How Will I Know For Sure That It’s Time To Retire?
How Will I Know For Sure That It’s Time To Retire?
A newspaper journalist asked me to contribute to an article he was writing on retirement. Since I am a retirement coach I had all kinds of information to offer him, but that is not what he wanted. It came down to answering his one question, “How will I know for sure that it is time to retire?” My response was short and simple, “You won’t.”
The decision to retire isn’t much different from many other important, life-changing decisions we make. For instance, rarely do we know for sure that a specific career choice is the absolute best one to make. Very few parents say they knew for sure when it was time to have children. Important decisions require some risks and being willing to step into the unknown. Instead of knowing for sure, we can look for signs that retirement is on the horizon, and we can prepare ourselves for this decision.
Since knowing for sure was important to people who were considering retirement, I decided to ask people who were retired what they thought of the question. The first person I asked had struggled with the question herself for several years before retiring at 65 years of age. Her decision to retire was based primarily on her elderly mother’s failing health, more so than being confident that this was the right time to retire. Knowing the struggle she had faced with the decision to retire, I was very surprised at her answer. She said, “When you start asking the question, then it is time to retire.” Looking back she believes she spent too much time trying to feel like it was the right time rather than making a decision.
Another retiree said there were little signs that at first he didn’t notice. Primarily beginning to feel obsolete at work. When you start feeling like you don’t want to learn the new program or you do not have the interest or enthusiasm to adapt to new changes, then it may be time to move into the next stage of your life.
In all cases, the people I spoke with said once they made the decision to retire, then they felt free. The agony comes from being undecided. Once you get both feet facing the same direction, then you start to make progress and you can move forward. It reminds me of the three-legged races we used to enjoy as kids. Two people each put one leg in an old feed sack and try to work together to get to the finish line. At first they seem to be going to opposite directions, often tripping over the other and making no progress towards the finish line. After a little practice they get all feet facing the same direction and swiftly hobble along to the finish. If you are struggling with the question of when you will know for sure that it is time to retire, realize that you may never know for sure, but once you make the decision you will be feel free to move forward with your life.
To request Patrice’s 10 Tips to Creating a Meaningful Retirement send an email to: mergingworkandretirement@yahoo.com
Patrice Jenkins is a frequent speaker and workshop leader on career and retirement transitions. To learn more about her work go to: http://patricejenkins.com/ or <a rel=”nofollow” href=”http://barbarasher.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=3