Oh, to be able to wake up on your own body’s schedule, with the luxury of doing whatever tickles your fancy in the day ahead.
No doubt that’s how many people picture retirement — without further envisioning what their day to day might look like once they close the door on their former work life.
But while post-work can be a period of growth, and great rewards, it can also bring more difficult emotional challenges.
And that may be particularly true for people who, in the years leading up to retirement, have only formed a vague idea of what they’d like to devote their time and attention to after they bid their workplace a final goodbye.
So how can you go about creating a more detailed, yet flexible plan for your post-retirement years?
Two retirement coaches, a sociologist/author who’s interviewed dozens of retirees and their partners, and a retiree turned entrepreneur offer their insight and advice in my most recent (May/June 2021) Good Times wellbeing feature: ‘Transitioning to Retirement.’
A big thank-you to the interviewees who so kindly shared their time, expertise, and stories:
- Lyndsay Green, author of Ready to Retire: What You and Your Spouse Need to Know About the Reality of Retirement.
- Anna Harvey, a retirement coach with Boost Potential in Victoria, BC.
- Elizabeth June, of Victoria, BC, who retired from her financial planning business, and has become an entrepreneur.
- Bernie Lawrence, of London, Ont. A former teacher (two of my three kids were lucky enough to be among his students), Bernie now works part-time at a co-op craft brewery.
- Jennifer Rovet, a retirement coach with Retire Ready in Toronto.
Photo by Mikhail Nilov Courtesy of Pexels