The New Retirementality
“It’s not about dying rich, it’s about living rich.”
- Mitch Anthony
Have you ever thought about what retirement should look like for you?
In the video, Mitch Anthony does a fantastic job answering the question. He gives practical advice to help you explore your new freedom and pursue your own goals and interests in your retirement years. In the video, Mitch Anthony explains how retirement is no longer the end of your life, but instead a new start in life!
Retirement involves a new launching to reinvent oneself. How life is defined going into retirement includes:
- Emancipation: the freedom to do what we want.
- Balance: the freedom to balance our time between work and personal relationships.
- Self-actualization: the freedom to change course when we want.
In his book, The New Retirementality, Mitch shares, “As long as we enjoy utilizing our competencies and truly love what we do, we should never quit the race. We may slow our pace or change the event we run in, but we should never stop participating.” Your career before retirement may or may not have had your heart involved, but now you have the chance to take your heart into everything you do. It’s time to find out what God’s Special Assignment is for you and your heart will naturally follow.
Additional Thoughts:
“Many people are so occupied with getting out of a career trap that they seem to care little about what happens after they leave their jobs. Despite the fact they have planned other aspects of their lives, they seem to feel retirement will take care of itself. The opposite is often true.” – Elwood Chapman and Marion Hayes, authors of Comfort Zones: Planning Your Future.
“Most people say when you get old you have to give things up, but I think we get old because we give things up.” -Theodore Green (Senator Green was 98 when he retired)
Words to Live By:
“Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you ”Isaiah 46:4 (NIV).
Dr. Ron’s Perspective:
Are the golden years golden?
For some retirees, stepping out of the workforce means freedom. The freedom to travel places they could only dream of before. There can be more time in their schedule to spend with grandchildren, loading them up on sugar before sending them back home. Freedom can mean taking an unplanned afternoon nap. For many, though, nothing is rewarding about retiring from their career and learning to live life differently.
Stress and depression can often occur due to unmet expectations of what retirement was supposed to look like. There are also concerns about having a fixed income, health problems or even loneliness. Some people have a crisis of identity. Many others have their feelings of self-worth wholly intertwined with their professional lives which can result in the sense of loss and lack of direction once they are removed from their workplace. Retirement can be a good time in life to discover new meaning and direction in life. It is not the end of life, but rather, a new beginning with fresh adventures waiting to be explored. Take time to reflect on what God’s “Special Assignment” is for you!
You have an incredible opportunity to advance the Kingdom by serving others! Your life experiences and knowledge are valuable to others who need your wisdom. Wherever you are on the retirement timeline, this season of life can truly be golden. Talk with God and find out what He has for you to do in His Kingdom.
Recommended Resources:
The New Retirementality- Mitch Anthony
