Showing posts with label retirement. Show all posts

IS A BORING LIFE A BAD LIFE? DO I NEED TO BE DOING MORE?

Is it okay to lead a quiet boring life? Can we allow ourselves the grace to live peacefully while others live larger?

WHAT MAKES A LIFE "BORING"?

I've been watching other people's lives on Facebook recently and they're all so busy doing stuff. They're off travelling the country, or travelling the world, or attending events, working hard at careers, or living large in general. Me.....not so much. I'm just here at home living my small life and wondering if I should be wanting more? Is my life boring if I don't feel bored?
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RETIREMENT - IT'S THE GIFT THAT JUST KEEPS ON GIVING

Retirement can come unexpectedly, or it can be planned in depth - either way, it is the gift we receive for all those decades of hard work.

AN EARLY UNEXPECTED RETIREMENT

I realized the other day that it's been SEVEN years since I left the job that had drained the last drop of my joy. I had no idea what I'd do next and who I'd be if I didn't need to schedule my life around paid work. Ultimately, I ended up spending a year or more just getting my mojo back and finding my feet again (all in the midst of the pandemic). Having the world shut down around the same time my life hit a wall gave me time to breathe and to reassess - was I between jobs or was I finished with working and ready to retire?
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RETIRING ABROAD: 7 TIPS FOR A SMOOTH TRANSITION

Retirement is an opportunity to live a life that you could only dream of when committed to a job. For some this can mean a new life overseas.

INTRO

Today on the blog I have another interesting collaboration, this one is about the things to consider if you've ever thought of retiring overseas. I've had a few blogging friends who are ex-pats and their lifestyle choices have always fascinated me. It's such an adventure and I must admit to a tinge of envy when I read about what they're doing and the life they're living.

So, here's seven great little tips if you've ever thought that this might be something you'd like to do...
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MAKING THE MOST OF HOME EQUITY IN YOUR 50S AND BEYOND

How to use your home equity as a tool to support your life in your 50s and beyond.

INTRO

Today on the blog I have an interesting collaboration that looks into how we can use the equity in our homes as an additional support through the second half of life. Fortunately we haven't needed to tap into this resource, but I can see how it would be worth considering if you wanted that extra boost that your weekly income may not be able to supply.

If you’re keen to learn how to use your home equity as a tool to support your life in your 50s and beyond, this article will delve into things you should know to make the most of your existing home equity.
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DREAMING SMALL DREAMS WHILE LIVING A SIMPLE LIFE

Finding contentment in small dreams, simple living, and a life of peace and quiet.

CHOOSING MY PERSPECTIVE

I think contentment and happiness both depend on our perspective. A friend shared an article with me recently about choosing what we focus on and the story we tell ourselves about our circumstances. It reminded me of the post I wrote many years ago about choosing our memories - we can choose to remember all the things we didn't receive, or we can put that aside and remember all the small joys that we experienced through childhood and into our adult years.

One of the biggest perspective choices I make is about how I see my small, quiet life....
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GOODBYE TO ANOTHER YEAR

It's the middle of December and less than 2 weeks til Christmas. Time to take a blogging break and spend time celebrating the season with my family.

ANOTHER YEAR IS DRAWING TO A CLOSE

We're just back from a delightful week in Albany. We enjoyed it so much in March that we decided to return to our same accommodation (it was perfect for our needs) and relaxed by the beach, wandered around town, stopped at cafes and little shops, and toured around the southern tip of our State.

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REINVENTING RETIREMENT: 5 AUSSIE ADVENTURES THAT KEEP YOU YOUNG

Whether you're already retired or dreaming about what comes next, these five adventures might just spark something wonderful.

INTRO

Today on the blog I have a great collaboration that focuses on some suggestions for how to make retirement more interesting and engaging. I know a lot of people who worry that retirement is going to be boring, and wonder how they'll fill their time. I love the slower pace and unplanned days of doing whatever takes my fancy, but if you'd like a little guidance I'll hand you over to see what's on offer....

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DISCOVERING LAGOM - A NEW CONCEPT THAT FITS WELL WITH MY LIFESTYLE

Lagom is the Swedish concept of "Not too little, not too much: just the right amount"

WHAT IS LAGOM?

Lagom is the Swedish concept of "Not too little, not too much: just the right amount" that invites us to embrace a lifestyle based on moderation, sustainability and aiming to achieve balance in our daily life. I think it ties in beautifully with the idea of soft living where we engage in healthy routines, hobbies, and personal interests.

So much of my retired life now centres around finding ways to feel balanced, rested, and unhurried, and I find I've been unintentionally adding Lagom into my choices. Today I'm sharing a few ideas on how that's come about...
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DO WE NEED A MISSION, A PURPOSE, OR A DIRECTION IN RETIREMENT?

HOW DO WE DEFINE OUR SELF-WORTH WHEN WE RETIRE?

SELF-WORTH AND PRODUCTIVITY

A little while ago I read a really thought provoking article by Bernie Sewell on Tiny Buddah. It was about how she finally clicked to the fact that her life mattered - even without a big purpose or direction. I think it resonated so deeply with me because it's how living the retired life can feel at times.

