Has your financial advisor told you
the SECRET to a happy retirement?

 

As a certified retirement coach, I’m concerned- no, make that worried -that you are not getting all the information that you need in order to plan for the happy, healthy and blissful retirement that you so deserve.

There is an old saying that nothing is as important as your health and happiness. But if you’re like most people who are nearing retirement, you are not getting vital information that will help you plan for a happy retirement and avoid falling into depression and despair.

Believe me, leaving work can actually be quite traumatic, and It’s my job to care about that. In fact, it’s more than a job. It’s been my passion for the last 6 years. I am dedicated and committed to using the knowledge that I have gained as a retirement researcher, combined with my extensive experience as a certified retirement coach, to help you lead a happier retirement than you ever thought possible.

Now let me address the obvious question:

If you have clicked on my bio and have looked at my picture you may be wondering, as most of my clients do, what can she possibly teach me about retirement? She looks rather young to be any kind of authority on the subject.

I would probably think the very same thing.

 

So let me tell you a little about myself.

 

I have spent the last 6 years researching retirement and what makes people happy at this stage of their lives. In fact, I even wrote my master’s thesis on the subject (which is soon to be a book).

 

I won an award for my research on the differences between how men and women handle the retirement transition, their regrets about their past decisions and how PLANNING for this next stage of life can make all the difference in how happy you are, once retired. 

Since then, I have devoted practically all my time and energy to my company, Directions Third Age Consultants. We help people, just like you, plan for retirement. Have a look at our one-on-one certified retirement coach packages  or tell your employer that you and your colleagues would be interested in participating in a retirement seminar or workshop.

I only tell you of my previous experience because I know that chances are you have a question or two about my credentials. I won’t bore you with my qualifications. That you could read in my bio.

 

But what I did want to address is my experience working with people who are planning to retire and those who are already retired.  And experience counts. So do results. I provide both.

 

If you’re planning to retire or are already retired, you owe yourself more than self-help slogans. I don’t offer clichés, I do my very best to provide genuine, concrete solutions to help your retirement years be the best years of your life.

 

Now enough about me- lets talk about you…

 

So you are planning to retire from your job after 30 some odd years of service.

 

Congratulations!

 

You have earned the right to rest and relax after a lifetime commitment to work.

 

You are probably counting down the days (only 5 months, 3 weeks and 4 days to go) until you get to escape the confinement of your four office walls and the rigidity of a 9 to 5 schedule.

At long last, you get to be free of demanding bosses, impending deadlines and obnoxious co-workers. Not to mention the long and taxing commute to and from the office!

Not so fast!

I want to let you in on a little secret that most of your retired friends won’t tell you:

When the novelty of your new found freedom wears off, you may suddenly feel that RELIEF from not having to wake up and go to work is quickly replaced by feelings of boredom, emptiness and a sense that you are disconnected from PEOPLE, PLACES and a PURPOSE.

Very often, the retirement experience turns out to be different from what we initially thought it to be. In fact, the first 12 months in retirement can seem as though you are on an emotional roller coaster: Some days are great and others are difficult.

 

Some days you may feel FREE and LIBERATED from the 9 to 5 grind, while on other days you may find yourself longing for those 5 minutes of “DAILY GOSSIP” around the water cooler. 

 

Although it may not have seemed so at the time, chatting about Lucy’s new boyfriend or Todd’s new promotion and even Annie’s crazed teenage daughter, actually made you feel “CONNECTED” to others.

 

You may even discover that you miss that sense of ACCOMPLISHMENT from having met difficult challenges. Now, you maybe wondering, where will I get that sense of achievement?

 

You may yearn for some semblance of a routine.

 

You may desire more STRUCTURE in your daily life so that you feel that you have a reason and a PURPOSE to get up in the morning.

 

I am sure you would agree that for most of us WORK represents much more than a PAYCHECK.

 

Yet, we have been led to believe that a happy retirement is all about the accumulation of a big nest egg.

 

The bigger the egg, the happier the retirement!

 

I will agree that although money is no guarantee for a happy retirement, it is a good place to start.

 

But money is not the only requirement “for”a happy retirement. 

 

A happy retirement also requires that we ask ourselves, “WHAT’S NEXT?” long before we exit the workforce.

 

Dr. John Dewey, the great American philosopher, said it best when he stated, “The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important”.

 

For better or for worse, we live in a culture which defines who we are by what we do.

 

For most of us, work is the primary arena (if not the only arena) in which we are recognized for our accomplishments.

 

It is where we feel most USEFUL and NECESSARY to the world.

 

So we end up satisfying our CRAVING for importance by our job titles.

 

And although there are countless other ways for us to feel “useful” and “important” in the world, these alternatives seem to be overshadowed by a culture that measures success by the titles on our business cards.

 

Think about it:

 

The title on your business card that reads banker, manager, or teacher gives you an identity and it reflects your position in society.

 

Giving up that position and replacing your job title with “RETIREE” may cause you to start questioning your place in the world.

 

So how do we satisfy our desire to be important without a job title?

 

That, my dear friend, is where the real “work” of our lives comes in.

 

Once you retire you are forced to ask yourself, without work, “WHO AM I”?

 

The good news is that you are not alone. And once you are armed with information and strategies on how to prepare for this next life phase, you will be ready to navigate the journey from work to retirement.

 

You may think that you can handle the transition from work to retirement all alone and that you will be just fine emotionally.

 

But then suddenly you are at home, retired and you are depressed because you have nowhere to go and nothing to do. And on top of it all, you are fighting with your spouse.

 

Worse, you are not sure why you are not thrilled and happy to finally be retired. So on top of feeling bad, you also feel GUILTY. You have waited your whole working life to retire and now you are not happy!

 

You wonder to yourself, is this as good as it gets?

 

Don’t get caught in such a scenario.

 

Be proactive and plan NOW for your retirement.

 

My objective is to help you avoid the pitfalls of not planning for retirement so that when you do leave your job, you do not feel as though your life is meaningless because you are not bringing home a paycheck.

 

I want to extend a personal invitation to you.

 

If you let me, I would like to be your personal guide on your journey from work to retirement. I’m hoping that you will hop on board and join the thousands of ZOOMERS (coined by Media Mogul Moses Znaimer to mean boomers with zip) just like you, to create a plan for a dynamic and rewarding retirement.

 

Sign up to receive our free newsletters, subscribe to our blog, and stay tuned for my up and coming e-book!

 

And if you wish to receive one-on-one guidance, sign up for one of our certified retirement coach packages and I will be glad to guide you through this transition.

 

To your retirement success!

Gillian Leithman

Certified retirement coach and President of Directions Third Age Consultants Inc