Successful retirement Your working life may be all-consuming and may give you little time to pursue possible post-retirement interests. But there is one constant in your planning – you! You know what you enjoy doing and that isn't going to change just because you're retired. So think about it. Is there one thing you want to do, one place you want to be in? Might that be a good starting point for making your retirement the best it can be?
And remember, a successful retirement is as much about what you don't want to do as what you do want to do.
What follows is the wisdom distilled from talking to variety of people who have made a success of their retirement:
Watch what other people have done - When Sean Jeffries was thinking about retirement he looked around: “We started by observing what was happening to other people as they retired; and there are plenty of subjects for observation!"
Analyse what motivates you – As Samantha Jennings points out "you don't stop being the people you were when you retire – if you're motivated before you'll find something to motivate you afterwards." But think about it!
Don't base your retirement plans on unexplored activities - James Dent was convinced that he was going to become a sailor in retirement but: "Before I went out and bought a boat I had an opportunity to do some blue water sailing and I discovered that I didn't like it that much and my wife hated it." Find time to explore those retirement pursuits before you base your future happiness on them.
Twenty-seven things to do before you die – James' firm sent him on a retirement preparation conference and one of the exercises was to write a list of the 27 things he’d like to do before he died: "The list has formed the backbone of my retirement planning – it's given me something to aim for." – might be worth drawing up that list.
Find a new challenge – Richard Jennings: "When you're approaching retirement make sure you've got something that's coming at you that's as challenging as your job. So challenging that it worries you a bit whether you can do it or not." What frightens you? If it's legal and not damaging to you or to others it might be worth pursuing in retirement.
There are no career counsellors for the over 55s – And, if all else fails, enlist the help of a life and business coach, such as www.associationforcoaching.com
Lin Ashworth is the author of 'Talking about Retirement', published by Kogan Page (www.koganpage.com). Lin's opinions are her own and for general information only - always seek independent advice. This article was first published on June 29, 2009.