When you think about retirement, are you looking forward to a happy stress-free time of doing “what you please” or are you irritated with the AARP cards that come in the mail, reminding you that you’re getting older? Retirement can bring with it a range of emotions, primarily because of the storyline we associate with it.
For some, retirement can feel like a “great escape” – a gateway from monotony, pragmatism and functionality that played an important but not necessarily an always fulfilling role in paying the bills.
On the other hand, the predictability and structure of a job with a set schedule could very well be what others miss most in retirement. For them, it could feel like a slippery slope from a life of purpose and legacy into one of ambiguity, which is an uncomfortable place to be.
No matter how we envision retirement, there’s a letting go process involved: letting go of how we defined our usefulness in order to adopt a new self-identity; letting go of the need for certainty in order to embrace adventure; or perhaps letting go of what we thought we would have accomplished before retirement so we can imagine life in its next stage.
Studies show that the following contribute to contentment in retirement:
- Engaging in meaningful activity with a sense of purpose, accomplishment and social support;
- Shaping one's self -identity on several factors in addition to one's work; and,
- Having the flexibility to choose when to retire
My work as a recreation therapist and journal writing instructor has borne witness to the research results mentioned above as I guide people to achieve a healthy work-life balance. By using writing to identify what is important to us, we form a foundation of meaning around our plans for the future.
Whether we’re in retirement already or approaching it in a year or two or in twenty years, we can consider some great questions to help us achieve our “right” to a satisfying retirement. For example:
Who am I outside of my work role?
What gives me a sense of purpose?
What is my passion—or what would I do if money were no object?
How do I stay motivated, inspired and engaged in my life activities?
With whom do I want to spend my time?
You can “write” your way to a satisfying retirement by reflecting on the questions above (or similar ones that might come to mind for you). If you do put pen to paper or tap at a keyboard – and I hope you will – a couple of thoughts:
- Give yourself permission to write without judgment and let your thoughts flow. One of the greatest barriers to our inner wisdom, creativity and satisfaction is the inner critic that limits our thoughts to those that are judged as correct. Writing quickly can help you outrun the inner critic to reveal what’s most important to you.
- For each question you choose, free-write your response for five minutes with no editing Doing so gives access to our deeper and sometimes untapped thoughts – our inner wisdom that we may often miss if life stays at the surface too much, too often. This kind of writing that I call “wisdom writing” may even reveal “dream fragments,” which appear as random thoughts. Yet, they actually communicate what we most truly desire.
As you learn to let your intentions guide your action you indeed begin to “write your way to a satisfying retirement” one that is your “right” -- an amazing reflection of your hopes and dreams.
P.S. – One of the advantages of working with a trained facilitator is that it creates space to focus on you. The opportunity to share and receive suggestions on how to expand your writing process, not only can enhance your ability to access inner wisdom, but it can help you enjoy a rich experience with like-minded people committed to a value of personal growth.
If you would like to learn more about facilitated wisdom writing, click here to provide your contact information.