The guided meditation at yoga class this morning began with a short discourse on how to recognize and manage transitions. The yoga teacher referred to sudden transitions in temperature as the cold spring weather suddenly turns summer-like and then gets chilly again. She reminded us that the change from day time highs of 10 Celsius […]
Pre-retirement considerations
Daily Routines after Retirement
A few weeks ago a friend who is about to retire asked about my daily routines after retirement. She wondered how she would get into a new routine without the structure of a job that required getting up early, commuting, and meeting expectations in the workplace. Without a job that dictates the flow of a […]
Every Retirement Choice has a Price
It’s a sad truth that every retirement choice has a price. The choice may have a financial price tag or an emotional price tag. In planning for retirement, most people try to make choices that will reward a lifetime of hard work with a care-free, stress-free lifestyle. They recognize that all choices come with price […]
Is retirement easier for women than for men?
Is it true that retirement is easier for women than for men? It’s commonly believed that women, regardless of marital status, find retirement easier. A happy retirement depends on more than gender. Health, family, and financial circumstances derail retirement plans for men and women alike. Once retired, however, women tend to find retirement easier. In […]
7 Reasons Why Smart People Struggle with Retirement
Why do smart people struggle with retirement? After decades of work, many take a hard look at their finances including pensions and government benefits. Next comes the decision to retire. After the hoopla of retirement celebrations, many question this decision. There are a few weeks — or months — of feeling that life is an […]
Happiness in Retirement — Build Your Resilience
Achieving happiness in retirement becomes easier if you build resilience. When work stops and retirement begins, an important life change happens. As a life event, retirement is significant. Your perception of who you are as a person and your sense of worth in society changes — as does your lifestyle. Regardless of whether retirement happened […]
Happy in Retirement — What Drives You?
What gives you a happy retirement? What drives you? The motto for the gym where I work out is “What drives you?” I think it’s a reference to the many options for exercise and recreation that members enjoy. The slogan “what drives you?” made me think about what drives a happy retirement. The life lived […]
Life Decisions — Getting What You Want From Your Life
What do you want from your life? In commenting to a recent post a reader asked how I decided what aspects of life were important to me in retirement. This comment made me think again about the process I use to make decisions to get what I want from my life. “The first step to […]
15 Ways to make your retirement extraordinary
A comment made by a good friend provided the idea for this post. When speaking about retirement, she said, “for those of us who didn’t have ordinary careers — or ordinary lives — why would we expect to have ordinary retirements?” Her comment sparked thoughts about choices in life and career that were less than […]
Optimize Retirement Happiness with the Right Choices for You
Image via Wikipedia It’s now 18 months since I retired. As I look back at my decisions about retirement lifestyle, I am pleased that most were right for me — up to this point. To retire with spirit and make the most of the third age that is unencumbered by career or child-rearing responsibilities is […]