THE KEY TO A CONTENTED RETIREMENT
I've often wondered why some people enjoy retirement more than others. And
I've also wondered why some people can't wait to retire, while others work
well past the official retirement age. There's a lot of different reasons that come into play - probably as many reasons as there are retirees, but I've finally figured some of it out - and I think a large part of it is to do with whether you have a job you love and want to keep doing
it, or whether you really don't enjoy working and can't wait to
stop...
LOVING YOUR JOB
I've met many people over the years who love their job. They get a sense of
contributing to an organization, or they enjoy the intellectual stimulation,
or the camaraderie, or they've created a business that they feel a sense of
ownership with. I know teachers who just love to teach, medical people who
love to help others, and business people who love the thrust and parry of a
good deal.
These are the people who aren't counting the days until they retire. They
find their purpose in their career, and they want to keep on doing that for
as long as possible. Quite often they'll reduce their hours, or share the
job with someone else, or begin a succession plan, but they still want to
keep doing what they do for as long as they possibly can. They
want to work.
DOING YOUR JOB
In all honesty, I've never worked in a job I love. I worked in several
different occupations over my 40+ years in the workforce, and I gave
110% to everything wherever possible...but I can't say I ever looked forward
to heading into work on a Monday morning. I often ponder over the fact that
I didn't choose my career, I did what needed to be done - studied for my
first career, morphed from there into a second career, and morphed from
there into a third, and then a fourth re-invention. I liked being good at
what I did, but I never felt that my job defined me.
I worked because I had to - the bills needed paying, there was a sense of
accomplishment, I adapted my working days around my family commitments...but
I was always wishing for something else. I was working because I
had to work, not because I wanted to work.
EARLY RETIREMENT
When life took a turn and
I walked away
from a very difficult work environment at 57, the thought of being able to
retire never crossed my mind. I was still caught in the "I have to work"
mindset. I thought I needed to be working until the 67 year retirement age
to help set us up for being able to live comfortably after that. It took a
discussion with a retirement professional for me to realize that we had put
in the hard yards, saved where we could, focused on becoming debt free...and
it had paid off.
I no longer had to work if I didn't want to. It took some time for
that to sink in,
I returned to a little job for a while
to prove to myself that I was still employable and capable... but my heart
just wasn't in it. I faced the fact that I didn't love working, I didn't find
my purpose in a job, and I didn't need to work to help support us
financially any more. It was a liberating realization. I put in my notice
and I've never looked back - I LOVE being retired!
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| via: veronika kissova |
RETIREMENT FOR OTHERS
While I've been
advocating for early retirement
and
unbusy living, I've noticed others who are several years older than me and still at work
every day. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that they were choosing
work over 'freedom'. But that's when it finally sank in - some people just
enjoy working and will work for as long as they possibly can, others
have chosen to live more abundantly when they were younger and are now
playing catch-up with their finances and need to work longer to afford to
retire, or there may have been a series of life events that have financially drained them and there's a need to work to refill the coffers.
So, three choices - work hard, save hard, live frugally, and retire
as soon as you can.....or work hard, play hard, live life to the full, and retire
later.....or work hard, love what you do, and do it until you don't want to
do it any more. All are valid choices, and I'm sure there's other reasons
that factor into when people choose to leave the workforce and slide into
retirement - and how they then use the years ahead of them. I like that we
each get to choose, and no one decision is more worthy than another. It's
such a blessing to live in a time of choice isn't it?
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Are you retired? Going to retire? Planning on working for as long as
possible? Or have you made a different choice? I'd love to hear what you've
decided (and why) in the comments.
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I retired in 2013 at the age of 56 after working for 34 yrs as an RN, first in a rural hospital doing general duty, then as a public health nurse. There had been many changes in the organization & I was ready to retire. Contributing to the pension plan was optional when I began working in 1981. I'm thankful to the angel on my shoulder who said yes, do it. God knows we could have used the money. I was able to retire with a good monthly pension 9 yrs before being eligible for the federal pension at age 65 here in Canada. As much as I enjoyed the job I was always a little bitter leaving for work after days off, not so much because I had to go to work but because I had to leave my home. I love my home. I love homemaking. I love tending to my garden & yard. My mission statement now: look after myself & my home. I'm forever grateful to have enough.
ReplyDeleteHi Mona - I completely get it! We squirrelled away bits of money into investments whenever we could - things were really tight financially when we were younger, but that has paid off so much more than we ever expected and to be able to do exactly what you're doing now is something I never take for granted. I didn't hate work either, but I never loved it - now I love every single day of my life - it's just such a joy and we have enough - and that's more than I could have hoped for back in those sparse years. :)
DeleteMona, I also feel more than content at home and feel i need to push myself to return to work on Mondays. Glad you are enjoying retirement.