We leave behind a career, most of our parenting, our busy life where we ran from one commitment to another - and we can be left with questions like "who am I?" and "where do I go from here?" It's all a little unsettling until we come to the realization that our worth is intrinsic, and needs to be separated from what we do.
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5 THINGS TO CONSIDER IF YOU’RE PLANNING TO RETIRE IN AUSTRALIA

5 THINGS TO CONSIDER IF YOU’RE PLANNING TO RETIRE IN AUSTRALIA

INTRO

I have another great collaboration to share today and this one is close to my heart. Every time I read all the doom and gloom on the news, I'm grateful for how far away I am from it all. It does make travel times a lot longer to get anywhere, but there is so much to recommend about life in Australia. This post is all about considering if you'd like to take a massive leap and move countries to retire down here in the Lucky Country. I hope you find it interesting and informative....
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WHEN SENSIBLE, SAFE, STABLE, AND SECURE NEED TO BE RE-THOUGHT

The second half of life can bring a new found freedom from always making the most frugal of choices. It can be the time to spoil yourself a little.

THAT OLDEST DAUGHTER MINDSET

As I've mentioned many times here, I'm an oldest daughter - I'm super responsible, super conservative, super practical, and basically super boring. When it comes to life choices, I will always play safe - I'm not a risk taker and I don't handle change well.

That mindset can work really well when there's the need to have your nose to the grindstone to get established in life and to build a secure foundation for the family. But it also makes me feel like the killjoy and the person who rains on the parade when my husband (a youngest child) gets one of his great ideas and I'm shooting it down for all the risks, rather than letting him run with the rewards.
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HOW DO WE DEFINE OURSELVES WITHOUT A JOB TITLE?

One of the hurdles that came with leaving work and settling into an early retirement was the issue of who I was if I wasn't defined by my job or by what I was doing each week.

DON'T LET YOUR TITLE DEFINE YOU

One of the hurdles that came with leaving work and settling into an early retirement was the issue of who I was if I wasn't defined by my job or by what I was doing each week. It was a strange feeling to go from having a defined job title and a weekly schedule to being completely untethered and free to do whatever I chose. The responsible oldest child inside me felt like I needed to keep justifying those choices to myself and to others. 

Basically I was defining my self worth on a title, or a job....how ridiculous that seems now, but it was very real when this retirement journey began so unexpectedly.
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TO RETIRE OR NOT TO RETIRE? THAT IS THE QUESTION...

Why do some people retire as soon as they can, and others continue to work for years longer than they need to?

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...
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RE-SHAPING ASAP (AS SOON AS POSSIBLE) INTO A NEW AND BETTER FIT

cresting the hill

SOMETHING OLD BECOMES SOMETHING NEW

We all know that ASAP normally stands for As Soon As Possible - but a little while ago I came across a new set of descriptors for the abreviation that I felt fitted my age and stage so much better. I no longer have to be running around getting everything done right now and right away, my life flows more calmly and these new ideas fit me so much better....
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ARE YOU MAKING THE MOST OF THE SUMMERS YOU HAVE LEFT TO ENJOY?

cresting the hill

COUNTING MY SUMMERS...

I read a poem by my favourite poet, Ullie-Kaye, the other day that was titled "80 Summers" and it reminded me of an article I saw a little while ago while I was cruising around online.  It asked the question "How Many Summers Do I Have Left?" and it made me pause for a moment to count them - it doesn't feel like the number was anywhere near as high as I'd expected it to be.

So, I've been asking myself what happened to the summers that have gone, and what I can do with the summers that I have left?

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SHOULD YOU SELL YOUR CAR WHEN YOU RETIRE IN AUSTRALIA?

cresting the hill

INTRO

Over the last year or so my husband and I have been chatting about when it'll be time to downsize from two cars to one. Neither of us are driving to work anymore and most of the time at least one car is sitting idle in the garage....when do we sell one and save on some of the costs vs keeping both and having a car each that suits us? (I like small cars, he prefers a bigger engine and more space).

Today on the blog I have a collaboration that covers this topic in more detail and I found it to be really helpful with the list of pros and cons that come with making the decision of whether to sell, or to keep what you have...
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INTENTIONAL LIVING - CREATING A LIFE ON PURPOSE

cresting the hill

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LIVE ON PURPOSE?

I read a sentence a while ago that resonated with me, it said:

I focus on living 'on purpose' vs finding my purpose

I liked it because it took the pressure off trying to find some grand life purpose for living, and allowed for the idea that I could live my life intentionally, on my own terms. 
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HOW UPSKILLING EARLY CAN PUSH YOU TOWARDS EARLY RETIREMENT

cresting the hill

INTRO

One of the best things that ever happened to me was being able to retire early. Not having to wait until I was 67 before leaving work has been an unexpected joy. I'm so glad that we made good decisions leading into our 50's that paved the way for an early retirement, I know others are wanting to head in that direction but need a little boost to get there.

Today on the blog I have a great collaboration that gives some excellent suggestions that might help to give you that little push you need to get there sooner than you expected....
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FINANCIAL FREEDOM AFTER 50: PRACTICAL TIPS FOR WOMEN TO BUILD A SECURE RETIREMENT

cresting the hill

INTRO

Today on the blog I have a really interesting collaborative article on how to begin preparing for a financially secure retirement. I remember that finances were my biggest concern when I decided to leave my job, and knowing that we had sufficient funds to get us through the years ahead was the deciding factor on permanently retiring and getting to enjoy this new lifestyle.

So without further ado, let's launch into some interesting tips that I hope you find helpful and encouraging....

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THE ROAD THAT LEADS TO A WHOLE NEW LIFE

cresting the hill

THE SECOND HALF OF LIFE GIVES US SO MUCH

Last year I wrote about Ullie-Kaye, a poet whose work resonated with me on many levels. There were so many of her poems that spoke to my heart, I follow her Facebook page and her poems regularly appear in my feed. Recently a new one called "Wonder Road" popped up that was all about what life gifts us, but for me it perfectly described what the second half of life (especially retirement) has brought into my world. 

I just had to share it here today with a few words of my own....
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