Find Your Purpose in Retirement

You are never too old to find your purpose in life, although some people give up long before they should.  Two of my friends were talking recently about how they spend their days now that they are retired.  One said she does a lot of reading and goes to a water aerobics class a couple of times a week.  The other one said she was still trying to "find herself."  She was not sure, yet, what she wants to do with the rest of her life, despite the fact that she is in her mid-60s and recently retired from a long career.

This conversation made me sad.  Both of these women could afford to explore a wide variety of activities, yet something is holding them back.  Upon reflection, it seems that neither of them have found their purpose in life. They are still looking for something meaningful to do in retirement.  Unfortunately, they do not realize that this is the very time in their lives when they have the time to really immerse themselves in something meaningful!

Even if you have spent your entire adult life simply taking care of your responsibilities, working at a job, raising children, and caring for other family members, it is never too late to find a purpose in life.

Meaningful Opportunities are All Around You

Unlike the women above, another friend of mine began her retirement by signing up to spend three years in the Peace Corp, beginning at age 62.  She spent most of that time in Ukraine, where she made lifelong friends.  More than a decade after completing her Peace Corp tour, she still meets with former Peace Corps members once a month and occasionally makes speeches to other organizations about her experiences and what she learned during her years abroad.  While this was a life changing experience for her, I have discovered that many other people are not aware they can still join the Peace Corp in their 60s and 70s.  What a wonderful way to find a purpose in life and explore the world!

My husband and I have found meaning by volunteering at our local homeless shelter, pictured above.  Preparing food and feeding the homeless helps us appreciate our own lives.  We have also become involved in the political campaign of someone we know who is running for Congress.  In addition, we regularly spend time with our grandchildren and help out one of our daughters who is raising two teenage children on her own.  For me, even writing this blog and providing people with a wide variety of useful information about retirement has given my life meaning.  All these activities give my husband and me a purpose in life.  

Other retirees I know have found meaning in second careers or volunteer opportunities.  Below are just a few of the choices our friends have made to bring joy and meaning to their retirement years:

A retired school principal opened her own delicatessen
A retired semi-conductor salesman became an actor
A former WW II veteran reads to school children once a week
Several women have built new careers involving art or crafts
A number of retirees I know have written and self-published books
Countless other retirees volunteer in churches, hospitals, food banks, schools and for non-profits.  All these organizations need volunteers and the people who offer to help are greatly appreciated.

A Thought-Provoking Movie

While you are thinking about how to live a meaningful life, you may want to watch the Shirley MacLaine movie "The Last Word."  It tells the story of a wealthy, but very lonely, elderly woman who asks the obituary writer for the local newspaper to write her obituary while she is still alive. When she reads the first draft, she decides to make changes in her life.  This decision takes both women on a journey of self-discovery.

This movie will make you laugh, but it will also make you think.  It could also help you change your life!

How to Have a Meaningful Retirement

The time to start planning what you want to do in retirement is before you retire, if possible, although it is never too late to try something new.  Do you have an unfulfilled dream?  Is there a different job you have always wanted to try, but didn't think it would pay you enough while you were raising a family?  Is there a place you would like to visit?  Are there people you would like to help?  Is there an organization which is meaningful to you, where you could volunteer?  The ways you can find meaning are endless.

Below are a few places you can contact to get ideas:

Your place of worship
Your local school district
Your local hospital or animal shelter
Your local homeless shelter
Encore.org - A site which helps match people to potential second careers or volunteer opportunities with non-profits in their community.

Don't Settle for a Boring Retirement

After living in a retirement community for nearly 14 years, I have learned that retirees can either choose to be bored and lonely, or they can choose to live their dream life.  This is your opportunity to write a book, start a business, help people in need, travel, volunteer or try a new career.  You can use this second chance at life to improve your own financial situation or the lives of other people.   Don't settle for a boring retirement.

It is never to late to find meaning in your life!

If you are interested in more information about retirement planning, where to retire, Social Security, Medicare, common medical problems and more, use the tabs or pull-down menu at the top of the page to find links to hundreds of additional helpful articles.

Watch for my book "Retirement Awareness: 10 Steps to a Comfortable Retirement," which will be published by Griffin Publishing in 2018.

You are reading from the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

Photo credit: Photo of homeless shelter taken by author

Will You Enjoy Retirement?

If you spent the last decade of your working years looking forward to the day when you could "take this job and shove it," have you given much thought to how you will spend your days once you walk out of your office or workplace for the last time?

According to research by the National Center for Health Statistics, the average person who reaches age 65 can expect to live another 19.3 years ... or until they are age 84.  What do you plan to do with those extra two decades of life?  Have you given that serious thought?

Will Retirement Be Fun?

Many people imagine spending long days on the golf course, in their fishing boat, or taking cruises and vacations to exotic locations.  However, is that really what you want to do every day for the last twenty years of your life?  Will you even be able to afford that daily round of golf, the fishing boat, or the travel?

According to U.S. News & World Report, the typical retiree between the ages of 65 and 74 spends four hours a day watching television ... and that is the age group of the youngest retirees, the ones who are most capable of being active.

Is it inevitable that your retirement will eventually leave you feeling isolated, bored, and lonely?  Not necessarily.

What Retirement Options Will Keep Your Life Interesting?

