So imagine my shock when I left a successful career behind, leaping into my first retirement at age 50, and promptly crashed and burned. Then, crashed and burned several more times before I started to get it right. I didn't have a clue what I was in for. I had no plan. And, my only retirement role models were, well, pretty scary.
You see, my Dad worked hard all of his life and had big dreams to live when he retired at 65. The only problem was he never made it. He died fairly suddenly of leukemia at 63.
What would Dad's life have been like if he hadn't waited to live his dreams?
My mom happily took an early retirement at age 62 from her federal government job. The glitch? With only a foggy notion of retirement and absolutely no planning, she moved into what was expected – a traditional retirement of rest and leisure. Sounded great at the time. But sadly, over the last 23 years of her life, I watched her slowly contract into herself.
Mom passed away peacefully in May 2007. Her courage, grace, beauty and sense of humor during the final weeks of her life were an inspiration. It was as if she had come back to life in order to make her final transition.
What would those 23 years have been like for her if she hadn't retired from life when she retired from her job?
I'm grateful for these powerful lessons. From Dad: Don't put off living until retirement. From Mom: Don't stop living in retirement.
So, instead of retiring from life, I decided to retire those parts of my life that no longer fit. Along the way, I learned patience because it takes time to do it right. And, I learned to truly enjoy the journey,
I relocated to a place of beauty that nourishes my soul daily, I designed a life of balance and joy. And, I created an encore career that taps into my passion, earns me a great living, and for the first time in my life, I feel that the work that I do makes a difference. I love sharing what I learned with successful women – like you – so you can move from your current work life into the encore career – and life – of your dreams.
The best part: I get to be totally and completely me 24/7. I'm a recovering yo-yo dieter, adrenalin addict, and “good girl”. At last, I'm comfortable in my own body. Would I like to lose weight? Sure. Could I exercise more? Oh, yeah. Do I know everything? No way.
But, I'm no longer waiting to weigh less, exercise more, know more, or do the “right” (read that as appropriate) thing in order to live my life. I'm using the changes that come to fuel me forward, and I keep stretching outside my comfort zone, because the more I do, the more confident I become. I've learned that's where the juice is.
I truly believe that anything is possible. This is our time. There's less of it ahead of us than behind us. Don't waste a minute of it!
