Retire With A Purpose

Too many people just drift off into retirement and find themselves in front of the television for hours on end.  Retirement can be the most enjoyable time in your life if you want it to be.  Retire with a purpose and you’ll see your whole life change.  The world is too exciting and beautiful to not see as much of it as you can.  There are too many interesting subjects to explore and things to do rather than just sitting around waiting for something to happen.  There are too many interesting foods to try and cultures to experience instead of trying something new.  You wouldn’t think of watching the same movie every day so why would want to live tomorrow like you did today?  I understand that retirement is the time to relax in life but that doesn’t have to become boring.  If you don’t have something that gets you excited in life and gets your curiosity going and stimulates your mental activity, I think you’re missing a lot of things this world has to offer.

Retire with a purpose and you'll be surprised about all the things you can do.

Would anyone go to Disney World and just walk through the park without experiencing the rides, the parades and the restaurants?  Most people go to the park with a purpose and a plan of attack to see everything they possibly can.  I suggest that should be how we live our life, especially when it comes to retirement.  Retire with a purpose.  You spent decades working for someone else (usually) and living from vacation to vacation.  Remember how different Friday mornings were knowing that the weekend was almost here?  Retirement is a permanent weekend and the ultimate vacation.  Why would you not plan it out to get the most enjoyment out of this period of life that you worked so hard to get to?

The great part about making sure you live a purposeful life in retirement is that it is still relaxing compared to when you were working.  I had forty years of being out of the house before six in the morning and getting home around 7 PM.  Endless rounds of useless meetings and conference calls that went on for hours left me extremely frustrated by the end of each day.  Now, I have my coffee while I review the news and smile as I look out at our lake.  I can see mountains out my window and what I do during the day is completely up to me.  That’s what it meant to me to retire with a purpose!  Trust me, we’re very busy but every one of our activities is our own choice and we try to get in as many things as possible.  Trying to find time on my wife’s calendar isn’t easy and between her card playing, garden club and water aerobics she wonders how she ever found the time to work.

My schedule is not as social.  I am a bit of a loner (okay, more than a bit) but it doesn’t mean I don’t have purpose.  I absolutely love to read, especially history.  I go from topic to topic and book to book almost as if I’m on some kind of treasure hunt and the list of new topics and new books to read keeps getting longer.  Almost every one of those explorations into some past event puts another location on our travel list and I’m getting to see places I never thought I’d ever get to.  That’s how you retire with a purpose.  On our recent trip to southern France, I had a list of vineyards to go to and questions to ask our guide as we toured the Palace of the Popes in Avignon.  We almost always get a knowledgeable guide because it adds to the experience in ways that you can’t imagine. Traveling and seeing the sites I had read about all my life is what I imagined retirement to be, and I am extremely grateful for what we’ve been able to experience so far.  When you create goals for your retirement you become focused and more determined to make the most out of every day you’ve been given.  I am one of those people who used to dread creating your annual and quarterly goals at work because, most of the time, you were told what they would be.  Sales and profit goals that were always unachievable and a supervisor who held you accountable for things that were out of your control.  Retirement goals are completely different and much more enjoyable.  If you don’t have any goals for retirement, you might find them helpful.  The one thing we’re all running out of is time and, if you don’t make a plan, you’ll find that time slipping away.  Retire with a purpose.  Have a list of things you want to learn and places you want to see.

Retirement is a gift that not everyone is fortunate enough to experience.  It’s a tragedy when someone wastes this precious gift.  It’s a shame how many people spend their life wishing they had done something or visited somewhere.  Everyone should retire with a purpose and make these things happen.  Learn to play the piano or write the great American novel if that’s what you always dreamed about.  Climb Mount Everest or swim the English Channel if you ever thought that was something you wanted to try.  If those things are out of reach, get as close as you can.  Drive up Mount Washington or sail across the English Channel.  You’ll be surprised at how satisfying it can be to come as close to your dreams as you can.  Retire with a purpose and experience this world to the fullest.  It’s time to Enjoy Retired Life!

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