Power Up Blog
Thoughts & Musings on Retirement
Studies show that more and more retirees are either delaying their retirement past the age of 65 or going back to work. In 2015, StatsCan, found that 53.5 per cent of men and almost 39 per cent of women who were 65 reported working during the year.
Some reasons for delaying retirement past 65 or going back to work include - not ready to retire; don’t have enough money; bored; lonely; want to meet new people; want to keep busy; etc.
All jokes aside...time is one of the many blessings about retirement.
What do you want to do with your precious time? 😍
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.
“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” - C. S. Lewis
I love this quote because it speaks the truth.
We’ve all been through rough times...illness, the loss of a loved one, career changes and so much more.
We’ve all been surrounded at one point or another in our lives by someone who truly inspired us. Someone doing big things.
We are all capable of resilience and we are all meant for extraordinary.
What does an extraordinary life mean to you?
According to Family Service Canada, boredom is the number one reason for dissatisfaction in retirement. Without a person’s routine and social contacts of the workplace, many people feel alone and disengaged from their usual social circle.
You are going to have a lot more time (at least 8 hours / day or 2000/ year) and anywhere from 20 – 30 years + of life in retirement available to pursue personal interests or hobbies. How will you spend all this extra time?
Maybe living an extraordinary life is being positive, optimistic, resilient and perseverant.
Maybe it’s all about taking risks and trying something new even if you’re scared or feeling vulnerable…
An extraordinary life could be living and using your gifts and strengths to make a difference, even a small one…
