Recently we received a copy of Don’t Retire, Rewire! It is amazing that some people really do not
enjoy retirement. Jeri Sedlar and Rick Miners write about the new trend of “working
retirement” as an opportunity for finding fulfilling work, passion, and life
after you leave your full-time career.
I have been meeting with a couple of writers' groups. One writer gave me his card with this on the back: Retired: No business. No
plans. No worries. No money. No future. Too healthy to beg. Too old to steal.
Too lazy to work. Ain’t got much. Don’t want anything. Ain’t mad at nobody. Ain’t
running for nothing. Waiting for the third of the month.
I have started writing about my experiences in Europe in
2011. As part of that writing process, I have been reading How to Write a Book that Sells You, by
Robin Colucci. The author is a writing coach, and while some of the questions she
poses really are only about writing a book, this set of questions seems quite
thought provoking and appropriate for every person to reflect on.
How do you want to spend your time?
Do you want to work a lot or a little?
Do you want to work with individuals or groups? Large groups
or small?
Do you want to travel or stay put?
Where do you want to live?
Do you want to go off for long periods of solitude and
self-reflection, or are you a constant networker?
How many months out of the year do you want to work? Which
ones?
I attended a workshop by Robert Allen Fahey, who
calls himself a psychic medium. He says his work is similar to John Edward,
host of TV’s Crossing Over. I have
met other people who do this sort of work, but Robert said something that I had
not previously heard anyone else say. He said that those on the other side
think they are the ones who are living and that we are the ones who are dead.
Whatever you think about people who do this work—about
Robert or about John—it is worth reflecting on what it is that gives life to
your life.
“There are two basic
motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life.
When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion,
excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all
our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully
open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and
all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision
of people who embrace life.” — John Lennon
Whether you are near retirement, just entering the
workforce, already retired, or anywhere along the path of life, how would you
answer these questions? Move beyond the forces of fear. Notice what allows you to be motivated only by love. Make
2014 a year of open-hearted vision.
