Retirement and decisions
As mentioned in an earlier blog, I have reached retirement age and have been doing a great deal of thinking about my existence as a micro business.
The upshot is that I have decided to continue for now, but on a smaller scale, a general winding-down process. The odd thing is that as soon as I decided to do this, other tasks immediately became pressing – sorting out the garden, repainting and decorating. I think I must be programmed for work…
So what do others in my age group do? A quick trawl on the net found several interesting items: from 2002 – The Harris Poll investigated and found that the new vision of retirement is very different than the traditional image of retirement:
Less than a quarter (22%) of people over 55 – including both retirees and pre-retirees – see their retirement as mainly a “winding down”. Most see retirement as either a continuation of what was before retirement (40%) or as a whole new life (38%).
In 2005 this was one view written for H&S personnel:
Retirement shouldn’t mean turning off all your years of experience as a safety and health pro and giving up your credentials just because you’ve stopped commuting in the morning. Retirement is best done gradually.
A 2007 article written by a lawyer (for lawyers) gave this useful
Self-exploration retirement exercise:
1. When you imagine being retired, what picture comes to mind?
2. What do you anticipate adding to your life when you retire?
3. What do you envision giving up when you retire?
4. Do you have any ideas about what your retirement should be?
5. Imagine not retiring. What image comes to mind? Is it positive? Negative?
6. Whose retirement have you observed? Parents? Aunts? Uncles? Friends?
7. What would you like to emphasise or do differently?
It is a revelation that so much exists on retirement – counselling, courses, self-help groups, just about any aspect of ceasing paid work.
Or I could just follow my sister’s advice: 65 is the new 40 – enjoy yourself!