Should you consider your retirement when you’re nearing 60 or could you think about it in your 40s? Then again, many people talk about retiring in their 40s after some glamorous banking or entrepreneur job that brought them millions. I like to think of myself as one of those although I can assure you that I haven’t made millions. For me, retirement is a life choice.

Does that mean I’ve stop doing what I believe to be meaningful work though? No, of course not. Nevertheless, it does mean that I have retired from the norm. In my mind, anyway. Regardless of all this, can it help to think about what retirement means to you at an early age? Although, why get stuck on the word ‘ retirement’? Should we not simply be planning on how to live our best at any age?

Living to your Best

What does living your best mean to you? I’m currently reading a book I recommend: “What Colour is Your Parachute? Planning a Prosperous, Healthy, and Happy future for Retirement”. But why not for our while lives? In fact, the author does admit that the idea of retirement has changed. These days, it’s about planning a holistic approach to life that incorporates everything and not just health and finances. We also need to think about our hearts and minds and relationships. Then retirement becomes a life choice rather than just a phase that’s forced upon us.

I’d actually like to propose that it’s about discovering how we want to live at any age. The trick is to be internally stable and balanced such that we can easily adjust to external circumstances, whether these are our changing health or finances. Although, I think one of the hardest things to face when you get beyond the traditional retirement age is how our friends and family start dying too frequently. Accepting what we can’t control is tough.

How do you want to live? 

Going back to the book I mentioned, I like that it focuses on well-being but again, I would like to think we could apply that to all the phases of our lives. But I love the author’s question: “how will you know you’ve had a wonderful life?” 

1- Create your best life according to your values 

I’ve mentioned values and avoiding toxic people before but the Schwartz Value Survey is a slightly different take on the concept. This questionnaire gives you a shortened version which can give you some insight as to what you think is important. It’s worth remembering when you do the survey though, that there’s a difference between what you think is an absolute ‘must-have’ compared to what you would like to have in your life. This is where you might be able to accept some trade-offs. However, I also find the survey useful because it helps you realise how you might be different or similar to others around you. We usually clash with those who have different values.

What you then do with this is up to you. Depending on what’s going on in your life, it could help you realise what you need to change. Perhaps something is missing? Then again, perhaps you haven’t found something that’s meaningful or purposeful to you. Remember that it doesn’t have to be big. Simply fulfilling your personal journey could be enough. After all, you’re still supporting the universal consciousness by working on your growth and development. There’s nothing more impactful than be there for others, as well as yourself. 

A Simple tip … 

Another useful ‘back to basics’ exercise I like to do when I’m stuck is to list what I used to enjoy as a child. Those passions never die but they often get squashed by external expectations. Mine were always writing, dancing and animals … and there’s definitely a lot of work to be done there that can also make me some money if I want to. Somehow, I’d abandoned all of those for most of my life though until I finally sat down and did those exercises. 

2- Are you content with who you are? 

Can you spend time alone without getting overwhelmed by your thoughts? Do you feel content rather than chasing the happiness dream? There’s a great visualisation exercise where you imagine sitting out of your body and seeing yourself wherever you are currently sitting. You then start zooming out your imagination until you see your house, neighbourhood, town, country, continent, world, solar system… etc. 

It’s quite a pleasant way to get perspective and remind ourselves that we are part of something far greater than ourselves. We are not our thoughts. We are what we believe in and how we act according to our values. No one can ever fault you for that.  

A Simple tip … 

Being content with ourselves isn’t easy and can be a life journey for many of us, including myself. It takes practice and patience but if all else fails, make a gratitude list about yourself. 

3- What kind of balance do you have in your life?  

Ah that wonderful word – balance. It used to feel so elusive to me. I guess that’s not surprising when you consider that we all need a different type of balance. Our energy flows and passions are different so clearly we all need a tailored approach. 

A Simple tip … 

My favourite tool for working out your balance is to make a note of all your activities during the day. You then write next to each one whether it depleted or nourished your energy. If at the end of the week, if things seem out of balance then you’ll need to make some changes. They won’t always be easy changes but isn’t your mental well-being worth it? 

The Retirement Concerns – Health & Finances

The mind and the heart are important but let’s not forget the practical aspect of our lives especially when considering retirement as a life choice. I remember once reading one of those lists where elderly people describe their regrets. For some reason, flossing teeth is the one I remember. Yes health is important but again, you don’t just have to follow the traditional western medicine approach. Why not also consider the holistic tools like yoga or pilates and meditation? The choice is yours but creativity and openness can help you see things differently.

The same applies to finances. Does ‘retiring’ mean we have to stop our incomes completely? What about freelancing? There’s no age limit on that as far I know. Like most things when it comes to financing, the best approach is a balanced ‘portfolio’ methodology. You therefore don’t need to just rely on pension and savings and actually, these days it’s wise not to. After all, the idea of a company for life and final-salary pension is over. 

Where to Next? 

Of course not all of this is easy especially if it’s the first time you’ve thought about retirement as a life choice. Like always though, it’s baby steps. The real change for me was when I stopped looking at my life in steps – school, uni, job, married / divorce, promotion, retirement, etc. When I finally accepted that I was miserable in my so-called successful job then I knew that life had to be viewed as a whole. It’s an evolution of yourself around a core centre of values and world views. Get to know yourself and what you need internally and then everything else external will just flow into place as you adjust accordingly throughout each phase of your life.