“Wish I Had? Glad I Did?”

Hello and Good Day! Hope You enjoyed a wonderful Labor Day Holiday weekend with your Family and Friends and doing well today!

Thank You, as always, for stopping by to check our’Terry’s Thoughts,’ much appreciated!

Funny how our minds, (well, at least for this ole guy’s mind), grasp on to a moment, incident or activity and takes You down a thought process. Case in point, on Friday, I was at the Y going through my work out when I noticed a young man creating a DIY desk top on a treadmill. It was quite creative and worked perfectly! He took one of those step planks and laid it across the treadmill’s handles – it fit perfectly. He then placed his laptop on the step plank, along with his drink and began his ‘workout!’ I had to chuckle and was mixed in my thought’s reaction. First, I thought; that’s too bad this young man can not take a little time for himself and walk away from his work. And my other thought was; that was indeed creative! He was comfortable enough to create this DIY desk at the Y and complete his work-out routine and at the same time, taking care of his work day obligation which might well provide him time later in the day to spend with his Family, Friends or just more time for himself in the evening. btw: Oh, I had to walk by to see what he was doing on his laptop; definitely work vs. watching video. He had several spreadsheets open and working on them.

A part of my chuckle to this young man was it reminded me of me -and- how I would not separate work from my me-time… I was not as creative as this young man as I would be reading through and responding to emails on my phone while on the stationary bike or treadmill, (I did this when I was staying at hotel when I was working from my office… I did not to this very often during my work outs when I was at home… Denise would have given my ‘that look’ and killed me!)

For years, we worked, we sacrificed, we risked and hustled -and- made the tough calls. All of it with the aim at getting somewhere–somewhere we felt we needed to go. Something we thought was important. And, when we got to that point following all our efforts, many times it was disappointing, wasn’t it?

These things we chase, what do they really matter? Are they worth the things we’re willing to do for them? The nights away from home, the sacrifices, the flattery, the compromises? Many times, not so much!

Boundaries between work and our personal life are important. Boundaries between you and people in your life are important. To draw some healthy borders between what you’ll share and what you won’t, what you’ll accept and what you won’t, how you treat others and how you expect to be treated, what is your responsibility and what isn’t. As Jay-Z explained once, particularly in regard to adjusting to his success and fame, “It’s about knowing who you are, and just doing what’s comfortable for you, and not letting people pull you in a thousand different directions. Because if you allow [it] . . . people will have you doing all kinds of stuff, but it has to make sense for you.”

The same can occur during our ‘Encore’ phase of life, if we are not careful. Retirement is often envisioned as a chapter of life filled with relaxation, fulfillment, and the freedom to pursue passions long put on hold. Yet, retirement plans in the U.S are facing unprecedented challenges. Economic volatility and lingering uncertainties have compelled retirees to reevaluate their post retirement lives.

My inner voice continues to remind me of how long I worked to get to this point and how rare and wonderful this time of our life is/will be.

Seneca, the stoic philosopher during Ancient Rome, pointed out; “how readily we take risks with uncertain payoffs in our career, but we’re afraid to risk even one minute of our time for leisure. We think our work will suffer if we step away from it.   We feel guilty about being idle. We wonder if we’re being reckless for pursuing something that has no purpose. And while those are fair concerns, they missed the potential upside that we can get from that time.”

What I am continuing to appreciate more than ever during my ‘Encore‘ is to become more aware of what’s really worth your energy. And, as I have addressed previously and worth repeating that the best advice for a happy retirement is to be present and in the moment. Without outside expectations and schedules, with your time finally fully your own, at last you can try to create a new version of the life you always wanted.

And for those of you (still) pursuing your careers, I would offer to enjoy where you are on the way to where you are going!

Please make the most of your days -and- remember;

“Never quit searching, never settle and never give up seeking your greater purpose!“