When you think of retirement what word or words come to mind? What feelings come up for you?

For some, the idea of retirement is liberating as it brings a release from a life of hard work. They see it as a chance to finally be set free from waking up to the alarm clock and now able to do whatever they want with their time. Sleep in late, drink coffee at a leisurely pace, see the grandkids, clean closets and organize drawers, and explore the world.

For others, the idea of retirement is rather threatening as they really don’t know what they would do if they weren’t working. Their identity is completely tied into the role they play in their jobs and the money it brings in. When those two things are taken away, what’s left?

Or perhaps you are somewhere in the middle. The idea of retirement sounds inviting but also a little intimidating. Maybe you’re wondering what it will really look like to no longer HAVE to go to a paid position. It will be great to have more flexibility but how will I fill that time? What will be my purpose? Will I still have value?

The truth is many people do more dreaming of the idea of “retirement” than they do the actual planning for day to day life in it. They may think since they have saved and prepared financially that they are “good to go.” It’s kind of like the young couple who gets so caught up in wedding preparations, that they neglect to actually plan for creating a satisfying and fulfilling marriage.

For many of us, the extent of retirement preparation centers only around the financial preparation. And hopefully you’ve been giving it some thought and have been stocking away money into 401ks and IRAs, and other pension accounts. However, if that’s the extent of your planning, I’m afraid you will be in for a rude awakening when the newness of retirement gives way to a potentially darker side of disappointment, health struggles, confusion, purposelessness, and boredom. Retirement for Baby Boomers doesn’t look like it did for our parents. We are living longer, in fact the fastest growing age group is people over 100! So, if you’re thinking of retiring around the typical age of anywhere from 55-65, you may have a lot of time to fill and finance.

As a Certified Professional Retirement Coach and psychologist, I help people design their Retirement Dream which includes a transition plan into this potentially exciting, fulfilling and rewarding time of life by exploring what your vision of what you’d love it to be:

• How will you be taking care of your mind, body and spirit?
• What do you envision your relationships to be like with your spouse/significant other, family, friends, and others?
• What would you love to continue to do with your talents, skills and interests
• Where you would love to live and travel to?
• Are you still in need of bringing in some income?
• Is there a dream you haven’t fulfilled yet that you now have the time and freedom to explore?

Helping you to design your retirement dream as are single person or a couple, enables you to learn more about yourself (and your partner) and brings awareness to daily decisions needed to create the life you’ve been dreaming of for years. A great retirement doesn’t just happen any more than a great marriage or a great career just happens. It takes awareness, intentionality, planning, skill and effort.

Whether you are early in retirement, planning to retire within the next year, or maybe it’s still five years out, I invite you to take a step in becoming better equipped for this next chapter of your life by attending the Naked Retirement Workshop, scheduled April 23, 2019 from 6-7:30 pm at the Heart of Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce. In this fun and engaging workshop we will “peel off” old and outdated ideas about retirement and create a retirement plan about YOU and not just your money.

In it you will:

• learn how to make your retirement a time of life that is truly meaningful
• answer the three most powerful retirement questions that will change it forever
• re-invent yourself
• prepare for important conversations to strengthen your relationships
• develop wellness habits for your body, mind, and spirit

Send me an e-mail today to register for the Naked Retirement Workshop!