Inviting Gravel Road in the Middle of Nowhere
I have a family, a home mortgage, and a job to pay for it all. Adventures are not all that I do. Plus, after working a full career, I’m starting the count-down to retirement. I want to make this transition as fulfilling as it can possibly be and I want to be prepared for an active and exciting post-work life! I’m trying to find the right balance between my work-life and my play-life. Above all else, I try to do things that add real meaning to my life.
Here’s the three guidelines I strive towards right now:
- Integrate Adventure
I feel there is a fluid spectrum towards retirement. If you think of the boundary between work and retirement as a hard border, you run the risk of putting off enjoying life until you may not be able to do the things you love any longer. I believe it is better to gradually reduce the amount of work you do and increase the amount of your active fun as you get closer to your post-work life. Even smaller activities, like weekends out camping, are much better than no outdoor activities! Keep focused on adventure!
At the end of it all, when the ship is sailing for the undying lands, most of us will probably look back on our adventures, experiences, and the people who helped us along the way as the highlight of our lives.
- Make a Plan
If you are like me, you had a plan for your working life, so why not have one for your post-working life? There is much more to retirement than a financial plan. Retirement allows you to become more active than you were before, if you choose this path, but you need a plan to make it happen.
Plus, planning ahead (where you want to go, what you want to do, what you need to learn) keeps you engaged and focused on what is important to you. I believe that always having an adventure on your calendar is a huge benefit. It may be months away, but it gives you something to look forward to and to plan for, and keeps you focused on more positive things.
- Keep it Active
As Nietzsche said: “Man is a creature that must be overcome.” We tend toward inertia if we don’t actively fight it. Stay active, or start dying!
Being active is not just physical activity. Keep learning new things. Study new languages and other things you’ve always wanted to learn. Stay engaged with the world–not just your comfort zone. Good habits may be good for physical exercise, but being a creature of habit is not good for mental activity. Shaking up your life all the time is good.