I haven’t written about retirement lately, and since I am the Un-Retired Entrepreneur I thought I would write about retirement. Retirement is a state of mind. Let’s discuss why.
Especially in retirement, it is critical to have our mind focused correctly as too many folks seem lost and disengaged from life in retirement. It does not have to be this way as it is never too late for a “mind refresh”.
“The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off.”
Retirement is a
State Of Mind — Why?
“I need to retire from retirement.”
There are many stereotypes about retirement and how it should be lived. There’s no need to go into the details on this.
With the proper state of mind, retirement becomes a natural progression in life with an abundance of possibilities. It’s not about stopping work but enjoying life with the freedom to choose how to spend our precious time.
It’s about creating the life we desire that includes our passions, hobbies, and interests as well as work should we so choose. Spending time with loved ones is at the top of the list as time is so precious.
Whether we want to travel, learn new stuff, or simply let go and relax, we have positioned ourselves to do just that. It’s a state of mind filled with joy and contentment.
We realize our value is not defined by our work but by who we are and who we are meant to be. With this mindset, we not only enjoy life more but make a positive contribution to our community.
With the proper planning and preparation, anyone can enjoy retirement regardless of age. It’s embracing a new phase filled with freedom and enthusiasm in our lives.
Some Useful Ideas to Embrace
Each day is a gift we receive and we have the power of choice in the present moment as to how we will spend that day. Recognizing our power is the first step.
Whatever our age what we experience is a reflection of our thoughts and actions. These thoughts and actions are powered by our beliefs.
When we have cleaned house so to speak and removed those beliefs that do not serve us well, we are then positioned to make conscious choices based on more empowering beliefs that are based on truth and not illusion.
At any age, we have the power to create the type of life that we most desire. It is a matter of gaining enough clarity about what we most desire to experience that sets the foundation for a happy life and retirement.
Staying active in retirement doing what is beneficial to ourselves and others brings joy and contentment.
Retirement is a State Of Mind that can Empower Us
“Retirement at sixty-five is ridiculous. When I was sixty-five I still had pimples.”
We can easily create the life of our desires in retirement which empowers us to see value in this stage of our lives. There is so much meaningful work we can accomplish at this time of our lives.
In addition to spending time with hobbies and much-deserved rest, we find our greatest satisfaction in being aligned with our life purpose and contributing in that direction. Many have discovered their purpose earlier in life, but for those who haven’t, there is no better time than now.
It is never too late to connect with our purpose and express our authentic selves. Retirement is the perfect time to do this, and every day will be a new adventure and opportunity for growth and expansion.
Simply writing out what is most important to us and what we really would like to accomplish will get the process started. No goal or objective is too small or too big when it is meaningful to us.
Our revised state of mind requires us to be consistent daily in the pursuit of our objective and focus on activity and not results. The results will fall into place as we learn and grow through this process, and make needed adjustments along the way.
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Being Honest with Ourselves
“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.”
— RICHARD P. FEYNMAN, theoretical physicist —
None of this will work unless we are brutally honest with ourselves. If we are tempted to make excuses no need to get fancy about it as any excuse will do.
But when we are truly ready to embrace our power and use it to create the retirement of our dreams, then we will do the necessary housecleaning to eliminate the baggage. Any limiting beliefs will be acknowledged and replaced with the truth which is we are unlimited beings creating our lives on a moment-to-moment basis.
It’s a given we can fool ourselves easily and buy into the many illusions available. The time to choose is now, so let’s choose personal growth, expansion, and freedom.
Retirement is a State Of Mind — Let’s Consciously Create
“I see retirement as just another of these reinventions, another chance to do new things and be a new version of myself.”
Once we awaken enough to realize that we have been conning ourselves about our true potential for quite some time, it is then necessary to make a decision. Do we choose the door to our freedom or the door of our comfort zone?
Just positioning ourselves to make this critical choice indicates that we have progressed tremendously. Any fear or trepidation at this point can be handled by taking the smallest step that we are willing to take to break the inertia.
As conscious creators, we are awake enough to monitor our progress and see cause and effect in action. We are no longer victims but active participants in our lives.
Retirement is the perfect time to reinvent ourselves and explore areas we may have never considered or have put off. We are in charge of our precious commodity of time.
Let’s reflect on what we most desire to do and do some research as to available resources. Making this a fun process is essential to maintaining our momentum.
Once we see a few positive results we will be inspired to continue having created the state of mind that sees retirement as an enormous opportunity. Let’s decide to use retirement to positively contribute to ourselves and others.
In Peace and Love within the Light,
Joseph William
Retirement is often seen as a milestone in life when one stops working and begins to enjoy the leisurely side of existence. However, I believe that retirement is not just a specific age or a financial goal, but rather a state of mind. It is a mindset that allows us to embrace a life filled with purpose, fulfillment, and joy, regardless of our age or employment status. To me, retirement means breaking free from the societal norms and expectations that define success solely based on a career or material possessions.
Thanks, Conner, for your many insights. I totally agree. All the Best.
Retirement is a state of mind, as you said. I am 74 years old and do not consider myself retired, even though I left the workforce seven years ago. I spent 20 years in the military and transitioned to civilian life. Now that I left the workforce, my side hustle has become my main hustle. Fortunately, I (and my family) did not wait to travel to other countries, for example. Years ago, we traveled to Egypt, and while there, we rode camels to the desert side of the pyramids of Giza. I cannot imagine riding anything today at my age.
Thanks for your comments and insights, Glen. Being un-retired keeps us focused and making a positive difference. All the Best.
Hi Joseph,
This is such an interesting article as my Dad is 75 and he still isn’t fully retired.
I think he is afraid that if he retires, he is going to die or something. We are both from engineering backgrounds and we both know people who retired and within a year they passed away, which was tragic for us both.
I keep telling him that if he remains active and stays as fit as he can then he will be fine. The people we know just took to drinking every day and stayed in the house. Now, anybody who does that at any age is going to pass away soon enough.
I am going to share this article with my Dad and encourage him to take it in and get in touch with you if he has any questions, if that is OK?
Thank you for sharing and keep up the great work.
All the best,
Tom
Thanks, Tom. Much appreciated. Your dad is welcome to contact me at any time. All the best. Joseph
Hi Joseph,
Thank you so much for this fresh point of view on retirement. I speak to so many people who are just looking forward to retirement as a time to finally escape the rat race and do what you enjoy doing. But then you also hear about so many people who, when they are finally there, basically stops being active and just start withering away… I think it’s so important to find fun, engaging and challenging things to do to keep active. even into our senior years. Retirement shouldn’t be an “escape” but a transition into a different phase of more fun and rewarding activities, perhaps with a greater amount of choice. Did you hear Tim Robbins thoughts on mini-retirements throughout one’s life? That is another interesting point.
Thanks again for a great article!
All the best,
Michael
Thanks so much for your thoughts and insights on retirement. Each moment of our lives is an opportunity to learn, grow, and contribute. I am familiar with Tony Robbins’ concept of mini vacations and totally agree. All the very best, Joseph