The Best Retirement Advice I Ever Received

(Though I Didn’t Know It At The Time!)

 

Way back in 2008, I attended a pre-retirement panel discussion hosted by the G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education – “Managing Transitions: Life After 50”. 

 

There were five panel members, each at a different “stage” of retirement (or transition) – i.e.: retired a decade; officially retired, but had gone back to work; retired but heavily into volunteering; newly retired; planning to retire by the end of the year, etc., etc. 

 

The overall discussion made such an impact on me that I actually kept the flyer.

 

 

(there are unreadable notes scribbled on the back)

 

Mainly, because at the end of the session, each panel member was asked – “if there was one piece of advice you would share with someone contemplating retirement, what would it be”.

 

At the time, all of the tidbits of advice sounded good and practical, so I dutifully scribbled everything down.

 

But it is only now, almost three years into early retirement, that I have come to appreciate how valuable and useful those five, simple nuggets of advice actually were:

 

If you are not physically fit, get fit.

Schedule your day.

Maintain social contacts, continue to network.

Get involved with something bigger than you.

Learn something difficult.

 

If you do no other planning for your retirement, memorize this list, because combined, it is the best retirement advice you are ever going to get  ….

 

If you are not physically fit, get fit!   If you are one of those perennial new year’s resolutions people who constantly pledge that this is the year you are definitely, probably, for sure, maybe going to get to the gym – and then never do – don’t make the same post-retirement resolution. 

 

If your pre-retirement excuse for not going to the gym was lack of time, suddenly having all of the time in the world, post-retirement, is not automatically going to turn you into a physical fitness buff.  You’re just going to look for other reasons not to go to the gym.

 

So just make this bit of retirement advice a pledge to stay physically active.  We all know that if you don’t use it, you lose it.  At the very least, make getting out of the house every day and going for a walk (to the nearest Tim’s!) a regular part of your post-retirement day.  Your knees, hips and general practitioner will thank you.

 

Schedule your day.  Sounds like a step backwards, I know, since one of the main reasons for retiring is to get away from schedules.  But again, from personal experience, I have come to appreciate the value of having some structure to my days, even if I am supposed to be retired. 

 

Knowing that today is laundry or grocery shopping day, or that you are supposed to be somewhere at a particular time gives purpose and momentum to your day – keeps you moving forward, gives you a sense of accomplishment. 

 

And if you really, truly have big plans for retirement, getting things written down and scheduled will make sure those plans actually come to fruition.

 

Maintain social contacts.  – Once again, speaking from personal experience, I discovered the hard way how badly I had under-estimated the amount of human contact and adult conversation I required to keep my sanity intact.  Bottom line, you need to be in some sort of contact with you fellow human beings on a daily basis. 

 

If you already have the required spouse kicking around the house, you’re half-way there.

 

But, if like me, you are single with no children, you need to work extra hard at arranging play dates for yourself.  You need to get, and keep, yourself out there.    Search yourself out a variety of people with a variety of interests.  Otherwise, you just end up talking to yourself!

 

There’s a reason food courts are full of seniors nursing cups of coffee and reading the Racing Form!

 

Get involved with something bigger than you.  Basically, find an organization or association or cause that shares the same values and outlook on life as you do.  Give them a call and find out what they need.  Became a full-time volunteer, fundraise, stand for election to the board, etc.  Offer up whatever career skills you have.

 

If you are already involved with an organization, get more involved. 

 

Or if you’re really not the “joining in” type, make it a point to attend as many events as you can for whatever group, or groups, that interest you.  It might lead to bigger and better things!  (Please don’t make me tell my bird watching story again!)

 

Learn something difficult. If you’ve already decided that you are going to learn to play the piano, or to fly a plane, or to go back to school, make sure you follow through once you actually retire.  Your gray matter will thank you.

 

But really, your retirement plans don’t have to be that grandiose. 

