Repurpose, Reinvent.....Don't Retire

Retirement seems to suggest a binary perspective....Work...... or No Work.

It's like...I've worked all my life, and now I deserve the break. I had a responsibility...I needed to earn...I've done that for long years, so now it's time to indulge.

So what does this 'Break' mean? What does this 'Indulge' mean? They're pretty much myths.

Most folks find themselves at a loose end post retirement. There's an anxiety that's part of that transition, that seems to only grow with the years.........and the concern is not as much financial......... it's more about productivity, or closer home.........'relevance'. I start to wonder about my own Relevance. Especially today when sixty is nowhere near old age. It's only about how healthy you are. Age is a number. Don't let society delude you on that.

So let's see what differentiates the few.....the ones who on the other hand seem to grow in wisdom and stature as they go through their retirement.

I listed out about hundred folks to help think through this......and for those that made the cut ( the rare few), what one sees is this ability to switch off from what was, and find interesting things to do in the present.

Repurpose......Reinvent oneself......there's enough and more interesting things to do. Just know yours.

Also, throw out all the usual conditioning which comes with the thinking.

Work and Earning have gone so closely together, that at all points work....productivity...is gauged in relationship to how much it can earn you. And if it's not fetching you enough, then it's not worth it.

Let's move out of that frame. Money is needed for specifics and if those specifics are already taken care of, get money out of the way. That's one of the most liberating feelings ever.

It's no longer about the company or organization needing you ( it never was) , it's about what you as an individual want....let's accept that. 

What's more....this doesn't have to be a retirement stage occurrence....it would be good to take a raincheck every few years in life. Stepback to ask....Is this where I want to be? Is this what I want to be doing? Is this who I want to live with? Is this where I want to live?  Cliched as it sounds....it's about the now. 

Everyone around you will call you a fool....but then........it's about you, not them. It's your life. 

Be where you are...because, you want to be where you are. You choose.