Planning for your Age of Fulfillment

Have you made a plan for retirement? Is it detailed and does it really excite you? What? You’re too busy to start planning? Oh, you still have a few years to go before retirement so there’s plenty of time! Perhaps you need to re-think about putting off your plan!

Like many of you, I was led to believe that if I have the financial aspects well planned my future would be taken care of! No need to do any other planning. Now how many of you really believe that little ditty?! I found out I needed to do more in the non-financial realm– and fast!

The Baby Boomers will redefine retirement as our parents know it. We still have lots to do and give. Besides, we’re just flat out too energetic to sit on the front porch in a rocking chair! We have longed for dreams to make a reality! We have activities that have been put on hold that we want to now pursue!

We should not lose sight of the fact as we approach retirement we have a wonderful chance to re-evaluate our lives, careers and future. We are freed from many obligations such as children to care for, educate and launch. We may choose to mix and match work, education and leisure in a different way.

Planning does mean you’ll need to ask some tough questions. It will mean looking at who you really are – asking what is my life’s purpose! It means being honest and true to yourself making sure your answers are yours and not someone else’s. This will be your plan not your significant other, not your friends and not your children’s. It is time to take off the masks we’ve worn to maintain our jobs, our civic position and our reputations!

This is YOUR journey to discovery! Your renewal phase! How does this sound to you?! Does it begin to paint an entirely different portray of retirement for you? Are you seeing the need to plan now?!

Let me share with you some of the questions I asked myself in my planning process that I feel will help you understand the depth of questions that needs to be asked to come up with an exciting plan.

Am I ready to seek the truth that I’m more than my work? Do I know what my key motivators are that will need to be satisfied when I retire from my present job? What will I be giving up when I retire? Do I see myself arising in the morning during retirement with the same anticipation I experienced when working? What IS my life’s purpose? What is it I’ve always wanted to do yet didn’t have the time to go after? Will I start a new career?

The answers didn’t come easy and some were down right uncomfortable because I truly didn’t have a good answer. Yet I kept at it for several months to come up with a draft that would give me direction in my Age of Fulfillment.

One area that I feel is important to go a bit more into is about motivators. Why? Motivators must be identified and incorporated into your retirement if you want a rich and fulfilling retirement. Your motivators have been a part of you for a long time and will be with you when you retire. We cannot be easily separated from what our work gives us!

You need to make different choices in retirement about fulfilling these motivators the rest of your life. What activities will give you satisfaction? Maybe your motivator is to be a part of the action or to be with intellectually stimulating people or to pursue a passion or to be recognized.

Why DID you choose your work or career besides money? What is it about your job that attracted you to it? What areas are not being satisfied by work?

Inner motivators help guide us to life choices to bring us personal satisfaction. If you ignore these motivators, you are bound to flunk retirement!

Here are just a few examples of motivators to get you started. I’m sure you can come of with a bunch more. Accomplishment; competition; challenges; action; friendship; interaction with people; problem solving; making a difference; being THE expert.

What is on YOUR list? What does each motivator you’ve identified mean to you? For instance, if you have competition on your list what exactly does that mean to you?

Take your time coming up with a list. Reflect on your answers. Set the list aside for a few days. Then – look the list over. Are they truly your motivators? Are there more that you need to put on the list?

Remember this about retirement – many of the activities providing you with a sense of purpose and fulfillment will end. Knowing what your motivators are will now give you direction. Your task, then, is to find what activities will fulfill them! Next, make a plan how it is going to happen. Refine your plan over the next several months until you’re really excited about it!

So - when will you start making plans for your “Age of Fulfillment” to be successful, enriching, enjoyable and fun? If you fail to plan, plan to fail! It isn’t too late to start so - start NOW!!