Now that you are retired, what are you doing with your future?

I keep hearing how much people are just letting life pass them by. Not doing what they said they wanted to do with this freedom.

I even heard one man say, I just keep sleeping later.

If you don’t stop to think about what you want, you’ll do the same things over and over. Your life is a repeat of yesterday and yesterday. Like the Groundhog Day movie.

You get carried away with life rather than your dreams, your priorities. I’m not saying give up what is near and dear to you.

I know too many people never do what they want. They put their dreams on hold for someday, say that it’s a fantasy or can’t really happen.

I want to encourage you to take the time to contemplate and plan for life as you want.

Yes, you have responsibilities and things happen in life. There are many demands on your attention.

But unless you decide you will do what you love, life will pass you by.

 

Knowing What’s Most Important To You 

How do you shift your focus? You first must commit to making it happen. You must make you, your dreams and the life you imagined in retirement a priority.

If you are like me, I want my life flexible and to do what I want (most of the time). Like, spend time with Bo, playing with our grandkids, traveling, time for my business and friends. Time to just be.

I’m clear on my priorities. It’s still not easy because everyone else thinks you have all this time to do their stuff and their priorities. Emergencies happen that you have to take care of.

I know for many retirees, being a caretaker is a part of their life. But even still, in order to survive some of that, you must be planting seeds of what you want. Even if it’s an hour every few days.

Another thing that can hamper the process of planning for your retirement are the gremlins you are hearing.

“It’s selfish to think about yourself or your dreams.”

“You’re too old to think about something new or plan another chapter.”

Our generation wasn’t the kindest to women’s needs. Those old stories run deep.

In order for you to change your habits and live the retirement you want, you must make time to plan for it and make living it a priority.

Retirement can be the best juncture of your life. (If you make it that way.)

 

Plan For The Retirement You Want

What are the top five (5) things that must be in your life? Time to travel, time for grandkids, time to just be, time to give back, and time to be there for your family.

What did you put off that you always wanted to do? Play the piano, sing in a band?

Now begin designing your retirement based on your top desires. Only you know what is right for you and your life.

Be proactive. Planning doesn’t have to come at the expense of your freedom.

It’s planting seeds consistently. It’s keeping your focus on what you want. It’s feeling the joy and possibility.

Take time:

•  To find great models of what’s possible for you during this chapter of life.
•  To become conscious of what you are creating. Is it what you want?
•  To give yourself time to feed your dreams of how your retirement can be.

Begin small. Give yourself every Tuesday night from 7-9 p.m. to play with your ideas of what you want for these next decades. Then, take at least one inspired action from the ideas you came up with each week. For example, Google the top 5 “spas” in your region or create a vision board or a Pinterest board of what you want.

When you have more time available, book time on Tuesdays and Thursdays to create, to dream. The momentum will grow.

You can do this.

Before you know it, you are thriving in retirement because you are aligned with what you want and what you are doing.

If you need some help with clarity or focus, schedule a discovery session at dottiehager.com.