Retirement is a significant change in our lives. It echoes throughout our daily lives and may bring a sense of dislocation, “out-of-sync-ness” to who we are. If our retirement is voluntary, we may find it easier to let go of the past and embrace our new lives. But if our retirement is involuntary (whether by health, employer, or just worn out) the letting go may be more difficult and the path ahead will be difficult to embrace.
For the voluntarily retired, it is relatively simple matter of caring for our soul. It may mean intentionally re-investng ourselves in other parts of our lives, i.e. family, friends, hobbies, etc. It will mean exploring new ways and discarding those paths that do not feed our soul. It may still be challenging and may require some added commitment of energy and will. However, the path into retirement will be walkable.
When the change is not voluntary, we will have a whole different “critter” to deal with, grief. Grief is the expected reaction to an unwelcome change in our lives. While grief is most commonly understood to be the result of losing a significant relationship in death, it also applies when we involuntarily lose something that is significant to us, such as a life-giving, meaning-producing job through retirement. The path into an involuntary retirement can be much more difficult. It will mean making room for the changes as they come into your life the while wrestling with anger, sadness, etc. along the way.
Both of these types of retirement will demand a great deal from our soul as the seat of energy and will. They will require patience, honesty, and hope. To generate these within the soul we will need the energy to get through challenges brought by the changes that retirement brings. Our Tips will offer ways to take care of the energy in our soul.
For the voluntarily retired, it is relatively simple matter of caring for our soul. It may mean intentionally re-investng ourselves in other parts of our lives, i.e. family, friends, hobbies, etc. It will mean exploring new ways and discarding those paths that do not feed our soul. It may still be challenging and may require some added commitment of energy and will. However, the path into retirement will be walkable.
When the change is not voluntary, we will have a whole different “critter” to deal with, grief. Grief is the expected reaction to an unwelcome change in our lives. While grief is most commonly understood to be the result of losing a significant relationship in death, it also applies when we involuntarily lose something that is significant to us, such as a life-giving, meaning-producing job through retirement. The path into an involuntary retirement can be much more difficult. It will mean making room for the changes as they come into your life the while wrestling with anger, sadness, etc. along the way.
Both of these types of retirement will demand a great deal from our soul as the seat of energy and will. They will require patience, honesty, and hope. To generate these within the soul we will need the energy to get through challenges brought by the changes that retirement brings. Our Tips will offer ways to take care of the energy in our soul.
TIPS
Generate energy in abundance through joy and gratitude. Nothing brings a sense of strength to the soul better than good old gratitude. Gratitude is the recognition that we have been gifted. It is a soul that rejoices over the welcome gift. Gratitude offers affirmation, healthy relationships, and a sense of connection that inspires joy. In the process of being grateful we find the energy to deal with our struggles and can move forward. In retirement, this energy is essential to our well-being. It is important to note that gratitude is a choice. While the gift is beyond our choosing, our response to our daily living can always include a sense of gratitude.
Watch out for the things that waste your energy. Anger, shame, guilt, and despair can drain our energy very quickly. They can make us tired. While we cannot control when they appear in our lives, we can guard against their sapping our energy by refusing to dwell on them. If we can acknowledge them and identify the reason for them, we will even find a bit of a boost in energy that will help us either address them or let them go. But when we allow them to linger in the soul, they take away our will and make us weary. Do not allow them to waste your energy as you enter retirement.
Using your energy well. Spend your energy well. Save your will power for the things that will bring you joy. Do not invest the energy generated by your gratitude in wrestling with “shoulda’, coulda’, woulda’.” Do not let problems and worries beyond your control steal away your joy and energy. Stay focused on your path and use your energy to move you along. It may not make the path much easier, but it will make moving forward possible.
When we invest our energy in people, positive situations, and addressing real needs we will multiply our joy and experience gratitude. By dwelling on regrets, anger, a sense of victimhood, and/or shame our energy will be wasted and we will lose our capacity for hope in our retirement. Without hope, we will find our capacities for love, trust, and joy diminished as well.
Retirement is a significant change. It can be an opportunity to embrace a new path toward living or an occasion to give, lay down, and die. By self-care of the soul, we can find the energy we need to move forward and embrace the road ahead with joy and gratitude.
Journey well, my friends!
Bob
Watch out for the things that waste your energy. Anger, shame, guilt, and despair can drain our energy very quickly. They can make us tired. While we cannot control when they appear in our lives, we can guard against their sapping our energy by refusing to dwell on them. If we can acknowledge them and identify the reason for them, we will even find a bit of a boost in energy that will help us either address them or let them go. But when we allow them to linger in the soul, they take away our will and make us weary. Do not allow them to waste your energy as you enter retirement.
Using your energy well. Spend your energy well. Save your will power for the things that will bring you joy. Do not invest the energy generated by your gratitude in wrestling with “shoulda’, coulda’, woulda’.” Do not let problems and worries beyond your control steal away your joy and energy. Stay focused on your path and use your energy to move you along. It may not make the path much easier, but it will make moving forward possible.
When we invest our energy in people, positive situations, and addressing real needs we will multiply our joy and experience gratitude. By dwelling on regrets, anger, a sense of victimhood, and/or shame our energy will be wasted and we will lose our capacity for hope in our retirement. Without hope, we will find our capacities for love, trust, and joy diminished as well.
Retirement is a significant change. It can be an opportunity to embrace a new path toward living or an occasion to give, lay down, and die. By self-care of the soul, we can find the energy we need to move forward and embrace the road ahead with joy and gratitude.
Journey well, my friends!
Bob
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