What Now?

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Hello and Good Day! Hope You have been doing well and making the most of your days.

I end my articles with the following statement; “Never quit searching, never settle and never give up seeking your greater purpose!“

I am beginning this article with this statement as a (key) reminder how our journey during our Encore Phase continues to build upon our true self — our unique blueprint in life.

Any large-scale life change can be a significant shock to the system, and a purpose-filled retirement doesn’t just happen on its own.

Although I have been truly enjoying my Encore life, I must admit there are moments when I stop and imagine “back in the day,” when I was growing up and would escape to one of favorite places in our neighborhood area we called the “rock.” This was a huge rock formation that extended out over a ravine and had a great view of the Ohio River and a small mountain range across the river in the back ground. I would go there and read, stare off into the unknown -and- think about what will my future hold for me?

When You are enjoying your Encore, there will be moments when You have that pause and look out and wonder; “now what?” Just as we looked out when growing up and wondered what our future will hold, the same holds true in this phase.

As I have addressed in earlier articles, if we are in good health and with luck, we have a good chance of having maybe at least 3 good decades ahead after leaving our full-time job.

We’ve never been here before, we are walking through uncharted territory and the (only) guidebook we may have had on retirement is what we observed/learned from watching Family members and Friends during their retirement years.

Our education helped us with our careers, but that experience did not tell us or help us with this – how do people do this new retirement?

In my previous articles I have been providing my experiences and transition steps to my Encore life. We should acknowledge that retirement is one big transition. Remember, we have been used to the structure of our work life and social environment of our workplace -and- now, the structure is different and we have the potential of a “clean slate.” It does take a little time to adjust to not having that (formal) structure… albeit, very enjoyable not be tethered to our days of meetings, conference calls, priorities, deadlines, etc. -and- being able to do what You want, when You want and how You want.

One of the most important steps is to mark the start of your transition with giving yourself permission to get rid of all the old stuff and give yourself that “clean slate” for building your new life.

Our first half of life was about building success; with your Family and your career. Now, is the time to have an unquenchable desire to move from building success to building significance – something that rises above the paychecks and becomes more significant.

Desire will not allow You to do something new in our Encore phase of life. You must allow yourself the ability to create the capacity to do it. We might fall victim to old habits as I have written about previously and become controlled with too many time and energy consuming activities just to stay busy, ( ‘Don’t Follow The Same Road;’ March 27,2024 ).

Remember, we are in uncharted territory and it may take us a little time to become comfortable with finding the way to build upon our life’s successes. The biggest mistake we all may make during the first half is not taking enough time for those that are truly important. Let’s not make that same mistake and repeat during our Encore.

Now, is the time to explore.

We need to begin by aligning our life around what truly matters to Us, then build awareness of our current lifestyle and where we may need more balance or connection. Then, we should shape our days with intention, being willing to adapt when life’s unpredictability demands it. With the right approach, We just might unlock the proactive planning and skills necessary to live a regret-free retirement.

Aligning our self-identity with our life structure is crucial and can mean creating a day-to-day retirement life that fits our current values, interests, relationships, and motivations. The goal is to blend who we are (our needs, priorities, and passions) with how we spend your time and energy in retirement.

A definition of retire is to “to pull back.” Our Encore is not a time of pulling back, it should be a time to create an opportunity to enjoy life like we may not have thought we would get?

It’s different than what we observed/learned from our Family members or Friends. We need to flip the mindset and maybe try to redefine and focus on what we think is truly meaningful.

And finally, it’s time to coast! Talk yourself into taking the time to figure out where life will take You during this Encore phase. Take the time to enjoy this freedom and don’t expect to create your plan overnight.

This is the time to discover and uncover the authentic You! I use this song verse from the Temptations often; “… I love the life I live and gonna live the life I love.”

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

Please continue to take care and make the most of your days!