Imagine being confronted with your next chapter without any preparation. Today’s guest was only in his late 50’s when he was handed a severance package by his employer. He had to face the reality of being laid off late in his career, without the benefit of planning the next transition.

 

Mike Drak turned his experience into a wonderfully relatable book, Retirement Heaven or Hell: 9 Principles for Designing Your Ideal Post-Career Lifestyle. He joins me today to share what he’s learned—and how you can aim your thoughts and actions towards living your best life.  

 

In this episode, we’ll hear from Mike on setting goals, finding your tribe, and why he carries a focus on quality of time.

 

We covered:

 

• The exact moment when retirement shock started to hit Mike
  
  
• Why he spent close to a year in “retirement hell”...and how he reached the turning point
  
  
• Walking through Mike’s 9 principles for designing your ideal post-career lifestyle
  
  
• Identifying what independence and independence personally means to you
  
  
• The idea of getting out of survival mode (and shifting into adventure mode)
  
  
• One simple way Mike makes planning the next year exciting

 

Links

Retirement Heaven or Hell: 9 Principles for Designing Your Ideal Post-Career Lifestyle

Victory Lap Retirement