In addition to financial planning, people who are preparing to retire, or who are newly retired, should spend plenty of time thinking about the lifestyle choices they can make as they approach their mid-60's.  Below are some options they may want to keep on the table:

*  Keep working at their current career - What?  After all these years of planning to retire, why would you want to keep working?  Presumably, you have earned a nice income from your job in the past and now you will be able to supplement that income with your Social Security benefits ... which will give you extra money for travel and having fun.  You might also decide to postpone collecting your Social Security until you are age 70, thus substantially increasing your benefits.  Staying at your current job also enables you to maintain your work friendships and connections with other people.  It can give structure to your life and keep your brain alert ... without resorting to endless crossword puzzles.

*  Find an Encore Career - What if there is no way you want to keep working in your old career?  That doesn't mean you need to give up working altogether and just sit home every day.  There are so many possible career choices.  You could find a job with a local business or non-profit, work as a consultant in your former field, become a tutor, or give lessons.  Retirees are even eligible to sign up for the Peace Corps and share their valuable knowledge and experience around the world.  Yes, many people in the 60's (and sometimes a little older) join the Peace Corps.

*  Volunteer in your community - If you really don't need extra income, you still do not want to spend your days sitting around the house, watching television.  Why not contact your local hospital or charity and see if they need your help?  I know a woman who helps out one day a week in a local hospital. She particularly enjoys caring for premature babies that just need extra time being held.  The work is not physically demanding, but she feels it is very rewarding.

*  Find affordable, social hobbies - Everything you do in retirement does not need to be expensive.  Nor do you need to spend time alone when you are pursuing your hobbies.  Join a book club or other activity that you can enjoy with other people.  If you don't know how to find other people who enjoy your hobbies, try www.meetup.com.  This website helps you link up with people in your community who are looking for people with common interests ... whether that means hiking, traveling, tai chi, golf, playing games, learning bridge, dancing, tennis, photography, dog walking, writing, painting, yoga, attending movies, boating, playing music, cycling or eating out. Many places of worship also have special activities for their older members.  Go to your local senior center to find exercise classes, low-cost meals and a wide variety of activities.  There is no reason to pursue your favorite activities in solitude when it is so easy to connect with other people who enjoy doing the same things you do.

Plan Your Life After Retirement

Financial planning is a very important part of getting ready for retirement.  However, it is equally important to plan what you will do with that free time ... and hopefully that will not mean just sitting around for the last twenty years of your life.

Plan to have a satisfying and fulfilling life during this period of time.  Think about how you could enrich your life while sharing your gifts with others.

I know people who are as busy or even busier in retirement than they were when they had full-time jobs during their "working years."  What is most interesting is that those are the people who seem to be the happiest as they age!

Are you looking for more information about retirement planning, where to retire, common medical issues, Social Security, Medicare and changing family relationships?  Use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of the page to find links to hundreds of additional helpful articles.

You are reading from the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

Photo credit:  morguefile.com

What Will You Do After You Retire?

Like many recent retirees, I worried that I would get bored once I stopped working.  In fact, I have known many Baby Boomers who are nearing retirement age who have expressed this fear.

Frequently, they make statements such as, "I don't want to play golf every day," "I don't want to get roped into babysitting my grandkids too often," "I'm not the type to play bridge all the time," or "I hate just sitting around the house watching TV."

As I have mentioned before, I live in an over-55 retirement community with lots of activities ... more than any human being could possibly do.  Within weeks of retiring from my job, I had signed up for a circuit training class three days a week and a yoga class twice a week.  I also joined the Writer's Club and was pleasantly surprised by the number of published authors in my community.  Before retiring, I had already been involved in horseback riding and walking on the beach every weekend.  In other words, I quickly got involved in a wide variety of activities.

In addition, I also drive two of my grandchildren to school every morning during the school year.  While they could ride their bikes or walk to school, I actually enjoy having the freedom to pick up these two grandkids and spend that twenty minutes or so in the morning with them.  One day a week, when my granddaughter has a late start at school, I take her to Starbucks and we sit and chat for half an hour before I drop her off.  This extra time with my grandkids has been one of the perks of retirement.

I've also discovered that I like cooking again ... at least once in a while.  Let's face it, when you are a working wife and mother, it gets to the point where dinner is whatever you can put on the table.  In the past, I was most inclined to stop and pick up a pre-cooked chicken, order pizza or sushi, or do something easy that required the least cooking possible.  Now I'm preparing full meals that take a little more effort.  While I still fall back on my easy meal ideas a few times a week, I find that I am cooking more often than I have in years ... and actually enjoying it.

Of course, I also write this blog and provide content for a number of websites.   This not only is a creative outlet for me, but also provides additional retirement income, doing something I love.

However, this is my personal experience.  So, prior to writing this post, I also decided to canvas some of my friends who do not live in a retirement community and do not have grandkids that live nearby.  What surprised me is that they have no trouble filling up their free time, as well.

Some of them have signed up for classes from the local community college or senior center.  They also enjoy being able to engage in activities that they couldn't spend much time on before ... painting, writing books, hiking, reading and having lunch with friends.  They are cooking, gardening, spending time with grandkids, traveling, redecorating their homes, volunteering for charities, driving Meals on Wheels, and so much more.

While our level of activity will, of course, decline as we get older, I have discovered that Baby Boomers are finding a wide variety of ways to stay busy and enjoy their retirement.  In fact, one refrain that I heard over and over again is, "I'm so busy now, that I don't know how I found the time to work!"

So, if you are hesitant to retire because you believe you will be bored or you won't have enough to do, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.  Anyone who has the energy to work all day will be eager to find more enjoyable things to do after retirement!  Jump right in ... the water's fine!

You are reading from the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

Public domain photo of an artist at work is courtesy of www.morguefile.com