DeleteI was planning to retire at age 62 next year but the climate in US Federal employment has changed so much in the past few months that I have decided to go out early. Hopefully I will be retired by the end of next month. I am in my 39th year working as an RN, some jobs I've loved, others not as much. I am looking forward to the next chapter. I enjoy your posts; they remind me that retirement is something to look forward to.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you've been enjoying my retirement posts. I think there's always a degree of adjustment when we leave work, but once we figure out how to separate our self-worth from our productivity, it begins to fall into place. Being able to live every single day on our own timetable doing what we like is such a joy. I truly hope you embrace it - Mondays become a joy instead of something to push through. :)
DeleteI am the third one. Loved my career in school education K-6 rising to role of principal. I love schools! And helping people (young and old) to learn. I’ve been that way since I was around 11 and I am like that now still at 75. I loved having a career and career path that was supported by my father. He placed great emphasis on me (The eldest girl!) having an education and that kind of support helped me see I was worthy too. Met and married a fellow teacher and we lived and taught all around NSW until it was time for B to get medical help in the city and then find a house.
ReplyDeleteMy career spanned 40 years and there were times It was hard to go to work when I was torn with someone at home being unwell and so on but I was supported by my then retired parents.
I admit as the role of principal increased in its high levels of responsibility I became unwell from the pressure close to the end of my 4th year. I was unable to take any retirement option at 52 and had to go through a few awful processes to get some lumps sum. After a year of retirement where I healed, did voluntary work etc I missed schools! So I went to a friends school happily teaching kids part time until I turned 60. From 60-65 I ran a small own business helping local pre schools understand the transition to school processes, tutored students in Masters of Education etc. By 2015 my body (and mind) were not doing well…and I retired from All paid work. It was a wrench! Along came a cancer diagnosis and in 2018 I used my education experience to help raise awareness of my cancer through voluntary work for 5 years …now I am 75 and recovering from burnout relating to trauma of last 10 years…and I remain passionate about education and teaching! I think you can guess this is Denyse x
Hi Denyse - retirement can certainly be a journey can't it? And I think when it's forced upon us it takes more adjustment than it does for those who've planned and prepared for it. I also think that we can take pride in what we did in the workforce, but also allow ourselves to thrive in this next phase. You are fortunate to have had supportive parents (mine weren't) when it came to further education, and to have found a career that was so fulfilling (many of us don't).
DeleteThat being said, life's short and making the most of the years ahead and relishing what all that work achieved is also something to soak in and enjoy. It's great to be able to cheer others on while we applaud from the sidelines. x
Hi Leanne. I was fortunate that I never had to work, but I always wanted to. I liked being busy and feeling needed. I just sort of fell into teaching preschool, when my children were young. I had the advantage of teaching in the nursery schools that they both attended. When they got older, and went on to regular school, l began increasing my credentials, and went on to teaching at regular prescools, both private, and state-run. We were never dependent on my income, but the extra money was certainly a benefit. When Tim retired from the postal service, I was more than ready for our new travel lifestyle. I've never looked back and wished that I was still working. Now that were back in the states, life will be different, but we still plan to travel in our own country. Thank you for sharing this interesting and thought-provoking post. ♥️
ReplyDeleteHi Christina - I didn't know you'd been a pre-school teacher - you would have been great I'm sure. But, also how fantastic to be able to fit it all in around your children and then be able to retire when the time was right - that's such a blessing isn't it?
DeleteI'm really hoping your new home and choices work out well and you find your place and are really content. I just finished reading a Nora Roberts book set in North Carolina and it sounded like a lovely place to live.
Hi, Leanne - I've been retired for almost 10 years now (June 1015). I loved my job but as it turns out, I love retirement even more. Seriously, who knew?
ReplyDeleteWin/win for you Donna - it shows how fabulous retirement must be if it tops a job you loved. I never realized how much I'd enjoy this phase of life - I feel like it's a perfect fit for how I want to live my life. We're so blessed aren't we? x
DeleteHi Leanne, my first career was in finance, where I worked for nearly 25 years, reaching a fair level of seniority before I decided that I wanted a change and retrained as an Occupational Therapist. Over the following years I worked my way up in my second career, finally working in an educational/staff development role. I loved my second career, but at age 60 my pension from my first career became payable so it made financial sense to retire from work at that point. I was then made an offer of a part time contract with a local University, which I took up for that academic year, but when the contract came up for renewal I decided that I was ready to retire properly. I am enjoying retirement and later this year (age 65) my pension from my second career will be payable, so I'm lucky to be financially secure and able to choose how I spend my time.
ReplyDeleteI feel both lucky and grateful that (on the whole) I have enjoyed both of my carers and am now enjoying my retirement.
Hi Shirley - I think people who have loved their careers and then loved choosing their retirement are definitely the biggest winners. Working in a rewarding job, building up financial security, and then choosing the right time to retire (especially if you can do it early) all add up to a very blessed life. You've certainly ticked all the boxes. :)
DeleteI quite simply do not like the word retirement. I choose to call my life changes as Phases. The first life phases were growing up and education times. Then I moved on to career development and success. Then I moved on from the 9 to 5 world to live on an island and write and pursue , artistic and creative activities. This phase was at times interrupted by a choice to do classroom teaching and provide continuing education for teachers. I happily think I will stay in my current phase. B
ReplyDelete