Are you contemplating leaving your career behind? Do these plans bring about thoughts of uncertainty? Perhaps you have harbored some of the following thoughts or beliefs:
As compared to my past, my future post career life will be deadly dull
Opportunity ends once I leave my career
Everyone else will be telling me how to live my life
I wish things didn’t have to change
There’s nothing funny about retirement
Retired people are mostly seen as old and needy
No one is interested in my old war stories
Retirement is not a time to be taking chances
If you have entertained these or similar thoughts, then you are not alone. According to a survey done by Jacques Buffett, a career adviser with Zety, 44% of men and 36% of women fear retirement more than death. His findings indicate these fears are driven largely by concerns over having enough income and healthcare benefits along with concerns over being physically and mentally active and socially engaged. (1) If this resonates with you, here are two major approaches to take:
1. Replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts
2. Take positive action to address your fears
Replace the Negative Thoughts with Positive Thoughts
Studies confirm that our thoughts affect our emotions and behaviors. Amy Morin, a psychotherapist, and bestselling mental strength author penned an article about this in Forbes titled, “This is How Your Thoughts Become Your Reality”(2) According to Amy, “Your thoughts are a catalyst for self-perpetuating cycles. What you think directly influences how you feel and how you behave. If you think you’re a failure, you’ll feel like a failure. Then, you’ll act like a failure, which reinforces your belief that you must be a failure.”2 The same holds true about retirement. Replacing the negative thought or belief with one that is positive will lead to a sense of empowerment and possibility. That said, l let’s go back to the thoughts expressed at the beginning of this article and see the impact of changing them to more hopeful and positive thoughts:
Negative: As compared to my past, my future post career life will be deadly dull
Positive: I am entering a very exciting phase of my life
Negative: Opportunity ends once I leave my career
Positive: I am looking forward to many new opportunities after I leave my career
Negative: Everyone else will be telling me how to live my life
Positive: I am choosing to be active and involved in a variety of new things
Negative: I wish things didn’t have to change
Positive: I look forward to all the possibilities made available with this change
Negative: There’s nothing funny about retirement
Positive: I wish to find the humor in my day-to-day life
Negative: Retired people are seen as mostly old and needy
Positive: Younger people will benefit from and value my experience, knowledge, and skills
Negative: No one is interested in my old war stories
Positive: I look forward to joining groups and meeting people who share my interests
Negative: Retirement is not a time to be taking chances
Positive: There is no better time for trying new things and taking risks.
Take Positive Action to Address Your Fears
Experiencing fear and trepidation is normal, especially when you are facing an unknown situation. For example, if you are afraid of flying because you fear the plane will crash you can face this fear by researching the frequency of airplane crashes. Learning how rare such crashes occur may alleviate this fear. Similarly, if you are afraid of public speaking, you can read about others who have conquered this fear and learn the techniques they utilize to help them gain the confidence they needed to speak publicly.
You can face your fear of leaving your career behind by ensuring your financial plan will support your lifestyle including healthcare. Once you do that, learn from others who have successfully shifted from their initial career to a purposeful post career life. Individuals who may inspire you are Paul and Julia Child, George Foreman, Jack Nicklaus, and Kathy Ireland. Once you feel inspired, it is important to take action by creating a roadmap for this stage of your life. Hiring a certified professional retirement coach will help you identify the most important and meaningful aspects for you to consider as well as work with you to strategize ways to navigate the detours that inevitably develop. You have invested financially to prepare for your post-career life. Investing in a retirement coach is the other piece you need to ensure fulfillment during this phase. After all, it is time for you to go from retired to ReLaunched!
Are you interested in discovering ways to Rethink, Redefine and Redesign your post career life? Learn more about how to use this process to embark on your ReLaunched Life at www.successfulshifts.com Get free guides designed to help you get a jump start and go from retired to ReLaunched!
(1) “More Frightening Than Death: Fear and Loathing in Retirement” by Jacques Buffett, CPRW, Zety, https://zety.com/blog/afraid-of-retirement
(2) “This Is How Your Thoughts Become Your Reality” by Amy Morin, Forbes, June 16, 2016
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