Three Secrets to a Daring Retirement

By George Jerjian

Retirement. The time we kick back, relax, unwind, and enjoy unbridled freedom. 

And why not? We’ve worked all our lives for this. We deserve it.

The trouble is, that for many, the reality of retirement isn’t a carefree existence.  Unwinding and retreating leads to loneliness, desperation, and emptiness. Ageist thoughts start to ebb away at self-esteem, and it becomes a time to worry more and socialize less. 

Retirement Reality

I know this because I’ve been there. I was forced to retire almost overnight after being told I only had six months to live. Thankfully the diagnosis was wrong, but so too was the hellish retirement I was propelled into.

I had money, family, and an active social life, but I was empty, sad, and unfulfilled. I had nothing to get out of bed for in the mornings, afternoon naps became a regular fixture in my day and my physical and mental health deteriorated. 

I was tiptoeing slowly towards a quiet death, and I knew something had to change, so I studied this transitional life stage in detail, and after speaking to over 20,000 retirees, I realized I was not alone in my experience.

Dare to be Different

I knew that if I was to live the retirement I wanted, I needed to think outside the box and dare to be different. My first step was to “unretire”. Next, I worked on rewiring my mindset and refiring my passion for life. I set up my Retirement Rebellion business and have gone on to help thousands of baby Boomers do the same.

So how do I do this?

I’ve worked out there are three secrets to a fulfilling retirement: health, finances, and purpose. And purpose holds the key.

Three Secrets

Retirees told me the thing they worry about most is their health. Of course, growing old is inevitable and so too is the likelihood of being ill, but there is something that can be done about this. If we sit around doing nothing, we have time to think and time to worry. This becomes self-perpetuating and we wind up with physical and mental ailments. If we have purpose, our mental health improves, and this has been shown to improve physical health, reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Money is, of course, another issues of concern for retirees. In days gone by a pension would be enough to sustain us, but as life expectancy increases, so too do the funds needed and it’s a fact that most of us will now outlive our savings. We can’t go back in time and save more, but we can continue to earn. 

This doesn’t mean working in the traditional sense but doing something that brings you joy and some income. People I’ve worked with have set themselves up as consultants – sharing their years of experience and knowledge with younger generations.  Others have built a business doing something they love – beekeeping, dog walking, candle making….  the list goes on.  Whilst some have thought outside the box – exchanging houses with a retired couple abroad for six months, renting out a spare room or converting an outhouse into an event space. And then there are those who have found work in a hobby, taking on part-time jobs in garden centers, libraries, and bakeries. 

The key to good health and financial wellbeing is purpose. When you have purpose, you have something to live for, something that makes you feel joyous and an asset to society, rather than a burden. Your attitude to life and to old age changes and you realize you don’t need to stop or even slow down. Mentally and physically, you keep on moving forwards. When purpose brings with it an income, it relieves financial woes and helps us make the very best use of the money we have saved. 

Pivoting our Minds

“What is purpose and how do I find it?” Is a question I’m asked all the time. Purpose can be anything that brings you joy. Something you yearn to do, something you’re passionate about and good at. The key to finding it lies in your mindset. If you’re open to new ideas and willing to embrace opportunities, you will find purpose. If you’re set in your ways and shut off from society, it will be much harder to do. 

For me, retirement was a wake-up call. A time to reflect and to learn. For all of us, it’s a time to keep living and growing and finding joy and fulfillment in every single day.  Find purpose and you’ve unlocked the secret to a successful retirement – health and money worries will simply take care of themselves.

George Jerjian, author of DARE to Discover Your Purpose: Retire, Refire, Rewire, is following his dream for life after 65 as a mindset mentor helping retiring baby boomers live with purpose and passion. Prior to reinventing himself, he was a chartered marketer, a partner in a US commercial real estate firm and a financial advisor. An Emmy-award-winning producer, a Distinguished Toastmaster, and author of 10 books, he has a business degree from Bradford University in England and a master’s degree in Journalism from New York University. His online program—Dare to Discover Your Purpose—is a pioneering program and the first of its kind serving the retiring baby boomer market. He lives in London.