Retirement Plans Can Change

Life is unpredictable.  We all know that.  We spend decades working and saving for that day when we can finally retire and, as we get close to the finish line, something we didn’t expect happens.  Retirement plans can change and sometimes those changes are for the better.  But there’s one thing that should be kept in mind no matter what life throws at you and it’s something many people never do.  You should still have a plan for how you’re going to spend your time and what are the things you want to do when your time is your own.  Most people go from working full time to a blank calendar with no idea what they want to do to spend all the free time they have.  The best advice I can give you is to make a plan.  Even if something happens that pulls the rug out from under you, a plan for how you want to spend the rest of your days is going to have a tremendous impact on your outlook on life.  Even if a financial problem forces you to keep working, you still should have a vision for your life.  Even if an illness impacts your health and your ability to get around, a hope for the future and how you want to spend your time can have a positive impact on your recovery and outlook on life.

Retirement plans can change for many reasons, but you should always have a vision and hope for the future.

Plans give you a vision and a vision gives you hope.  Sometimes that’s all you need.  How often does the anticipation for an event exceed the actual event itself?  Planning for a vacation is like experiencing it twice.  You get to envision what you’ll be doing and then you actually do it.  Taking pictures or keeping a journal is almost like experiencing it a third time.  Too often we rush through events, and, during our working years, that was understandable.  But now, being retired, we have the opportunity to savor each day, each trip and take the time to savor the experience.  It allows us to reflect on what makes life worth living and many times we find out it’s the simplest things like a meal with friends or sunset on the beach.  Those are the things life teaches us if we take the time to slow down and learn them.  We should be open to lingering during those wonderful moments and find as many ways as possible to make them last.  We entered our retirement years going full speed with travel plans knowing that our physical state would change over time.  We set quite a pace those first three years as we crossed the country and saw as much as we could see.  But retirement plans can change and, on one trip through the south, we strayed off the interstate to get to a couple of places I had wanted to see because, as you might know from this website, there were some historic sites that required a bit of a detour.  On our visits to Plains and Warm Springs in Georgia, we stayed in Macon and thought it was a wonderful little town that we would never have seen by staying on the highway.  Since that trip we have slowed our pace down and made detours into the many small towns that make up this great country of ours and it has made all the difference in the world.

Retirement plans can change because of money as well.  Money doesn’t seem to go as far as it used to and there may be times when we scale back our travel or dining out plans because the travel funds are not as robust as they were just a couple of years ago.  Rising costs or an unexpected bill can put a dent into our travel budget.  Many retirees, as part of their overall plan, have found ways to make a little extra money for just such occasions.  While a part-time job that’s related to a hobby or interest is always a possibility, there are many other ways to generate extra cash and have fun at the same time.  At this stage in our lives many of us have accumulated “memories” and have an attic or basement filled with what some people might call “junk” but what we deemed important enough to save for a reason that might only be known to ourselves.  It’s okay.  Don’t despair.  The fact is that many retirees have started a little business by selling those things online at websites such as e-Bay.  In the old days you used to have garage sales, but technology has changed everything and with very little effort you can have a global marketplace at your disposal.  It’s amazing how technology has changed our world and seniors are among the groups that can benefit the most from these changes.

Do you know how many retirees have started their own websites and are getting results?  I realize most people don’t retire to start a business but if you can make extra money and bring a challenging hobby and passion into your life, why not give it a try?  Retirement plans can change, and not all of those changes have to be part of cutting back on activities or downsizing because of financial difficulties.  You can change your fortunes more quickly than you might have guessed and have fun doing it.  After all, this time in your life is for trying new things and learning new skills so why not become the latest retired entrepreneur?  It’s time to Enjoy Retired Life!

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