3-5 YEARS out:
- Have a real conversation, with your spouse, partner, close friend or someone you know who is retired, about life visions for your retirement years. Ask questions—about goals, activities, where you want to live, who you want to spend time with, and how you foresee spending your days.
- Identify those areas of interest and commit to a plan to explore these over the next 12 months. Ask yourself, what matters to me? How do I want the next chapter to go? What do I need to do to make it happen as I hope it will?
- Start incorporating life changes you are considering on a routine basis. Especially important is time spend on your health-related goals. Don’t wait until your retirement for positive habit changes.
- Hone in on purpose and legacy, being candid and deep. Where do you want to make a difference and how can you get a taste of that, right now? Also, what activities can you shed that aren’t serving you anymore?
2 YEARS out:
- Envision specifically what your days, months, and years will look like. Articulate the daily life you project and practice the routine here and there. Revisit old hobbies and passions that were meaningful and explore new activities on a weekly basis.
- Well before retirement, establish a system of regular connection for staying in touch with valued work colleagues. Routine social media outreach or even regular get togethers now will assist in keeping bonds strong after retirement.
1 YEAR out:
- Get your “house” in order—not just your physical residence, but especially the nature and environment that will facilitate the pursuit of your goals and visions in retirement. Also, assess what you don’t want to do—delegate tasks or set up some systems on autopilot for what has to be done.
- Continue to focus on your health and relationships. Those two important life components predict how “successful” your retirement transition will be.
- Plan a celebration of your career and transition to a new chapter of life. Some will emphasize the ‘end’ of their work life and others will focus on the ‘beginning’ of a new opportunity to do what they have envisioned for a long time.
IN RETIREMENT:
- Be open, flexible and interested in adapting as changes in the plan are inevitable, and often a better path is discovered once there is time available in retirement.
FINALLY:
- The shift from work life to retirement can be smoothly anticipated or a shock, with loss of benefits like identity, camaraderie, financial remuneration, time management and a sense of purpose. Just as in financial preparation for retirement, life preparation is essential to ensure the best possible transition. The value of “rehearsing the future” is priceless.
- Resources to assist in the retirement life transition process include:
Retirement Coaches Association- dedicated and certified professionals committed to help people thrive in retirement. http://retirementcoachesassociation.org
TAKEOFF! Start the Conversation about Retirement- A Guide to educate and advocate for open discussion about retirement transitions. Mary Blissard, 2019.
www.flyingforwardinretirement.com
Revitalizing Retirement- Reshaping Your Identity, Relationships, and Purpose,Nancy K. Schlossberg, EdD, APA 2009
Happy Retirement- The Psychology of Reinvention, Kenneth S. Schultz, PhD, 2015
The Retirement Challenge- A Non-Financial Guide from Top Retirement Experts-Retirement Coaches Association, 2018
How to Retire Happy, Wild and Free, E. J. Zelinski, Visions International Publishing, 2015
Flying Forward in Retirement! 