Hello and Good Day… Thank You for stopping by Terry’s Thoughts, it is always appreciated!
As I continue my Encore Phase journey, it becomes clearer and clearer the happiest retirees aren’t the ones who escape work. They’re the ones who replace it with meaning: service, learning, mentorship, creativity, structure, and purpose.
Who are we when we are no longer who we were?
Retirement is the time to embrace do-overs and to lean into individualism. This is the one time in our lives we can’t be defined. We can be whoever we want to be and not let societal norms define us.
(note: You should not wait until You retire to lean into individualism. The best time to demand the best for and of ourself was a while ago, but the second best time is right now. You can still make each year your best year yet.)
If you’re preparing for retirement, newly retired, or supporting someone in this phase of life, here’s the radical truth: You don’t have to chase the bucket list. You don’t have to measure your worth in activities, achievements or possessions. The real work and the reward is in finding your Happiness… in the path itself!
Stay focused and move forward, one foot in front of the other. Ignore those alongside of us trying to get us to vear off our path. Continue on your road, it’s the only way to get to where we are going!
Ask yourself:
- what brings You genuine joy, right now?
- how can I practice gratitude for ordinary and everyday?
- where is my permission to make mistakes, try again and keep moving
- what new identity or purpose might emerge beyond the job, the title?
Attaining fulfillment isn’t about what we do—it’s about who we are, and how we show up, one ordinary, extraordinary day at a time.
It’s not about the trips or the bucket list. It’s the conversations with old friends, the memories and enjoying and appreciating who we are at the present moment each day.
A happy mind leads to a happy life, especially during retirement. After all, what’s the point of having all the free time if you’re not mentally at peace to enjoy it?
After so many years spent working, retirement should be a time of not only relaxation and reduced stress, but also of meaning, fulfillment, and satisfaction.
We are what we repeatedly do. Don’t allow the luxury of the free time we now have when no longer working to become instantly filled with “busy idleness” that will allow us to get occupied by mindless and meaningless distractions. We check email. We watch TV. We just sit there waiting for the next moment.
Instead, as Cynthia Covey Haller and her Father, Stephen Covey, author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” encourage us to live life in crescendo ( builds in momentum and energy and power)… keep learning, growing and pushing yourself.
Here are a few suggestions to help us keep living in crescendo:
- Making Every Day Count – what we do we choose to do, not things we have to do!
- Creating Special Days
- Living With Lots of Fun and Laughter
- Taking Care of our Health
- Living Life With Purpose
Live immediately. Don’t wait for the perfect moment to arrive. Don’t waste time chasing certainty or comfort. You are here—impossibly, improbably, miraculously here. That is reason enough to act. To love. To show up. To do what matters while You still can.
Continue stepping forward in the ‘Encore Phase‘ with enthusiasm and eagerness -and- please continue to take care of yourself, make the most of your days -and- always remember;
“Never quit searching, never settle and never give up seeking your greater purpose!“
Terry's Thoughts 
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