Beyond Retirement

Amy Bernstein is a writer, an author, and a non-fiction book coach. She's been involved in writing all her life.

She believes it's time to start rethinking retirement - it's not the end of our life, but the start of the next stage, and it should be thought of as a new beginning. As the Spanish call it, la jubilación - a time for jubilation!

She talks about the importance of re-establishing our relationships... to time and to ourselves. As mentioned in other episodes, our identity needs a bit of an overhaul; we are no longer defined by what we do, so we'd better figure out who we are. And we have to quit thinking about time in terms of how "productive" we've been in a given amount of it.

Amy's thoughts on retirement are well laid out in this article she wrote.

You can find out more about Amy and reach out to her through either of these websites:

Her author website: https://amywrites.live

Her book coach website: http://wordfirstbookcoach.com

As you head into retirement, knowing your values helps you when you have to make decisions and choices. And recognizing that your values are not necessarily the same as your morals & ethics will set you up for success.

Laura Barker spent 20+ years in HR before deciding to step away and become a career coach. She now helps people find meaningful work that is aligned with their purpose.

In retirement, some people struggle with feelings of loss of purpose. All our adult lives, we are introduced to people as someone who "does something" - you're a lawyer, a plumber, a football player. But once we retire, that helpful crutch is gone and many of us are left floundering to describe ourselves when asked "What do you do?"

The key is that "what you do" is not the important factor anymore. "Who you are" takes on a new importance. Learning to establish your priorities and values in life is paramount to your happiness in retirement.

Laura feels that journalling can help us figure out our purpose. She mentioned The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron, as a helpful program on journalling, for those unfamiliar with the process.

On Laura's website, https://laurabarkercoaching.com, she offers a free mini-course on getting present - teaching you how to become happier with who you are and where you are in your life, in less than 5 minutes per day. Check it out here.

Life lessons can come from many places. Regardless of their source, it's important to pay attention and to have a plan for where you're heading.

Peter Christian is a business coach, focused on helping businesses improve their relations and operations by identifying problems based on their root causes. He doesn't simply address symptoms.

Peter believes that having a plan is important for getting where you're going in life. The plan doesn't have to have ALL the steps, but you need to have an idea what direction you're heading. This plan is important as you head into retirement too:

• You need to figure out where you want to be physically (both in your body and location on Earth) - what sort of climate do you want, do you want visitors to reach you easily, how are you going to stay active?
• You have to be secure financially - the money coming in has to be greater than the money going out.

Peter has written a couple of books that outline the life lessons he's learned over his career. You can find both of them, What about the Vermin Problem? and Influences and influencers, on Amazon as well as on his website, https://peterchristianbooks.com.

Please reach out to Peter via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-christian-2723b69/