The Best Retirement Planning Options You Never Thought About

Let’s discuss the best retirement planning alternatives currently available that you may never even considered before. We often limit ourselves, not so much by what we don’t know, but by the unyielding commitment to what we think we know that just may not be so.

Granted there is much more to learn in all areas of life, but it benefits us to clean house first, and let go of some of our rigid attitudes and beliefs that may be blocking our view to greater opportunity. Once we are open to a different viewpoint, we can let things in to be examined not only for their worth but if they line up with our interests and desires.

The Limitations of the Traditional Retirement Mindset

You may want to check out my article that I wrote a few weeks ago called, The Myth Of Retirement, to get some further background on what we are discussing here. The main point I bring out is that the idea of traditional retirement is “fear-based”, and causes us much unnecessary concern and worry.

There is enough stuff out there that we can be worried and concerned about without adding this retirement issue to the mix as well, especially if retirement is several years away. The sooner we take a more enlightened approach to this, the sooner we can go about living our lives in more creative ways.

No matter what a person’s current age may be, there are ways to approach the retirement issue that will not only put to rest any concerns but will empower us to live more fully now, as well as during our so-called retirement years. Since I am known as the Un-Retired Entrepreneur, I most definitely have a different view when it comes to this retirement issue.

In fact, in one of my other articles called, Why You Will Never Retire, I make the case for putting retirement on the back burner forever. It was a concept created initially not to primarily solve any issues with the older generations, but to address the employment issues of the younger generation in the late 1880s. For more details on this, review those two (2) articles that I just mentioned.

So, to sum things up here a bit, it is important to question the core concepts on which the idea of traditional retirement is built. Then we can proceed to create a more enlightened approach.

Core Concepts of Traditional Retirement Planning

Let’s review a few of the core concepts behind retirement and the planning that goes along with it. The actual idea of retiring at any point in time, and spending time any way you desire is good, but the way it is presented in many cases is not based on pursuing fun and creative pursuits, but in “avoiding” financial disaster, illness, and other forms of lack.

Now, I know you can produce proof of folks in dire circumstances in their latter years of life, but there are many examples of people living full, productive, and meaningful lives during those same years. I am suggesting that our focus is on creating the latter and not the former type of lifestyle.

Just this discussion here can bring up many non-productive and limiting beliefs that are fear-based and victim-based. I prefer to offer the alternate mindset of seeing ourselves as powerful creative beings that are capable of directing and focusing our energy in ways that produce health, wealth, enthusiasm for life, high productivity, beneficial service, and a continually expanding presence.

On a traditional basis, we would focus on doing this or that type of planning in order to avoid negative stuff. Instead, I suggest doing this or that type of planning as just part of the creative process of living life full out and enjoying each and every moment.

Financial planning is part of a well-rounded approach to living, but only one part. Once we take the time to put this in place, it takes care of itself on an automatic basis. We can then concentrate on other aspects of our high-performance lifestyle.

A High-Performance Lifestyle

A high-performance lifestyle takes into consideration all aspects of our lives being supported by our core values that are in alignment with our desired goals and objectives. When this is the case, we make our day-to-day decisions and choices based on what will reinforce the living of this type of life.

Many worries and concerns simply fade away when our focus is on being committed to a higher purpose that aligns with our unique skills, ambitions, and values. This type of mindset, once created, becomes part of our very existence forever. We expand and develop ourselves into the powerful individual we really are, and our Inner Genius is then allowed to emerge.

I wanted to spend some time creating the framework of what we will now discuss concerning some viable retirement planning options. But I stress the importance of these options being viewed with the mindset of what is possible and not what to avoid.

When we are living with the mindset of a high-performance person, we approach life much differently than when our thoughts and energy are directed toward just getting by or keeping our heads above the water. It’s now time to go beyond survival to testing the waters of our potential, and finding out exactly what we are capable of. Of one thing we can be certain within this realm of apparent uncertainty, is that we will have No Regrets venturing down this path.

The Best Retirement Planning Options

Okay, let’s get into it. Here’s a basic outline of some of the stuff you may have never considered in terms of preparing for retirement or if now retired, here’s a different way to view things.

1. Decide to live fully each day by taking responsibility for all areas of our lives

2. Identify our current circumstances both positive and negative

3. Understand that positive change is possible

4. Recognize any resistance to this process is a good thing, as it is expanding our comfort level and allowing us to see specifically what the roadblocks are in terms of our limiting beliefs, ideas, and perceptions

5. Spend as much time as it takes to identify what your ideal lifestyle would be (if this is your current lifestyle, congratulations, it is then just a matter of expanding on that)

6. Brainstorm a few ideas and plan out how you could attain that lifestyle

7. Understand any plan put in place will change along the way with additional experience and data, but the objective that is aligned with our core values will never change

8. Do some additional research as needed to fill any blanks in creating our plan

9. Determine what the very First Step is that we are willing to take in the direction of our desired objective

10. Take that step and once completed The Next Step will be obvious

11. Stay consistent with this until you arrive at your desired destination

Actually, what this process does is create a new mindset based on what you desire, rather than on for what you think you have to settle. Creating this type of mindset is beneficial for people of all ages. In fact, the earlier the better.

