How We Spend Our Days Becomes Our Lives
Retirement can be a magical time warp where you forget about alarm clocks and deadlines. Many wonder how do people spend their days in retirement?
For some, it’s normal to kick-start each day with “What day is it?” *Forehead smack.* No Monday blues, no more office politics and everyday can be pyjamas day or as frivolous as you wish. Time is relegated to be wasted as you please.
While for others, retirement is a time for reflection, renewal, chasing bucket-list and self-actualisation. A stage in life to strive and achieve the dreams and desires that were put on hold due to work and well, life in general.
A Matter Of Days
Since stopping work, I consciously try to live by this ethos:
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” ~ Anne Dillard
True for every stage in life but especially in retirement, the autumn of our lives. A phase where we have more freedom, control, time, resources and hopefully the vitality to be the best that we can be. A crack at the perfect version of ourselves, to make the most of our health span.
The quality of our lives is tied to how we choose to spend each and every day. For each day rolls into a week, a month, a year and all too quickly, a lifetime. Whenever your birthday comes around, do you not think: ‘where have all the years gone?’. If you wonder how you would look back at your life, look at how you are spending your day. For it provides the biggest clue.
Power of Habits
Habits, no matter how small, have a remarkable power to shape our lives. Our daily routines, including those we do on autopilot, accumulate and shape the trajectory of our lives. What we do every day becomes our lives.
Habits can either build or destroy us, in every aspects. Think health, wealth, career, happiness, retirement, life itself. Habits can be the highway launching us, allowing us to soar or become the spirals that plunge us downwards. So in essence, habits sculpt our days, and consequently our lives. Nurturing positives habits and shedding the negatives will lead to a more meaningful and fulfilling life. That is the power of every day.
Power of Choice
Don’t let retirement just happen; make it happen the way you want it. Striking a balance is key here. If your life is dominated by work busyness, you will likely be overwhelmed with stress and end up with a retirement filled with emptiness and bitterness. Ditto a life lack of purpose and structure. Consider what brings joy, fulfilment and purpose. Don’t let your dreams fall by the wayside in the pursue of a career. Keep in mind to be your own boss.
Remember to leave room for serendipity, for the unplanned can be delightful. Live a little adventurously by adopting the mindset ‘why not and why not now?’. It will open up a whole new world of surprises, experiences and possibilities.
Health and Wellness
The adage “health is wealth” couldn’t be truer in retirement. In fact no retirement plan is complete without a health plan. Exercise, a balanced diet, proactive healthcare and positivity are the building blocks of a healthy and wealthy retirement. Only with good health can we savour the special moments and seize the opportunities that come our way.
Stay Mentally Active
Many view retirement as a time to explore and discover new places and new experience. But if travelling is not your cuppa tea, then explore within your mind. There are so many new exciting developments: the metaverse, AI, smart home technology, social media, online courses. Who knows, picking up a new skill may lead you on another path within the 6 types of retirement.
The saying “use it or lose it” applies to the mind as well. Engage in activities that challenge intellect and improve cognitive skills, such as learning new skills. Learning and frequent interaction with others make us aware of our own physical condition, which is crucial to maintain the synapses in our brains. Do you know that something as common as hearing loss can lead to dementia?
No Rerun
Retirement is a chapter that we will not have time for re-run. Good thing is, we get a fresh start each day, filled with possibilities. If you do not know where to start with retirement planning, start by examining your day. What fills your day? Are the actions, decisions and routines aligned to what you want in retirement, or taking away from it?
If you envisage a retirement where you are living it up – travel, entertainment, dining at Michelin star restaurants, attending concerts, golfing, going on cruises – do your daily actions support these desires? Instead of watching another Netflix series, why not spend the hour do something that will add sparkle to your life? Learn AI (eg: ChatGPT), do an hour of yoga or start an online shop.
No Better Time
While it’s important to dream and plan, it’s what we do every day that counts. What we do every day in reality becomes our lives. Whether we thrive or merely survive boils down to blocks of 24th hours. Just as life is our greatest gift, so is every day.
Not everyone has the opportunity to experience retirement, and amongst those who do, not all have the resources to maximise this life stage. Align daily actions to your goals to maximise success. Each decision and action culminate into life itself. And it’s never too late to start.
So make each moment count. Let your retirement be a masterpiece of happiness and contentment through every day action. And smile while you’re at it 🙂
Happy days start with today!
Savvy Maverick
(Main image: Lake Atitlan, Guatemala – Mark Harpur, Unsplash)
Disclaimer: The views expressed are drawn from personal experiences and do not constitute financial advice in any way whatsoever. Nothing published here constitutes an investment recommendation, nor should any data or content be relied upon for investment activities. Please seek independent and thorough research before making any financial decisions, including consulting a qualified professional. Data and information cited from sources will not be updated after publication.
