal chef.  He was already an accomplished cook but wanted to upgrade his culinary techniques and learn new skills.  Will it work out for him?  We hope so but, even if it doesn’t, he is enjoying himself. That seems to be a common thread in all of this.  If you learn a new skill in retirement, don’t be surprised if it changes your life entirely.  You may wake up with new excitement and can’t wait to get started on a new project.

In addition to the people we know who embarked on cooking and singing careers, we also know someone who has taken up photography.  Living in the Hudson Valley provides an opportunity to capture wonderful scenery with rivers, lakes and mountains providing wonderful backdrops for the discriminating photographer.  His pictures of birds in flight have earned him some prominent displays in local galleries.  I have no idea how much he makes from his little business, but I don’t think he’s doing for the money anyway.  He is constantly learning and spends hours waiting for the right shot.  When you learn a new skill in retirement, don’t be surprised if time just seems to fly by.

My wife has taken up woodworking in her retirement.  It used to be that her Christmas gifts might be jewelry, clothing or something for the house.  Now, it’s the latest thing on her list from Lowe’s.  She likes to have a new project going on at all times.  And it’s not just woodworking that has caught her attention.  She’s a member of the local garden club and is learning new things all the time about planting and what’s the best thing to grow without attracting the local deer.  The club has a lecturer every month and recently hosted a beekeeper from Massachusetts who just started her honey business about five years ago after she retired.  Between honey and maple syrup, she has a nice little business that keeps her happy and fulfilled and provides a little financial reward at the same time.  There’s no telling what can happen when you learn a new skill in retirement.

Sometimes I forget that this website was a product of my retirement years.  I got tired of people complaining about being bored during their senior years.  I have no idea how that could happen.  I decided to start writing about all the things you can do in retirement to keep yourself busy and fulfilled and came across an article about starting a website.  Needless to say, I decided to learn a new skill in retirement and was very pleased you didn’t have to learn a programming language or spend a lot of money.  The best thing is that the website is your own little world.  You can write about whatever you want, whenever you want and can do it from anywhere in the world.  If you have an area of interest, I suggest exploring the possibility of starting your own website.  But I wouldn’t blame you if you decided to learn how to play an instrument, become an expert in French cooking or build your own sailboat.  There’s nothing off limits.  It’s time to explore the possibilities.  It’s time to Enjoy Retired Life!

Thanks for visiting.  If you like what you see here, please tell your friends.

If you think it might be fun to start your own website (it is!) please look here.

If you’d like to learn about earning a steady online income and get rid of some of the ‘’stuff” around your house, please check out this possibility.

Please be aware that clicking on some of the suggestions made on this page may result in a commission being earned by the author.