After a lifetime of being busy, retirement can feel a little boring.
Suddenly, you have a lot of extra free time. Sure, doing nothing is fun for a few days. But after a week or so of watching too much TV, you’ll be ready to move on to phase two.
So what’s next?
Retirement can be the perfect time to focus on your family, your community, or even a second career. Think ahead about which of these pursuits will be most rewarding for you. Some advance planning will help the transition go smoothly.
First, give some thought to your values. During our working years, our identities are closely tied to our job titles. This changes after we retire, but we still want people to know who we are. To get in touch with your essential identity, think about what you like to do with your time, the principles you believe in, or how you might try to connect with a stranger at a party.
Next, take a look around. Keep an eye out for people who seem to be enjoying retirement. Consider asking those folks to play a mentorship role in your life so you can retire more successfully.
Retirement can be the richest and most rewarding phase of life. Check out our Instaread on Purposeful Retirement for more ideas on how to maximize yours.
