Investigating a new opportunity can be so daunting that we avoid doing it. I know I do. Part of my retirement journey, has been to follow different paths that look interesting, and to see if they hold possibilities for the next stage of my life. Most of this trip has been interesting and self-motivating. However,… Continue reading Hold Me Accountable
Category: Retirement Tools
The Un-Becoming
Am I becoming a new me or just un-becoming the old me? It’s a matter of perspective. Is the path forward after retirement a time to gather new resources and skills and roles, or is it a time to take all that I am now and edit it until I find my true self? Either… Continue reading The Un-Becoming
Looking For A Mentor
Having a model to follow is a valuable way to learn. As a teacher, I knew that telling my class something would have a limited impact. However, modelling the behaviour gave them the ability to see the idea in action and understand it better. We all need mentors in our lives to show us how… Continue reading Looking For A Mentor
The Selfishness Of Retiring, The Possibility of Volunteering
I made my decision to retire almost a year ago. At the time I gave myself an arbitrary amount of time to flounder: a year. I told myself that I would take the first year to recover, to explore and to relax. As my first year anniversary approaches, I wonder if continuing to stay retired… Continue reading The Selfishness Of Retiring, The Possibility of Volunteering
A Checklist Of Retirement Experiences
Retirement websites often distill retired life to a list of things that you can check off one-by-one.* From a tired, working person’s perspective, it’s an enticing list of wonderful possibilities. I’ve found that it over-simplifies the process of retiring. It makes retirement look like an endless holiday where you get to do all your favourite… Continue reading A Checklist Of Retirement Experiences
A Time For Learning
As a former teacher, you can understand that I have a passion for learning. However, as a retired person I was not at all sure that I wanted to start from the beginning again. Formal education was my life until now as a student, and then as a teacher. I want something different now. And… Continue reading A Time For Learning
Travel Because You Can
One of the first things people mentioned when I announcement my retirement was travel. “You’ll be able to travel and take advantage of the lower rates off-season,” they said. (As a teacher, we have to travel during peak times when it’s most expensive and most crowded.) I’ve done a fair bit of travelling over the… Continue reading Travel Because You Can
Happy Challenges, Happy Self
Challenge is essential to my happiness. When someone asked me to imagine my best life, it would include some challenge. But finding the right amount of challenge is key. I can’t imagine a life without any problems to try to solve. I’m not talking about where to buy new winter tires or how to fix… Continue reading Happy Challenges, Happy Self
Shaking Up What You Think You Know About Yourself.
Have you ever seen the moon when it’s on the horizon? It looks massive and yet we know it hasn’t changed size. It’s a matter of our perspective: the way our brains are processing the information. Did you know that if you look upside down at the same moon, it will appear its normal size?*… Continue reading Shaking Up What You Think You Know About Yourself.
Check Your Big Picture
I forget to look at the big picture and so I miss correcting important issues until they’ve been left for too long. I suspect we all do this. This is your reminder to step back today and assess where you are and how things are going. How Does The Big Picture Help? When we look… Continue reading Check Your Big Picture
Retired, And Now What? 