Retire As Soon As You Can!
My father’s advice was to retire as soon as you can. It was a bit of wisdom that I took very seriously and am very happy that I followed. It’s not that I retired at a young age. I was sixty-six which was full retirement age for social security (although not the maximum). Yes, I could have worked until seventy when I would gain the highest rate for social security, but I was happy to get out when I did. I wish that I could have retired earlier but I am extremely grateful to be enjoying my time now. It has far exceeded anything I could have imagined.
There was a part of me that was afraid of getting bored. After looking forward to this time of my life for so long, the last thing I wanted to have happen was to retire, and then end up going back to work because of money problems or, heaven forbid, not being able to find enough things to do to keep me occupied. Nothing could be further from our actual existence and that is a gift. I finally have the time to pursue the interests and hobbies that I had to put on hold while Corporate America drained me of all my free time. I remember by Friday afternoon I was so thankful to have a weekend that I was smiling all the way home on my hour-long commute. Friday was our dinner date night for my wife and me and we just looked forward to this time every week with great anticipation of God’s gift to the working person: the weekend. When you retire, it can always be the weekend.
Retire as soon as you can to complete freedom.
I don’t ever take this time for granted and this website was created to help other people appreciate the gift of retirement. I had heard so many stories of people who couldn’t find enough to do who ended up sitting in front of the television ten or twelve hours a day. I found that to be incredibly sad. There are so many new things to try, places to go and new information to learn, that I struggle to understand how anyone can be bored. Unfortunately, many people don't think things through and envision retirement to be an endless round of golf. Even if you are absolutely addicted to the sport (and my son is one of those people), you need something else to stimulate your brain and, believe it or not, sometimes the weather just doesn't cooperate. I love the sport but there's more to life than golf.
Does it take money to enjoy the retired life? It absolutely helps and you need to pay your bills but, no, I am convinced you do not need a lot of money to begin a new interest, explore new places and try new things. A little creativity might be helpful, but you can easily fill your day with new activities and new friends and have a social life that makes your working days look like a bad dream that you want nothing to do with. One thing people need to learn when they retire is that you weren’t your job. You are a person who should not be defined by their profession, but by who you become in your retirement. I believe that this is the time you can really become fulfilled as a person and explore all the things that you dreamed about doing at some point in your life. Did you want to play in a rock group? Do it! We have a senior "cover band" in our community that plays for almost all the social events that are held and they have very versatile over the years. For too long, we go to a job and learn new skills to get promoted to increase our earnings and run around like a hamster on a treadmill chasing more money to save for this time we call retirement. At least, that’s how I felt, and I fully realize it was my own fault.
The possibilities are too stimulating to not become excited about doing something new. Creating this website was not on my radar when I was initially planning out my retired years, but it has rapidly become one of the activities I look forward to most because, in a way it’s a combination of all of my interests and hobbies. There are subjects covered here that represent areas that I have studied or been fascinated about for a long time. I think that’s true for a lot of people and, while you may never have pictured yourself creating a website like this, don’t rule it out without at least exploring the option of turning one of your hobbies into something that can bring in some income and give you more enjoyment than you ever thought possible. Anything that you have an interest in can be turned into a little business that can give you a lot of fulfillment and, possibly, some extra money in your pocket to pursue all the activities that you had in mind when you thought about retirement. Trust me, you really get a feeling of accomplishment when you hear from one of your visitors who has been inspired by something you wrote. It’s time to explore the possibilities. It’s time to Enjoy Retired Life!
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