“What !?” you exclaim? Goals? I am done with the objectives. Throughout my entire career, I needed to focus on goal setting, so much so that I determined that my The only goal in retirement would be to have no goals!
Maybe you need to rethink your strategy. McLain and Lovejoy, in their article, The importance of setting goals for retirees, comments: “The first step in setting goals as a retiree is to think about what matters most in your life, so that you can live with a purpose” (March 2015). In fact, setting goals for retirement can help avoid some of the negative effects of aging and help maintain your quality of life longer.
So if you’re willing to review your adversity toward retirement goal setting, let’s start with one of life’s most important and meaningful realities: family.
Family goals
Until now, his work life consisted of a challenging juggling act, trying to balance the demands of his family with those of his career or job. You now have the opportunity to renegotiate your time allocation according to your own values. How about making spending time with immediate and remote family members a high priority, either through personal time or through social media?
Yes, the family dog needs to be walked. Grandchildren can participate in those special excursions that create lasting memories. Now you have time to plan that special and one-of-a-kind birthday event for your significant other or your kids, instead of just mailing that predictable birthday card! And don’t forget about your parents, those special people who were largely responsible for the success of your life. They will most likely appreciate a weekly breakfast date.
Learning goals
And what about your personal mental development? In his article, Mental Withdrawal, Rohwedder and Willis state that: “For many people, retirement leads to a less stimulating daily environment … the prospect of retirement reduces the incentive to participate in mentally stimulating activities.” The authors go on to note that retirees can avoid declines in reasoning ability and speed of mental processing by participating in cognitively demanding activities that exercise the mind (October 2010).
So if you follow the “use it or lose it” mantra, then yes, join that local book club that makes a progressive lunch after every meeting. Introduce yourself to that bridge group that always seems to be having fun. Hone your Sudoku skills by challenging virtual friends you have met online. Take that gardening course that’s so popular at your local community college.
Better yet, offer to teach a workshop on The history of rock and roll-a subject that has consumed you since you were a teenager. These activities not only sharpen and enrich your mind, but also provide surprisingly satisfying social connections.
Volunteer goals
If you have always believed that it is a lottery who benefits the most in any altruistic endeavor, the recipient or the donor, you will find ample opportunities to give back to your community by offering your time, talents or material resources for worthy causes, while stimulating your mind. .
Volunteer to tutor children within your local school district. Consider that any number of Boomers would appreciate your help with tax preparation or creating a family slide show in PowerPoint. If you live in town, your local museum, theater or hospital would eagerly accept your time and talents as a volunteer. And in return, imagine what you would learn in the process in any of these places. Hence the paradox: “The more you give, the more you receive.”
Travel goals
Your travel options are legion. Go on your own and explore every nook and cranny of your chosen destination at your leisure. Pick an organized tour and leave all the details and decision making to your favorite travel organization. Whichever option you choose, you will have to weigh its pros and cons. But you will undoubtedly find your travel choice invigorating, enriching, and even, in many cases, life-changing. Traveling takes you out of your comfort zone, challenges your traditional ideas, allows you to experience new cultures and, unknowingly or not, opens new windows of self-discovery.
The first time I stood at the foot of a waterfall in a small Swiss village, the lump in my throat revealed so many mixed emotions … that I could never fully share this moment with the people of my country. That there are, in fact, so many incredible destinations beyond the US that my first trip to Europe and all subsequent trips will change me for the better.
Goals of “work”
“Without work, or goals that supersede the purpose that work gives you, you have little to stay motivated” (McLain & Lovejoy, 2015). With that said, consider that you are now in the enviable position of being able to completely review and renegotiate your “terms of work.”
Take a step back and “aim, aim, aim” before firing. Consciously and reflectively determine your goal. Will you continue to do the same type of work you did before you retired? Full time or part time? Or are you going to pursue an entirely different “job” path, one that satisfies a latent talent or compelling interest? Maybe you’re thinking of venturing into the world of entrepreneurship, rather than having a boss, to be the boss. It’s your choice.
creative goals
How much of your creative side did you set aside for the practical demands of reliably earning a living, maintaining and raising a family, settling down and moving up the ladder? But that was then, and this is now. Did you ever like to write? Act? To make pottery? To create spring flower watercolors? Has your saxophone been relegated to a closet since you graduated from college? Is the singing voice that once won you the best solos in your high school choir rusted from disuse? Has it been a long time since you put aside your love for woodworking? Or weaving? Gold padding? Or restore classic car engines?
You’ve probably never had time for any of these, yet. So, you don’t even know if you’d be that talented at what you’ve always wished you had a chance to create. No problem. This just means that the time is now to get you started. Creating is its own form of pleasure. Expressing yourself through words, oils, fabrics, clay or wood gives voice to your inner spirit like nothing else has or will.
If you’ve already learned the skills for your creative niche choice, reconnect with what you know, then learn more, and then move on with passion. If you always dreamed of creating, but never learned how to do it, get on the path of study, then develop your art or craft and then delight in what you can create with your own mind and hands.
You have the considerable luxury of setting your own goals
Yes, now that you are retired, you have the luxury of setting goals that are meaningful to you. You, conducted by you definition of “a life well lived”. Experts agree that we all do better when we have a purpose in life, and that lack of goals can put our lives at risk after retirement.
Whether your goals for retirement revolve around family, personal development, giving to others, traveling, “working,” creating, or some combination of these, they promise to keep you in good stead when you enter the end of your career. life and, hopefully, better deed.