For some people approaching their retirement date is a cause for celebration - this is what they have been looking forward to for the last 40 years! But for many the move into "the third age" can be a frightening prospect. Where to live, what to do with those free hours and for many people these days "is there going to be enough money?" Enough for the necessities of life, never mind the luxuries and the foreign travel you've been promising yourself while struggling to pay the mortgage and educate the kids.
I firmly believe that approaching retirement can open up many new opportunities for those not yet ready to take to the rocking chair and watch the world go by.
The one valuable commodity we will have is TIME - time to learn new things, make new friends and even earn significant residual income. Learning does not just mean learning a new hobby or language or getting the qualifications we have always felt we lacked. We can also learn more about ourselves and develop new life skills - again we have a huge advantage here because the other thing we have earned (very painfully sometimes) is experience. Self development (and there is a lot of it available on the internet (free or very reasonably priced) will gives us new insights which we can share with family and friends. It will also ensure that we exercise our brains, which we now know is as important as exercising our bodies.
It is not necessary to become slow and forgetful as we get older - yes I know the jokes "now when I get upstairs not only have I forgotten why I am here but where I started out from!!" Have you noticed that the most interesting interviewees on TV chat shows are often the 80/90 year old actors and authors.
I'm sure they were always fascinating (probably why they became successful) but they have retained their interest in life. They haven't retired, they are still working, still learning and doing new things. So those of us not in the public eye need to learn a lesson from them and looks for ways that we can continue to develop and grow and, if necessary, earn the luxury money while getting away from the long hours and the daily commute. We need the time AND the money to spend with the grandchildren AND to do the world cruise.
If we are open to new possibilities and actively looking for exciting and satisfying ways to meet our requirements in the third age then the opportunities are out there - go find them. Personally my top three requirements are Health, Wealth and Happiness - and I believe that I have found my answer. A new life that gives me the opportunity to meet and work with new people, to help them and receive help from them, to focus on my personal development now that I have time to do so and to add to my assets so that I can live in the manner to which I have always "wanted to be accustomed"!
I wish you joy in your own personal search for whatever you need and wish for
- just remember to keep an open mind and think of this as a new beginning not an end.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Judith Hanson coaches people on how to develop a business and a team of people in order to create wealth Obtain a free E-Book on 12 Proven Wealth Creation Strategies at
http://www.hansononline.info/
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