You are FREE! But are you?

Last week, I discussed leaving full-time work means that we are finally free to transition from what we have to do, to what we want to do; from schedules, to projects; from what pays, to what matters; from career, to self.  Did your grandfather have these opportunities?  Did his grandfather have these freedoms?  Did HIS grandfather?  I doubt it!  But you do!

Today’s retiree faces a seemingly overwhelming range of choices.  You will be FREE!   But what will you DO with that freedom??  Will you be ready?  Everybody knows that retirement is FROM fulltime work.  The question each of us must answer is:  “What am I going to retire TO?”  Only those people who start planning NOW for their “career menopause” will be ready to go! 

How does one grow into retirement?  How can you make full use of this opportunity, and renew yourself?   The key to contentment in retirement is to engineer meaning.  In my opinion, this is done by creating an updated fabric of activities and relationships that gives meaning to every day.   Something has meaning when it matters, when it makes a difference, because it stands for something outside itself, it embodies a value you hold most dear.  Your days will be meaningful and your actions will be meaningful, if you spend your time and energy changing your little corner of the world in a direction consistent with your values.

I challenge you (actually, I am simply putting into words the challenge that the industrial revolutions of the 1800s have posed to us all) to begin finding the words that capture your core values, as well as the activities and relationships that give meaning to your every day.  What will replace your career as the foundation for your life satisfaction and your self-esteem?  Your answers to these questions will be the key to your future happiness. 

Come back and visit my blog next week for more tips on how to proceed.