Beyond Retirement

Moving to a foreign country is a daunting undertaking, not one to be taken lightly. Do you speak the language? Are you ready for new customs and a new culture? Do you have a support system in place for when things get tough?

But it's not all doom & gloom - the opportunities to expand your knowledge of the world, to learn about life "somewhere else" ... that's an exciting draw for many.

The most important thing is to go into it with your eyes open. Be ready for things NOT to turn out as you planned; be ready to make changes as you go.

Mike Cobb is the founder and CEO of ECI Development. After vacationing in Belize in 1993, Mike saw the opportunity to help others own properties overseas. Realizing that not everyone wants to be in Belize, the company expanded to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, El Salvador, and Portugal. Over the last 27 years, ECI Development has focused on providing customers with a product that fits their specific needs, rather than trying to sell people a cookie-cutter solution.

There are basically two types of people who relocate overseas in retirement: those who are running FROM something (local politics, relationships) and those who are running TO something (better weather, improved quality of life). While both types can find new lives as expats, those who are running TO something tend to have better results.

Mike points out that there are many things to consider when moving overseas. The language barrier can be a big problem for some people, as can living with various economic classes close together. Many people find it very difficult to be faced with the poverty that surrounds them in Latin America.

Cultural differences are also big. Mike suggests that the most important thing to remember when travelling overseas is humility - "We don't know what we don't know".

Mike offers his Consumer Resource Guide to assist people in making this transition. The guide contains information on how to prepare for relocation, including a quiz to gauge your preparation level. It also contains information on each of the Latin American countries in which ECI has developments.

Download the Consumer Resource Guide by visiting ECI's website at:

https://ecidevelopment.com/

Peak performance isn't just for sports. Paying attention to what you're doing, being consistent, always moving forward... these are all part of being the best you can be, which is something we should strive for all the time.

This episode is a bit of a recap of last week's chat with Joe Jacobi.

Joe Jacobi is a former American Olympic gold medalist in white-water slalom canoeing. He won the gold medal with his doubles canoe partner at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. After retiring from competitive sports, Joe moved to La Seu d’Urgell in Catalonia, Spain, where he immersed himself in the local culture. He learned to speak Catalan and now works as a performance coach online. Joe values deep and meaningful connections and enjoys writing and creating.

Key topics discussed:

• Combining high performance principles with life transitions and defining peak performance for yourself
• Finding purpose and balancing inner and outer self
• Importance of finding the right sports and staying healthy in retirement
• Choosing activities that lower the risk of injury and learning movements right
• Connection between health and creative pursuits

Joe believes that it's possible to create the life we want, but we have to be willing to do the work. That's where the peak performance comes into play - it's all about consistency over time. You don't get good at something by trying it once, but rather by repeating it countless times. It's the same with anything you want in life. So the key is to prioritize what's important and ensure that these are what you're focusing on in your day.

Please reach out to Joe for conversation:

through his blog, Sunday Morning Joe - https://joejacobi.ck.page/c5b7be8e26

or through his LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobijoe/

His book, Slalom: 6 River Classes About How To Confront Obstacles, Advance Amid Uncertainty, & Bring Focus To What Matters Most, is available on Amazon and other marketplacese online.

Adjusting to life in retirement involves creating a purpose or meaning for your life, looking after your health and well-being, and developing lasting connections with friends and family.

The hardest part is often simply accepting that a part of your life is over - that the activity you did for the last 20-40 years is no longer what you do each day. But this doesn't mean you aren't going to be doing ANYthing! There are many other activities - some new - that will take up your time if you let them. Part of your new job in retirement is to make sure that you don't get overwhelmed trying to do all the things.

Remember that it's okay to say no to people sometimes - you don't HAVE to be busy all the time. The most important point to keep in mind is that retirement is not only about filling time; it's about discovering new opportunities for growth, happiness, and fulfillment.

One of the ways to do this is to prioritize happiness in your life:

• slow down and take time to just be by yourself
• do some journalling or meditation
• focus on being present in whatever you're doing - don't always be thinking ahead about the next task
• remember to ask yourself if you're doing an activity because you WANT to or because you feel you HAVE to do it - and cut out some of the "have to do it" activities!