 

Just try to expand and extend your horizons in some way.  Whether it’s pursuing a new hobby or just amping up the participation level on an old one.   Or signing up for something new at the local community centre, just because it’s free of charge. 

 

Or try finally plowing your way through Edward Gibbons “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire”.

 

All six volumes.

 

Before the start of the next millennium.

 

Just do (and keep doing) something that makes you think!  Finally put all those years of education to good use!

Cabin Fever Doesn’t Come with Room Service
 

Sorry I’ve been away for a bit!
 

I could blame it on technology – my Microsoft Surface claimed it “could not detect a battery”.  (Which begged the question – if there suddenly was no battery in my notebook, how could there possibly be any power in the system to flash me a “no battery” message.  The nice, young man at the Microsoft store in Square One had no answer for me.)
 

Or I could blame it on February in general. 
 

But the truth of the matter is that sometime after my mid-January birthday, I crashed and burned.
 

I have a low distraction threshold at the best of times, but for six or seven weeks or so (the entire month of February and most of March) I was finding it difficult to concentrate on anything other than the refrigerator and the TV remote. 
 

Any focus, motivation or discipline I did possess was gone. 

I was finding it nearly impossible to muster, let alone focus, any interest at all on any of those projects and activities near and dear to my little retirement heart. 
 

My organizational skills were non-existent.  There were knitting projects (plural), scattered all over the living room. 

There was (a lot of) stuff stacked in little piles on the coffee table. 

There was even unopened mail littering the dining room table. 
 

I simply ceased to be able to function.  Simply getting through the day was becoming a challenge.
 

I experienced a similar situation about two months into retirement.  But that episode was really more of a panic attack.  A sudden and overwhelming realization of the enormity of what I had just done. 

I had just quit my job! 
  

I froze in my tracks for a couple, three days, trying to remember how and why I thought this whole retirement thing was a good idea.
 

And after a few days of breathing heavily into a paper bag, I finally did remember why this whole retirement thing was indeed, a very good idea.
 

But this time, I seemed to have been struck down by a combination of ennui and cabin fever.  A strange combination of restlessness and boredom that literally, took me about six weeks to shake off.
 

Rightly or wrongly, part of the problem may have been the weather – all those friggin’ freezing temperatures in February were enough to suck the life force out of even the strongest soul! 

But freezing temperatures were just an excuse. 
 

The real problem was that I was having difficulty mustering up even a passing interest in two of the most important tenants of retirement – outside contact and activity.
 

Basically – getting out of the house and doing something useful with some other like-minded people!
 

After money, how to plan and maintain daily activity and contact with friends, family and acquaintances are the most important topics that will be discussed at every retirement workshop you will attend and every retirement handbook you will read.  (They should actually take priority over money, but that’s just my opinion.)

Take notes!
 

Because for a few weeks at least, I was having enormous difficulty practicing what I preached.
 

Luckily, I was able to recognize that I really needed to start spending my days doing something other than wishing for a hot fudge sundae to suddenly appear in the refrigerator. 
 

It took some time, though. 
 

Because I really just wanted to sit on the couch and eat that hot fudge sundae.
 

And believe me, I wasted a lot of days standing in front of the refrigerator waiting for it  to appear!
 

The problem is, once your focus, discipline and motivation have been scattered all over the map, it’s more difficult than you think to pull yourself together.
 

It’s sort of like when you were a kid on summer vacation and you told your mother you were bored and her answer was to make you go outside and play.  Same principle.  Only, this time, if you don’t dig deep and find your own focus, motivation and discipline, the consequences will be far more dire.
 

I will not lie.  I struggled.  I made excuses.  It’s so much easier to do nothing that actually get yourself motivated to do something, anything. 

But I persevered.  
 
I really had no alternative.

And thanks to the Mississauga Quilters Guild Annual Show and a cup of tea and a biscuit with friends – I do believe, for better or worse,  I’m back!!!!

The jury is still out on whether or not it's a good thing!