Not quite a new year’s post, but this is a look back - look forward post. I’ve been using seasonal bucket lists this past year instead of "action plans" and enjoyed the slight modification in thinking. My first seasonal plans were very detailed to-do lists. This autumn, I took a different approach with only 10 … Continue reading Seasonal Bucket Lists
I love lists and tools. I’ve used a number of different tools this past year to aid in creating and implementing my retirement lifestyle – a 52 new things challenge, seasonal bucket lists, vision boards, word-of-the-year, a jolts of joy listing (crafted versus my values), and out-of-my-comfort zone challenges. As we near the end of … Continue reading Taking Stock – What’s Working?
Long held beliefs can create unrealistic expectations about life. And never more so than when you’re looking at creating a new “ideal for me” retirement lifestyle. Let’s consider ideal versus reality. We get our unrealistic ideals --- ideal beauty, ideal friendship, ideal romance, ideal family -- from unrealistic sources – sit-com plotlines, fairy tales, Hallmark … Continue reading Unrealistic Expectations?
I’ve enjoyed the free 21-day Mediation Experiences offered by the Chopra Center and recently completed one on Energizing My Life – physically (capability), mentally (understanding), emotionally (compassion, tolerance, love), and spiritually. While I am still not a convert to daily meditation, I find the messages presented each day to be a wonderful and empowering reminder … Continue reading My Meditation Experience
My newest vision board for my retirement lifestyle has a big “Healthy Habits” component. So I started to think about how to be healthy in real, everyday life. What have I created habitually for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing? And where do I need more focus? I start almost every day with positive affirmations … Continue reading Healthy Habits
On my Autumn Bucket List was the item “be spontaneous”. I’ve been struggling with executing this action item. Is planned spontaneity too much of an oxymoron? Trying to be more spontaneous meant less structured plans. And for me, that lead to more ups & downs of feelings of satisfaction. When I have days of inactivity, … Continue reading Planned Spontaneity
It has often been pointed out that one of the benefits of retirement is the freedom to do what you want, when you want, with whom you want. As I continue in retirement transition and creating new lifestyle habits, I’ve been struggling with my own perception of freedom. I recently saw a play where the … Continue reading Is Retirement Complete Freedom?
Can you be happy living an average, routine, ordinary, even mediocre life? Years ago I heard a song (from the musical Pippin) that has stayed with me ever since. It basically said: I need to be extra-ordinary and do extra-ordinary things. And there’s a math joke about “75% of people think they are above average”. … Continue reading Is Being Average a Failure?
There’s a lot of advice in retirement transition to push out of your comfort zone in order to continue to grow. Well, I did a big push last weekend. (And it's one of the reasons why I've not blogged in awhile.) In my retirement lifestyle vision, I see myself riding a retro scooter down the … Continue reading Out of My Comfort Zone
Retirement transition can be a challenge on a marriage as you begin spending even more time together and possibly working through individual changes. Suddenly you might be together almost 24/7. Often you have 2 people who have different ideas of what retirement is to them. Can a marriage survive this time of significant transition turmoil? … Continue reading Can Marriage Survive Retirement?
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