Is 2025 your year to Retire?

I realize many of you have already read about my simple retirement plan. The plan went like this, I promised myself that when I turned 65, I wasn't going to work anymore. Whatever financial, health or emotional state I was in on my 65th birthday was going to be the way it was. I never developed a "list of things to do when retired". In other words, in true Faye fashion, I gave this life altering time of my life very little thought. No doubt, it has been a work in progress, but right now I feel like I am rocking retirement.   

Before I retired, it seemed that people would share their concern about having enough money to retire. I would ask how much a person would need, and no one seemed to have the answer. Some wanted to make sure they had enough money to continue to live the lifestyle they were accustomed to. Others wanted to make sure they were financially secure to live in a retirement home when that time came. I had no concern about either of those things. I have since learned that retirement is not only about having a secure bank account but also preparing emotionally and mentally for a new lifestyle. It is time to fill the gap with something that a job and coworkers once did.  

It is a fact that one third of people that retire develop symptoms of depression. The main cause is the lack of a sense of purpose and routine. Many find it difficult to fill the time that a job once did. If you have worked your entire adult life, you fear boredom. I am not good at or never will be good at being bored. 

I read an article, that outlined some suggestions for retiring and lo and behold, I had unknowingly done many of them. If you are considering retirement in 2025, here are some ideas you may want to think about.  

1. Retire in stages. For me, I think this was the best thing to prepare me for retirement. I retired from nursing at 63, worked in my own business full time for a few months until the pandemic. After that I worked every other week until I retired.    

2. Practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present and aware. I had started this during the pandemic. I went outside every day and usually to be by water. I continued this practice into my retirement. Being mindful and having a place the brings you calmness is so important at any point in your life.    

3. Socialize. You need to develop a new community of people. We always think that we will stay in touch with former employees. Well, it takes very little time until you are not part of what is going on. The workplace doesn't stop moving just because you dropped in for a visit. Some work relationships stand the test of time, many do not. It took me two years to develop new communities of people. I strongly recommend this as part of your retirement plan, long before two years. 

4. Take up a new project. My first new project was renovations. I would never have been able to do what I did in my house without having the time being retired provides. Another fun project was to start a baking business with a 10-year-old. I have come to realize that in retirement I need to have something to keep my mind sharp, and I also need to feed into my creativity. 

5. Keep track of your life in a calendar. One of the decisions that I made in retirement was that I didn't need a calendar. I had worked on an hourly basis and lived by my calendar. I didn't want to do that anymore. That decision was a disaster, as you can well imagine. Calendars are key to organizing life in retirement. Even if there is nothing written on many of the days, it helps to remind you what day it is. Every day is like a weekend, and I found myself trying to figure out if each day was a Saturday or a Sunday. Need I say more. 

6. Keep your mind active. I feel this is another important thing in retirement. Since I developed this blog, I spend hours writing, it not only helps my mind, but I can keyboard like a maniac. I read so many articles, and I do a tremendous amount of googling for information. I enjoy odd information, or things that many wouldn't be the least bit interested in. I do store what I refer to as useless trivia in my head. But it is knowledge none the less. 

7. Exercise. When it comes to exercising, everyone has their own activity they enjoy. I think walking would be the most popular as it is what they call "the universal exercise". It costs nothing and you can do it at your own pace, anywhere. Anyone that knows me, knows I will not strike out for a walk on a regular basis, like never, ever. In my quest to find something that suits me, I have paid for a gym membership in many gyms, which has ended up as a donation. For me I have to have someone tell me what to do at a gym. Showing up at a gym and wandering around aimlessly is not exercise. Most days, I can follow direction, so going to a gym with a trainer with a plan works perfect for me. When it is paddling season, someone else is responsible to tell me when and how to paddle. The key to exercise is to find something that you truly enjoy.  

8. Learn something new. I think this happens more often than a person realizes. It was a huge learning curve for me to learn to effectively paddle. I had never held a paddle in my life so needless to say, there was a lot of crashing of oars and soaked clothing along the way. But once you have it, it stays with you. I think it is true of most things, the older you are the longer it takes to learn and retain, but you can do it. 

9. Volunteer. Seniors are the most devoted volunteers you will ever have. They take it on like a job. I have done thousands of hours volunteering in my lifetime. A small community can only function thanks to volunteers. In retirement it is the golden opportunity to choose where you want to devote your time. I wanted to step away from medicine and do something I had never done before. It goes without saying, I love where I volunteer. As a retired person everyone should be able to say that. 

10. Develop a routine. We are all familiar with the coffee groups that meet every morning. They are often a man's group, but some women do it as well. It is their routine. I have developed a routine, and it gives me a purpose on most days. Over Christmas I lost my routine and it didn't serve me very well.   

11. Accept your new life. When you say you are going to retire, people ask you what you are going to do. They assume you will travel and spend more time with your family. There is definitely more time to travel and spend time with family if it is on your list. I feel the biggest adjustment is the day-to-day life. The thing I truly love about being retired, is I can do what I want. Freedom is the key word to describe retirement living. 

12. Talk about it. I remember a good friend of mine talking about being retired and not finding her place. She seemed down about it. I was working at the time, and I couldn't believe it. She was talented in so many ways, loved to travel, had her family living close. In my way of thinking her days would be perfect for retirement. Fast forward three years and there I am, standing in the middle of my living room trying to figure out what to do in a day. I realized all I knew was work, just like my friend was describing. She talked about it, and I am so grateful she did. Now, I say to people, "it takes time to get there, so give yourself two years to figure it out". I talk about it and obviously I write about it. 

Retirement isn't for everyone. The only thing I planned for retirement was that I was going to do it at 65. I had no fear of what lay ahead, I was just going to make it work. When I get caught up in thinking my life clock is ticking loudly, I just think to myself, make sure you accomplish the big things you want to accomplish in your life and the rest is just stuff. I was recently at a Celebration of Life and what impacted me the most was, not the accomplishment of this man but what he did for others, how he made them feel and that he cared about them. In retirement or just in life, we need people to say that about us.