My how times have changed!  Gone are the days when one worked 40 - 50 years at the same place and then retired to sit on the porch and watch the world go by.

People retire more than once these days.  They leave one place of employment; move to the next while rolling over retirement funds, only to move on again in a few years.  Others take ‘early retirement’ in order to pursue a particular passion and turn it into a second career - or third or more.

Last year, when AWP launched, I had an email from a new registrant stating she was nearing retirement age and hoped to learn from us.  I don’t know if she’s learned much that will be helpful to her as she moves toward the day she’ll no longer report to an office & pick up a paycheck for doing so.  But what I do know is that she will have gotten loads of encouragement not to sit on the porch and let the world go by.

Medical science tells us that folks who do that are less likely to live as long as those who trade someone else’s well for something of significance they’ve always wanted to do or do because it keeps them up, out and active.  Just walk into any Wal-Mart and be greeted by silver-haired folks who may earn slightly over minimum wage for smiling, speaking and handing us a cart.  Why do they do it?  Because it’s a low-stress way of earning a little extra money while remaining active and socially connected.

Retirement planning really ought begin when we accept our first paid employment - usually after completing a high school diploma or college degree.  Most companies now have some kind of retirement program (wish that had been the case when I had to get serious about a career because I was rearing 2 of our 3 children sans husband who had died).  The best time to hook up with a good financial planner is when we have little or nothing to plan with.  It’s the advise we’re after at that age.

The questions we ought ask ourselves is what are we really passionate about?  If money were no object, what would we do or be?  If we could leave paid employment at the hands of another to pursue our fondest dream - what would it be?  If we could retire at 59 and begin a second career; what would it be?  Those are the kinds of questions we ought look at as soon as we leave the teller’s counter having deposited that wonderful first paycheck.

But most of us don’t.  And young folks don’t think about growing ‘chronologically mature’.  They assume they’ll live forever; be healthy forever and never have to pound the pavement for employment again. 

Those days are over!  Pure and simple.  We’ll work 2, 3, 4 or more varying jobs and roles throughout our adult life.

Since most of us didn’t have the foresight or forethought to do that kind of planning; what can we do if the word “retirement” hangs over us like Damacles sword?

First, we can decide that retiring need not be “retirement”.  We can take what we have in retirement and build a lifestyle around it that most nearly meets our fondest hopes and grandest dreams.  If travel is what we’d like to do, then plan for one grand trip annually.  Sit down and map out the places you’ve dreamed of visiting and make a plan as to when, where, how and with whom.  If retirement funds won’t stretch that far; find part-time work that is satisfying and will meet the shortfall in your travel purse.

Sometime ago, I read an article about a woman well into her sixties who retired from years of employment in a factory.  She had a good retirement package, but after a few months - she was bored.  Her passion was baking and she was very good at it.  She consulted several advisors with her dream of opening a specialty bakery.  After months of consultation and tweaking, she opened a home-delivery baked goods business.  Her recipes were unique and her warm personality came through as she cheerfully delivered scrumptous baked goods all over town.  Friends and family joined in the fun by referring her specialties to folks who expressed a desire for special bakery products for this event or that.  Soon the business grew to include clientele outside her small town.

Last I read, she was working on a plan to go global via the internet and had only to figure out the freshness angle when shipping to far-flung locations.

Now that’s a woman after my own heart.  She makes more money now that she made annually at her factory job.  She arises well before dawn each day when she wouldn’t have to - but wants to because each day is a fulfillment of the passion she’s had for baking special creations for special folks all her life!

So if retirement is written on the wall of your place of employment and you’re wondering what to do with it - don’t!  Don’t think of it as “retirement”.  Think of it as ‘retiring’ to do something you’ve always wanted to do but didn’t dare dream it would happen.

Then go out and make the dream a reality!

Be inspired today to begin planning for when you can retire to new horizons and fulfill dusty dreams and not-so-worn-out-visions.

Linda, a fellow journeyer