Never Too Late to Enjoy Retirement – Guest Blog from Gerald Crawford, Guitar Instructor
Posted On April 11, 2013
Gerald Crawford sent me an email yesterday. He’s from Northern Ireland, is a retired Baby Boomer, and offered this article for my blog. You can let him know your thoughts at gerald.inspired@gmail.com. The links are his own.
Never too late to enjoy retirement
How to make retirement the best time of your life
by Gerald Crawford
Retirement — it is finally here. With a head full of ideas you greet the first days of retirement with the enthusiasm of a “gung-ho” attitude. Unfortunately for most, the enthusiasm slowly turns to boredom and then depression, mainly due to the fact that after the initial few months, people don’t really know what to do with themselves and with no goal or push, the situation rarely improves. Learning to exploit retirement to its fullest should be your ideal mindset from the very onset of this phase, and having a solid plan in mind right down to the tiniest details will help you stay focused and goal orientated. At the end of each day, you should be able to feel complete satisfaction and pride in how you spent your day.
Picking up a new skill
Just because you are retired, does not mean you stop the learning process. In fact, retirement is the perfect opportunity to explore and learn new things. Finding and learning a new skill will help to keep you mentally alert and fill your days with productive activities. The new skill learned will also help you be more valuable and respected as a person, because of your willingness to improve yourself. Besides setting a good example for your young grandkids, learning a new skill will show them that grandparents are not be trifled with as, we still have a very much functioning and sharp mind.
Living in the know
Most information today is sourced from the internet. If you want to stay relevant and in the know, make sure you know how to find your way around the internet. An abundance of information is available at the click of a button 24 hours a day. If most of your day is spent alone at home, the internet can be your new best friend, literally and figuratively. Using tools provided on the internet, you could make new friends from all corners of the globe. These new friendships may even turn into invitations to visit foreign lands and meet up in person. What can be more wonderful, than the opportunity to make new friends and learn new things all from one source, the internet.
Your skills, your legacy
If you look around you, it is not unusual to see dying arts, because no one wants to pass on the skill or no one bothers to impart experience and knowledge to the next generation. Using your talents, you can help the next generation be better equipped in certain fields, thus giving you a good reason to face each new day with vigour. Volunteering your time and expertise to various different causes will give you a sense of purpose and satisfaction that no other pass time can. Retirement is the best time to share yourself with others, mainly because you have the time and the funds to do so. Charity work is another great exercise to get involved in. Your skill can be used to raise funds and help others in a very practical and productive way.
Get that diploma
Time and circumstances sometimes leaves a person falling back and unable to pursue their dream course. Your retirement time can be used to turn this lack into a new mission in life. Age is no barrier to achieving academic excellence, so there is really no excuse for not using the time and opportunity to get that diploma, degree or any other academic title you may desire. Even taking up a new hobby such as indulging in learning (www.guitarinspired.com) how to play guitar is something that will help to keep your mind renewed and occupied. If going out to attend classes is not what you are looking for, then maybe you could learn from home at your own pace using a (www.guitarinspired.com/reviews/gibsons-learn-master-guitar/) dvd guitar course. Learning new things will not only keep your knowledge current, it will also keep your mind sharp.
Saving grace of pets
If you already have a pet, you will certainly be a very popular guest to many events. A lot of nursing homes, retirement centres and hospitals welcome the “intrusion” of pets. If you are looking for something productive to do, visiting such places with your pet will be a very rewarding experience. Seeing people light up with joy, in an otherwise hopeless situation is well worth the effort. The warm feeling of satisfaction you will get cannot be bought with money, and your pet will love the attention too. You will also get to make new friends and will always be a welcomed fixture anywhere.
Making the days count
During the working years, very few people get to really enjoy all the different aspects life has to offer. Rushing around with work commitments while trying to juggle bringing up a family at the same time, really leaves no time for a person to stop and take a breather. Enjoying a beautiful sunset, discovering a beautiful new flower species, frolicking in the clear waters of a stream, enjoying a picnic in the middle of summer are all things, which you can now indulge in without being pressured by time or other demands.