I remember when my older sister told me she was retiring. At that point in my life retirement seemed a long way off, maybe never. I remember thinking, retire? Oh, I can’t imagine being retired. How boring that would be! How lonely!
Fast forward four years and my tune had changed. I thought fondly of the day when I wouldn’t have to get up in the morning because my alarm clock ordered me to do so. When I could choose my daily activities rather than have them dictated to me by my clients and bosses. When I would not have to sit across the table from someone who was about to judge me – on everything but my looks. Was I working hard enough? Did I manage my time well? Was I, bottom line, an asset or a liability to the company? All things that made me cringe, even though the report was always glowing.
Yes, these were the things I would definitely not miss about working. I wanted to be my own boss! I wanted to tell myself what to do and have the freedom to refuse to do it when I had something else in mind. Retirement was sounding better and better as the months dragged on.
Now I was recently married, which is a tremendous benefit when it comes to planning your retirement. Now I could actually consider it, something that was really challenging if not difficult for a single female. My husband had created a business which had grown and done quite well. He was about to sell it. The money from the sale would be our retirement money, at least the foundation for it. Retirement was no longer a pipe dream; it was becoming a real possibility.
I reached a point in my career (toward the end of 2010) where I knew it was time to put a date to my retirement. I was ready. I was almost more than ready. If I work beyond a certain date I know my soul will start to die. I was sure of it.
We planned for an early retirement in April 2011. I was beyond excited. Now comes the big question – what will I do when I am retired? Ah, you say, that is the $60 million dollar question. Well, maybe for some people, maybe for many people. But not for me. You see I had plans. I had already begun my extra-curricular activities that would become my primary activities after retirement. I rode horses! I had a trainer and would purchase a horse and learn the art of Dressage! I would be in shows and we would build a barn and arena on our property and I would have my horses with me every day and life would be perfect!
Well, truth be told, it didn’t quite work out as planned. Life got in the way and so the outcome was not exactly as pictured, but close enough. I got to retire on the scheduled date. I had the money to purchase my horse and I did so. The barn and the arena have yet to be built. But that’s okay. You have to learn to be flexible with your dreams.
The key to a successful retirement is having a plan BEFORE you leave your job. Retiring without a plan is dangerous. It can make your retirement frustrating and boring, things you do not want. Know what you want to do and have the means to do it. PLAN.
That is just part of the double-edged sword. The other part is what happens after the first couple of weeks have gone by. You have wallowed in the freedom that is retirement. You have slept in every day and done only what you wanted to do. But after a few weeks of doing almost nothing, you start to wonder what all the hype was about. This is what happens – you had little freedom before retirement and now you have a lot. Even if you have a plan, you still have days or at least hours that do not require any action on your part. What do you do with them?
Unless you are extremely self motivated (and I am fairly self-motivated but still had the problem) you are going to find that you sometimes have to “push” yourself to get out of bed or to do some task that requires attention. You might have to “push” yourself out of the house, even when you had somewhere to go! After working hard for so many years and then being given the gift of non-accountability, doing nothing can have a strong appeal.
A friend of mine who retired about a year before I did warned me of this but having no first-hand experience with it I had to wait until I got there. It absolutely happened to me, exactly as she predicted.
Do not stress about it. Retirement, just like working, is an adjustment. You figure it out and do what works best for you. After a while it is like you have been retired forever. So fear not! My advice to you if you are thinking about retirement – have a plan to do something you love and be patient with yourself when it comes to adjusting to the freedom. Like anything new in life, it just takes a little time and patience. This is your life. Enjoy it!