For most of our working lives, retirement is a vague notion that we’re too busy to think about. Later when retirement becomes imminent, things begin to change.

Natural Progression

Who can forget their first real job? Those early years are both exhilarating and terrifying. Somewhere deep down inside you believe you are going to make a difference. Your life is going to mean something.

Fast-forward to your last few working years and what has changed? Coworkers who were so annoying may seem less so. Work pressures and deadlines may feel less foreboding. Your records and files take on new meaning; buried in all that is a little piece of you.

EGGSTACK RETIREMENT PLANNER

As the curtain closes on your career, you may be left with many questions. Have I made a difference? Was my work meaningful? What will happen after I’m gone? Will I be replaced as easily as the nametag on my workspace? 

Retirement on the Horizon

As we approach retirement, we may struggle to remain relevant. New technologies emerge making it difficult to keep up. Then one day yet another change comes along and you decide it’s not worth the effort. You let it slip. That is the day the countdown begins.

Movies and TV sometimes portray punishment in the afterlife as being forced to do the same thing over and over again. In one morbid depiction, a young woman’s afterlife is an eternity in biology class. As soon as she finishes dissecting a frog – something she clearly disdains – another frog is presented to her.

Each spring brings new graduation ceremonies. Celebrities and dignitaries deliver lofty speeches to yet another crop of graduates. What if instead of encouraging words, commencement speeches painted a gloomy picture of life ahead? A life of doing the same thing over and over again?

One episode of The Big Bang Theory portrayed Sheldon moving into a new office left vacant by a recently-deceased professor. While Sheldon and his friends were cleaning out the office, they came across the professor’s research and notes. Without giving it much thought, they deemed the collection worthless and tossed it in the trash.

Your company or organization was here long before you came onboard, and they will be here long after you’re gone. We are not nearly as important or irreplaceable as we may think. In the end, we may be left with more questions than answers.

The Best Years

So what is the point? The point is, if you, like most people, draw any value or self-worth from your career, you need to prepare for the enormous change that is retirement. It’s like you’re paddling down a river that flows faster and faster. What you don’t see downstream is something akin to Niagara Falls.

For most people, none of this ever crosses their mind. One day they retire and wonder why they feel so depressed.

The best time to prepare for retirement is before you retire. Explore hobbies and interests, both old and new. Keep in mind you’re not as young as you used to be. Choose age-appropriate pastimes.

Retirement can be the best years of your life. All it takes is some planning and preparation. We invite you to explore the over 200 articles here on Eggstack News where you will find a wealth of information to help you plan for retirement.

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