Come on. Were you REALLY looking for THE fountain of youth when you retired? If so, you may have to give up on that search. It ainta gonna happen! We all live. We grow older and then we move on to another plane. (Some people call this death.) But we don’t magically get physically younger as we retire. Hopefully, we age gracefully, stay healthy and have a good time doing this in retirement years.
There’s no magic pill required to create what still can be a vibrant present and an active retirement. This opinion is shared by many, including Peter Spiers who’s written a new book called "Master Class: Living Longer, Stronger, And Happier.” There are 40 million Americans 65 and older today, and by 2050 that number is expected to double to 80 million. Now, that's a lot of human potential that can be either wasted or realized, this author tells us.
What will you do with your retirement? Often, I blog about my activities while learning some ways other men and women get insight on how to make the most of this “new life stage in which work has ceased to be the central focus of their lives” (Spiers’s definition of retirement).
One person recently commented on my retirement blog she was so busy, she “needed to retire from retirement!'" Does this describe you?
People who are engaged in activities that involve at least two dimensions of socializing, moving, thinking and creating, Spiers calls “Masters.” These are key elements of a holistic way of life that will bring happiness, optimism and physical and cognitive health, he writes.
I'm 65, but I'm thinking about things I can do now to set myself up for a successful retirement. I once wrote for newspapers and worked for a publishing company, and now I am writing books and blogging even more.
What did you used to do that you would now like to further develop? This may be a helpful way to discover the activities that bring about the desired state for retirement that Spiers mentions in his book. I’ve noticed that people who comment and write for my blog also describe their successes following this road map. It certainly works for me, and I will guess this approach works (or could work) for you!
Many of the 14 activities listed in Spier’s "Master Class" -- like gardening and birding – may seem like familiar and already explored territory. But what's wrong with learning from the past? "Boomers will no doubt put their own stamp on this stage as they have with every other stage, but why embark on a trip without a map?" Spiers recently said, in an interview with The Huffington Post.
Just because the 14 activities he’s come up with look easy doesn't mean they are. They all require some energy and will power. The concepts are easy, but realizing and living them does take attention and a concerted effort.
"It requires some energy and willpower on your part. The concepts are easy but realizing, living the concepts does take some attention," he told the interviewer.
Most of his suggestions don’t surprise me: genealogy, cultural immersion travel, exercise, group bicycling, book clubs, volunteering, dancing, and gardening – I’m sure you can do even better coming up with your own ideas, and want to hear your suggestions on my blog.
Have a comment? Please share it here.
Mmeanwhile, think holistic retirement – and forget anything about trying to find that brick and mortar fountain of youth. What we must all discover is the fountain within ourselves, ready to be turned on for this new and unique time of our lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment