Power Up Blog
Thoughts & Musings on Retirement
Are you emotionally or financially supporting BOTH aging parents and adult children? Then you are part of what people refer to as the “Sandwich Generation”. 😮
If you’re feeling over-scheduled and under-resourced as a result of this sandwich, let go of the guilt around not having enough time and energy to accomplish it all and release the pressure with these supportive suggestions! 😍
Looking ahead to retirement can be a wonderful and exciting thing! The beginning of a new chapter!
But if your social status or power position has always come from your work, retirement may feel like a huge loss of identity and life-structure...
If this resonates with how you’re feeling, here’s a couple of tips for you!
You matter to me!
Seriously. When I say I am here for you, it comes straight from the heart. It’s exciting to know that little changes in your life can make you feel closer to relaxing into the retirement you deserve. 😍
But maybe you don’t know what you deserve? I know through experience that many feel overwhelmed by the thought of retiring. What does it mean? How do I do it? What changes do I make? You’re not alone.
Accountability. It can be a scary word.
What if you had a community around you who made it less scary? We all want to achieve the reality we know is right for us. Maybe it’s living in a home that doesn’t cause as much stress. Maybe it’s moving to live closer to children or grandchildren. Maybe it’s simple: you want to be kinder to yourself.
As social creatures, we have an extraordinary opportunity to surround ourselves with people who support us. And what if you asked those people to go one step further in that support? Maybe, just maybe, you could ask others to hold you accountable in fulfilling your dreams.
Running out of money in retirement.
It’s a really scary thought.
It’s actually one of the biggest fears people have about transitioning into this next chapter of their lives.
Many people also worry they won’t have enough money to live the life they want.
And that right there folks is the reason why planning for retirement mentally and emotionally first, and then working with a financial planner to flesh out your plans even further, will help give you the bigger picture.
A purpose is very important to living a meaningful life. Ernie J. Zelinski, author of How to Retire Happy, Wild and Free says that, “Two essentials for successful retirement are sufficient funds to live on and sufficient things to live for.”
You may have a lot of hobbies, interests and leisure activities that may keep you busy, however, if you want your retirement to be meaningful, these will most likely not be enough. You may need to find your purpose.
Loss of social network is a big concern among pre-retirees. When you will retire from your career, you more than likely won’t be seeing your colleagues and / or work friends everyday but that doesn’t mean that they are gone from your life forever. If you had good work and personal relationships with your co-workers, then these friendships may be strong enough to continue once you have left work.
Like all relationships, however, you need to make time and work on your friendships to stay connected.
