Quote:
Originally Posted by Trog
I'm 55 and have always been self sufficient. Boredom is my only fear. Although I have a million things on my To-Do list, what happens after that? I would hate to be one of those 'old' guys who hang out at the coffee shop all day.
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When I retired from the Navy 5 years ago, I could have retired/retired but chose not to. I was 53.
One of the things the Navy does well is provide upcoming retirees with a one week class on transitioning. They go through the standard benefits, medical, education, job assistance, government opportunities, etc. fare. The information flow and the literature they provide was excellent.
At the end of the week they brought in a woman who gave a really compelling brief on how to plan a retirement to suit the individual. Like a lot of folks, I already had a follow-on job I wanted and was ready to tackle the next set of adventures, etc.
But one of her recommendations really resonated with me: Take two months off if you can afford it and don't do a thing except travel and work off the to do list around the house. Decompress, get off the achievement wheel and relax a bit, recharge. "Somewhere in that two months, you'll figure out what you really want to do in retirement."
I lasted about a month. I like to work, not hobby, around the farm work, but interesting, pop out of the rack in the morning work. The month did help me frame what I eventually came to do after I took my first post retirement job.
She also drew a diagram concerning work I wish I could repeat here: Two axis, the left axis money the bottom time. Finding the happy medium between time and money, with happiness/family/satisfaction thrown in there in between, was a good way at looking at what to do with the next, hopefully, decades of your life.
Only you can figure it out...don't hurry a thing. You may find you like hanging at the coffee shop all day
