TRANSCRIPT:

As you know, if you’ve been listening along, after each guest episode, I reflect a bit about what we discussed, trying to figure out how to relate the information or ideas to retirement life or preparation for retirement. Today is no different. Last week I talked with Joseph Hogue, who discovered early in his 9-5 career that he didn’t really want to spend the next 30+ years doing a job that he hated. It wasn’t so much that he didn’t want to work; he simply wanted to do work that he enjoyed. So he set about figuring out how to ensure that this happened. If you haven’t listened to Joseph yet, please go back and listen to that episode, either now or after this episode. He’s got a lot of interesting information to share.

This episode is primarily for people who want to do something – they’re looking to fill up some of their time with a productive activity that may eventually lead to an income, however meagre it may be. Joseph’s main advice was “Just Get Started”. The longer you wait, the less likely you are to do anything and the more you think about what you’re going to do, the less likely you are to do it. So just get out there, find a hobby and do something!

Before I go too much farther, I want to say that I know not everyone wants a side business, and not everyone wants to earn money from their hobbies. That’s okay! You still need to get started – some of you will be wondering what to do with yourself all day every day when you’re retired. So Joseph’s advice of “just get started” is true for you too.

This is something that I am attracted to – the idea of “just do it”. Me and Nike, right? Seriously, though, that’s the only way to accomplish anything in life. And starting a hobby is a great time-consumer. Of course, you’ll want to make sure it’s something you’re interested in, because ultimately you’ll be spending time at it at least every couple of days. So spend a bit of time now thinking about what you enjoy doing.

Do you like to write? Maybe you can start a blog, writing about the Netflix shows you’ve seen lately, or maybe you’re a great gardener and you can share tips about what it takes to make the plants grow. I know that’s something I need to read about!

Joseph’s suggestion was to start a YouTube channel. I think that’s a marvellous idea, because YouTube is certainly one of the major search engines these days, right? You can find videos on just about anything. It doesn’t matter whether you want to make money at it or not; if you want to, you can, but it’s not a necessity. There are YouTube channels and blogs out there for any topic or idea you can think of. Joseph’s point was that regardless of whether you start out aiming to monetize whatever you’re doing, at some point you’ll be able to make money at it. And why not do that, if you can? Who’s going to turn down a little extra cash? If you REALLY don’t want the money and someone is trying to force you to take it, you can always give it to charity.

Another great idea for either a blog or YouTube is a journal of your life – just record what you do each day. It’ll be a great keepsake for your grandkids. I wish I had some stories about my grandparents’ lives, because I didn’t really know them very well. I was quite young when they all passed away and they lived in a different part of the country, so we didn’t visit often.

So, how do you figure out what to do and if it fits into your post-retirement life? I guess first you have to decide if you’re really interested in pursuing a hobby that can turn into a side business. I’m going to assume that you are, because there’s no point in taking this topic any further if you aren’t. Then you have to figure out what it is you’re interested enough in to want to pursue so doggedly, because to be quite frank, having your own business isn’t for the faint of heart. This should be a real passion, or at least something that you are willing to