John took early retirement after 23 years in the same corporation, by then a highly respected oil executive. At 55, he had looked forward to this day for years. He had a plan. He took his wife and teenage children on a world trip for a year. The second year, he played golf every day he could. The third year he slouched around the house, wondering what he was going to do for the next thirty years.
Now that we are living longer and often retiring earlier, a whole new universe can open up to the newly retired, one that may seem attractive, but isn’t so easy to achieve. Even if you have been smart enough to put sufficient by to live on, a huge question comes up – what are you living for? This may sound a bit harsh to someone who, at 45 or so, is beginning to have a dream of retirement that looks like lying on a beach in the Bahamas.
The problem is that after years of being defined by work and job titles, it is hard to suddenly figure out who you really are. Waiting until retirement arrives without any preparation is a certain way to slip into a downward spiral. The biggest investment you could make is the one that starts now and helps you to take a new look at your life’s purpose.
John’s wife pushed him into taking action. Frustrated at his depression and inactivity, she encouraged him to seek a life coach. He became re-energized, used the creative and engineering skills he had never fully employed and built a new house for his family . He took a coaching course and now acts as a mentor and coach to others seeking their own next step in life.
In the frantic race to get ahead and be successful, it is too easy to ignore the things that are really important in your life. Retirement can give that opportunity, but only if you start to ask the big questions now.
Warren Redman © 2004
Warren Redman is President of the Emotional Fitness Institute previously called the Centre for Inner Balancing and author of the award-winning book “The 9 Steps to Emotional Fitness – a tool-kit for life in the 21st century”. Check out the Website: www.EFitInstitute.com or call (403) 245-5463.
Warren Redman trained in the UK as a psychotherapist, facilitator and coach and has developed his own unique style of Emotional Fitness Coaching. He is president of the Emotional Fitness Institute (formally the Centre for Inner Balancing), writing about, teaching and coaching people in Emotional Fitness. He is the author of fifteen books, including the Award-winning The 9 steps to Emotional Fitness, Achieving Personal Success and Recipes for Inner Peace. www.EFitInstitute.com