Contemporary Retirement

Did you see the film, 'The Bucket List', starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson? It's about two men who meet in a hospital cancer ward after each has been given only six months to live. The "bucket list" of the title refers to a list that one of the men has been advised to compile of the things he wants to accomplish before he 'kicks the bucket'. Which leads me to a question...

What do you still want to be, do and have in life?

Could you come up with a list of 100 things that you still want to be, do and have before you get too old to be, do and have them? Try it. (You may need to leave your pad and pen somewhere handy so that you can jot down ideas as they occur to you over the course of the next week or so.)

Once you have compiled your list, it can then be helpful to categorise the items on it. So, for example, you might have a category of things that need to be done fairly soon, whilst you're at your youngest and fittest.

Then you could have another category for things that can wait until you get older because they won't take as much energy. Another category would be things that are so important to you that you would really regret it if you didn't do them. You could have further categories such as 'things than can be done in a spare day' and 'things that can be done in a spare week' and 'longer projects' which need considerably more time and attention.

Have a go at categorising your own list and then decide how many items you want to tackle each year. It's not meant to be a stick to beat yourself with, though - even if the list only helps you to identify the things you'd regret not doing and the things that need to be done whilst you're still young and healthy, that's valuable enough in itself.

Then, the next time you have a spare 5 or 10 minutes, do some research that will help put you on the road towards achieving some of the items on your list. For example, if you've always wanted to take a trip in a helicopter, do an Internet search to find out where you can take a local flight, or, if you're about to head off on holiday, see if you can arrange to take a trip once you arrive at your destination. If you've always wanted to compile a record of your family history for your grandchildren, buy a suitable notebook or open a Word file on your computer and make a start.

Don't give yourself any excuses for procrastinating - you'll never be this young and fit again and none of us know what's waiting around the corner.

Here's a resource that works for US, UK and Canadian readers and could prove increasingly useful as you get older (or if gas prices continue to rise)...

If you're thinking about a change of location when you retire or you're keeping an eye open for a suitable location that will serve your needs as you get older, check out Walk Score.

Walkable neighbourhoods offer many benefits to their residents with regard to better health, reduction in greenhouse gases, increased public transportation options, increased community activity and face-to-face interaction with neighbours, and stronger local businesses.

Walk Score helps people find walkable places to live by calculating the 'walkability' of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc.  The Walk Score of an address is shown as a number between 0 and 100 and the general guidelines for interpreting your score are as follows:

90 - 100 = Walkers' Paradise: Most errands can be accomplished on foot and many people get by without owning a car.
70 - 90 = Very Walkable: It's possible to get by without owning a car.
50 - 70 = Some Walkable Locations: Some stores and amenities are within walking distance, but many everyday trips still require a bike, public transportation, or car.
25 - 50 = Not Walkable: Only a few destinations are within easy walking range. For most errands, driving or public transportation is a must.
0 - 25 = Driving Only: Virtually no neighborhood destinations within walking range. You can walk from your house to your car!

It's a brilliant idea but, before you rush out and buy a new property based on its Walk Score, you do need to bear in mind that Walk Score is just an approximation of walkability and that the strength of an address's Walk Score is no substitute for spending time on the ground in your chosen location and really checking it out before you commit to the move.  You can check out the known issues with the system here

Are you struggling with retirement?  It's not uncommon.  Once the 'honeymoon' period is over and reality starts to set in, up to 1 in 5 people can feel that their life is in the doldrums, they're not getting the retirement they deserve and that, if this is all they have to look forward to, they wish they'd never retired in the first place!

If all this sounds horribly familiar to you, don't panic... Use these 10 thought-provoking questions to help give yourself a Retirement Detox:   

1. What do you want more of in your life? (What makes you happy?)

2. What do you want less of? (What bugs you, makes you unhappy or even downright miserable?)

3. What would your ideal retirement look like and how close to that ideal retirement could you get?

4. If this was your last day on earth, how would you spend your time?  What implications does this hold for the way that you spend your time on a daily basis (and who you spend it with)?

5. Which activities do you do that bring you meaning and fulfillment?

6. Which activities do you do that just fill your time without adding anything of value to your life?

7. What do you do that adds structure and a sense of purpose to your days?

8. How do you continue to obtain a sense of achievement and a 'job well done' now that you are retired?

9. Could you come up with a 'bucket list' - a list of 100 things that you still want to be, do and have before you 'kick the bucket'?

10. What single, daily action could you take to ensure that you achieve all the items on your bucket list?  For example, you could make an agreement with yourself that you won't watch TV until after 9pm and spend the time between dinner and 9pm working on your list.  Or you could commit to exercising for an hour a day to maximize your chances of being around long enough to achieve all the items on your list.

These are just ten of the hundreds of thought-provoking questions I ask in my eBook, The Retirement Detox Programme: 40 days to get your retirement back on track.  The eBook is available for just £10 (approximately $15) from my website by clicking the above link.

This is a brilliantly inspiring book that will pep you up and lead you to find the confident, balanced, ordered, joyous and peaceful life that you've always wanted.  Margaret Sheridan-Wallis

'I am blown away by this amazing Ebook, so much value for just £10!'
Dr Alison Grimston, GP, UK
www.holisticdoctor.typepad.com

Unfortunately, most people spend more time planning their annual two-week holiday or vacation than they do planning the non-financial aspects of their retirement. Consequently, many retired people report that they 'wasted' the first 18 months to 2 years of their retirement - ironically, the time when they were at their 'youngest'.

If you're planning an early retirement, it is even more vital that you give consideration to planning the non-financial aspects of retirement. How successful you are at recreating the feelings of satisfaction, importance, usefulness, companionship and productivity that you previously obtained from your work will be crucial to your wellbeing and happiness in the next phase of your life. Failure to consider the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual implications of early retirement has sent many an early retiree in the direction of employment services (or their Doctor's office).

The Retirement Success Profile (or RSP) is a unique, personalised, scientifically-designed retirement life-planning tool for people who are looking ahead towards their retirement.

It is administered online (so you will need access to a computer which is connected to the Internet) and takes about 20-25 minutes to complete.

It is available wherever you live in the world

The RSP:

measures your retirement expectations and preparedness for retirement

determines your personal retirement strengths and

identifies potential problems, so that you can then focus your attention and energies in time to make a difference to your retirement success.

The RSP measures your expectations about retirement against your current behaviour in the following 15 factors which have been identified as essential to a successful and fulfilling retirement:

· Work Reorientation

· Attitude Towards Retirement

· Directedness

· Health Perception

· Financial Security

· Current Life Satisfaction

· Projected Life Satisfaction

· Life Meaning

· Leisure Interests

· Adaptability

· Life Stage Satisfaction

· Dependents/Care giving responsibilities

· Family/Relationship Issues

· Perception of Age

· Replacement of Work Functions

'With 10 years to go until I retire, I took the Retirement Success Profile - it was a real wake-up call! But I now know exactly what I need to do
and I still have time to do it...' (Chris Dobson, Electronics Engineer, Selby UK.)

The RSP can be taken alone or alongside a number of coaching packages which are designed to help you get the retirement you deserve.

The stand-alone RSP Option includes:

The RSP Assessment Tool (taken online)

A 25-page RSP Interpretative Report (delivered immediately via email)

A 121 page companion ebook, The New Retirement: Discovering your Dream by Dr. Richard P Johnson

Your Investment is just £54

Don't leave it too late to get the retirement you deserve!
Discover your retirement-related strengths and challenges today by visiting the Contemporary Retirement Website to book your RSP