A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to become something more. — Rosabeth Moss Kanter
I knew what I was going to do the day I retired. I pictured myself turning off the lights in my office, nodding goodbye to colleagues, and walking out the door. I knew I wouldn’t look back because I was inspired to begin the rest of my life. And that’s the way it happened.
I knew what I was going to do six months after I retired. I pictured myself working with my first several coaching clients. I envisioned the progress we were making on development of The Village at Kentlands, a community-based program I co-founded that lets neighbors help neighbors age successfully in place. And that’s the way it happened.
I knew what I was going to do two years after I retired. I saw myself in excellent health, working with close to a dozen coaching clients, and planning my next vacation. And that’s the way it happened.
I’m not clairvoyant, and I don’t have a crystal ball. What I do have is a bedrock belief in the power of visioning and the importance of having a vision for your retirement.
Who Am I Now?
There is a lot to consider when you are planning to retire. You have to know that you will be financially secure. Even after I reached that milestone, I had more work to do.
You have to think about how you will spend your leisure time. Many people think they will be happy lying around in a hammock in the backyard, but research shows the more active you are, the happier and healthier you’ll be.
You have to plan for maintaining close relationships. I had been with the federal government for nearly 25 years and formed close ties with many of my colleagues. Retirement can be isolating, and isolation is bad for your health.
But most important, you have to be able to answer the question, “Who am I when I’m no longer working?” In a society that defines us by what we do, rather than who we are, it can be scary to no longer be “doing.” And yet I would argue that retirement is about doing—it’s about doing that which brings you joy. It’s about doing that which fulfills your life purpose. It’s about doing that which helps you move from living at work to working at living.
I encourage you not only to consider the answer to this question; I urge you to write it down. Put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, and spell out that first day, that first six months, that first year or two. It may not come naturally, but that’s OK. The goal is to be ready, not just financially, but mentally and emotionally, to step forward to the rest of your life!
Watch This Space
In the coming weeks, I’ll look in more depth at five key life domains you need to consider when you retire: financial remuneration, time management, utility, status and socialization.
In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you. You can reach me at franlrandolph@gmail.com or visit us on Facebook.
Great post!