Now for a Few Examples of Best Retirement Planning 

I want to get back to my previous thoughts on clearing our minds of what we think we know so that we have an uncluttered space on which to create. When we let go of a few limiting beliefs, we are then able to see with a pair of “new eyes”, and our vision immediately improves.

“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”

• Mark Twain

The main ingredient of living a high-performance lifestyle is to get in touch with our deepest desires and passions, and then determine ways to express them productively. We often kill off ideas in our head because we believe they are not possible, or we are not capable of bringing them to life.

There is so much available today to support whatever dreams we may have. Especially when we combine our passion with the right partners, we expand our abilities in any direction we desire to go. Let’s explore this a bit.

The technology that was previously only accessible to the few, is now available to the average person. It is a matter of having the proper mindset so that we can take advantage of this, and connect with the right crowd.

So many advances have taken place in the areas of digital medicine, natural healing, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, networks, robotics, sensors, 3-D printing, genomics, synthetic biology, quantum physics, neuroscience, and mental health. There is not only all this knowledge available but more importantly, there are many ways to partner with others in order to access this information and utilize it in innovative ways.

The resources are available for a creative retirement based on expressing our passions and interests, either as a hobby or a paid endeavor. The point is to expand our awareness to discover how we can best fulfill the urging originating from the creative genius within ourselves.

For example, if you are interested in 3-D printing go to ShapeWays.com and connect with others on projects or just to learn a bit more. In today’s marketplace, we have access to all the information and resources we need to turn our interests, passions, hobbies, or dreams into a reality.

More specifically with crowdsourcing and crowdfunding, we have unlimited ways to accomplish any project we desire to create. The idea of crowdfunding
goes back to the 1980s, but it was in 2005 that Kiva.org established itself as the first micro-lending website. Then sites such as Kickstarter
and Indigogo surfaced as well.

For crowdfunding Equity sites consider Startup Crowdfunding, Angelist, and Crowdfunder. For Debt funding sites, also called Peer-to-Peer (P2P) or micro lending, there are LendingClub and Kiva. Incentive or Reward sites where you provide some sort of reward for the money offered, include Kickstarter, RocketHub, and Indiegogo. Donation sites include GlobalGiving, Causes, and DonorsChoose.

Crowdsourcing is a way to get your products created by outsourcing the work to a large and undefined network of people. The work gets done either on a collaborative basis (peer production) or by a single person. The key is that you are accessing a large database of people on an open call basis.

For example, if you need graphic design work done, submit your request to 99Designs
with your desired budget and many will compete for your business. For audio transcription go to CastingWords and human translators can be found on Gengo.com. Tongal.com can create an internet or TV ad for you in weeks instead of months at a greatly reduced price. For software and data solutions, TopCoder.com
has a wealth of data scientists, developers, and designers available for any project. Another data mining competition platform is Kaggle.com.

If you are in software development and need to test your products, UTest.com has a bunch of professional testers. Another crowdsourced testing platform in the music publishing and distribution business is ReverbNation.com, where you can discover if people like your music before spending bucks on management and promotion.

If you want to access a more general knowledge base go to Maven Research where you can find experts in thousands of disciplines. You may be familiar with the more popular sites like Freelancer.com which is a merger of nine (9) other crowdsourcing sites.

Another popular online site is Fiverr.com and Amazon has a site called Mechanical Turk. If you want a list of all the crowdsourcing sites go to AbundanceHub.com. CrowdSourcing.org and Crowdsortium are considered the go-to sites in the industry.

Best Retirement Planning & Living Can Be Exciting

With the right mindset and focus, anything is possible at any stage of our lives. This is the type of retirement planning that keeps us engaged for a lifetime of learning and providing value. Money is never an issue when we are engaged in bringing benefits and services to others either on a small or large scale.

When we are focused and persistent, we find that the larger the goal the better because we are more committed and willing to keep at it even when experiencing numerous mistakes and failures. The bigger our ambitions and goals the greater our productivity. When we do not have a challenge, it is in our best interest to make one. When you think something is impossible you now know you are on to something.

All innovative ideas and projects before they evolve and attain a breakthrough are considered crazy or unattainable. Just keep in mind what you want to do is possible, and if it was easy, it would have already been done. Most importantly, enjoy the process and welcome failure as part of that process.

This may seem a bit outrageous or an off-the-wall way to approach retirement planning, but I am emphasizing the importance of staying engaged in activities throughout your life in which you are passionate about. There is no time limit on learning, growing, expanding ourselves, and making a positive difference in the world. We are all a vital component of this world, and we owe it to ourselves and others to contribute our talents and skills in the best possible way.

I look forward that this has provided an alternative view for those considering retirement, in the midst of retirement, as well as for those somewhere in between.

Whatever you do, have some Fun!!

All the very Best,

Joseph

P.S. For those who would like to join me in the wonderful world of online marketing here is my #1 Recommendation.