How to spend your retired life giving your best
How to use your time in best way
The past has meaning as it lights up the present, and the future as it makes the present richer and more profound. By- Rollo May, Man's Search for Himself (1953), on page 227
I have been reading a book on my e-Book reader ‘Man’s Search for Himself’ by Rollo May where he has covered different topics like loneliness, boredom, emptiness in human’ life . These are part of life of every human being at some point or other especially one who has just retired. But as they say 'never go back to look in your past, which is most unlikely to come back but utilize present wisely, that will help your future'. I do not know who said it and what words he used but the saying is absolutely a perfect one for people who have just retired from active service.
Future planning for a better life
Advance planning is one of the best ways to make life happy after retirement, to safeguard and key to security which most people should learn nearing their retirement. A person about to retire must be ready mentally and financially before retirement to lead a happy life after he cease to be in office, business or an active professional life. Concisely speaking, one should be well prepared for a different life because it brings several changes in life and that too so suddenly that one who is not ready to face them, finds himself lost or even feels depressed. So to keep ‘sudden' part out of life that may hit hard to persons not prepared to face it, they should begin thinking in advance. One should also keep in mind that retirement is associated with old age that has its own physical, mental, social and financial effects on a person. Conclusion – there is no alternative of pre-planning for a person who is about to reach his retirement age.
You are depending upon your fate
If you are a God fearing person who thinks everything in life happens as the destiny has in store for you when you were born, you might feel satisfied whatever comes your way but that could be perhaps a harder life compared to what you deserved if only you had cared to plan a little more carefully. This may sound weird but that is naked fact. The people on the edge of retirement should think about their future before it is too late. The right way to face coming problems is to think about them when time is on your side because the ones who depend heavily upon fate understand it when it is too late.
Just look at this scene – Imagine someone who spent all his life in a job having all facilities but never planned for post retirement life. He came to his hometown in perfect health, some money in hand and pension to spend rest of his life with his family that was living in a rented house. Soon his two sons shifted with their families to places where they worked. After couple of years when he became too weak, unable to live alone but now there is no one to look after him because his sons never cared for him especially ever since the man distributed his cash with his sons. Now the man is spending his life with his sick wife trying to adjust with insufficient amount that he gets as his pension to pay for all his needs including house rent. And all his sufferings are there because he did not plan his future carefully.
Some people think either too hard or do not think at all, both these situations are not helpful in solving the problems properly. This is not proper to let the problem overtake one very hard and make him worry too much. If someone is finding it too troubling thinking about his future if he has not planned it, maybe one could get nightmares. But this situation is also not ideal for a perfect solution. This can lead a person to state of depression, so it is wise to think and plan while it is best time to do, right from the beginning of your career. To prepare for a better future, the right time to work on that is NOW. Our life is like a precious stone, which is invaluable for us, do not waste it. We should learn to evaluate it properly by taking full advantage doing best things today. If we are saving, our best efforts for future perhaps we may later regret because what we consider is our future will be converted in present then and we shall not be as strong and youthful at that time. So start doing it when you are capable-Today.
This is another opportunity to live life
People who still live active after retirement are the ones who enjoy their lives not only for their own but also helping others because the life is not yet finished for them. That is only end of a phase and beginning of another. This is as if one is provided an opportunity to use his experiences of lifetime to utilize their achievements in different ways. It gives an opportunity to renew your relations with your friends, relatives and neighbors allover again. Actually speaking this is high time one gets opportunities to look the world with new angles. Retirement is a new stepping into a new life with new vigor and agility. Although it is a fact that people who entering in retired life face different problems coming from their own people but here the art of your combat against such problems come into play. How to live a retired life is an art, which a man should master before his retirement to live a happy life-
1- If a man has to live alone with limited family consisting of his wife after retirement, he should be very cautious and active at the same time keeping himself involved in different activities –
* Taking part in different outdoor and indoor sports, according to individual capability
* Reading habits help a person keep busy; there is no friend better than a book. Have as many friends as you can
* Participation in music and dancing activities to keep mentally and physically fit
* Going for historical and other pleasure trips help one keep happy and interested
2- Spend your time with young people that keeps you feel young. It is better to participate in online activities, which will help you learn new topics besides interacting with people from different parts of the world will enhance your knowledge. Never think in negative way, always think in terms of ‘life’ death is for dead men.
3- Playing with children is one of the best ways to keep a person happy. If you have no children in your household you can always find children plying in your nearby parks. That will keep you in touch with Nature and children both, perhaps the best way to spend some quality time.
4- Keep in touch with Nature, as this is the only way of keeping in direct touch of Mother Nature. If you can manage to develop a liking for trees, rivers, streams, bushes, forests wherever the music of nature plays its magic, you perhaps need no other method to keep you happy. For retired people who love Mother Nature, live longer and happier lives. Mother Nature is undoubtedly full of life who loves all whoever comes in her lap.
How to make plans for future
It is not a process which begins when you are about to reach your retirement but it starts right from the day you enter into a career. You will have to take every step carefully to give your future a clear shape. You will have to include various aspects of life which include financial, social and self-sufficiency in your vision. You should think with a very positive mindset using all resources at your disposal to utilizing them fully because you have to take all the possibilities related to your future physical, mental and social status into account. Retired life is altogether different from active job period therefore, you need to follow certain principles strictly. You should consider having a look on the following points to make your future bright and full of happiness-
A- Financial security – If you think that you will live a happy life for ever because you are earning good is not sufficient and it is more dangerous to think that you can start saving for future when you will reach near the age of retirement. It is a process that begins the day you begin your first earning and continues until you retire ultimately. That is the key of a successful financial future. If you think, you can survive on pension and funds that is perhaps not a wise idea. This could be more problematic if you have children to support and you have not completed your responsibilities before your retirement. Plan carefully to have enough money before retirement and keep it safe. It is not wise to distribute your money among your children without a valid reason.
B- Make your children self-sufficient – The best you can give to your children is good education. It is wise to develop them into good citizen, give them good habits, good education in place of keep them telling that they are children of well to do family who need not worry for their future. The worst you can do is to make them satisfied providing them with lot of money at a young age without telling them importance education and hard work. We should educate them in professional courses and help stand them on their own feet. It is not necessary that they help you financially in your old age but if they are no burden on you, you have done your job successfully. What else a man can offer to this world but well educated citizen?
C- Own residence should be your preference- There is nothing like a home of your own. It should be ‘Earlier the better’ but certainly best before retirement. The present generation is more aware about this fact and most of them reach to the stage of their own home by the age of 35 that is with in 10 years of their service period. Some of them do it within 5 years with the help of home-loans available for the purpose. It is better to have your own home as soon as possible which saves you lot of money that you pay in form of rent. And not to forget the increasing costs and rents which eat up a big part of your income and become a big problem in retired life, especially after retirement. Own home is one of the biggest assets in the present living conditions.
D- Marriage of your children- We still find it a tough job to find a good match in our country despite so many changes. This is a bigger problem in case of a daughter and if someone has more than one daughter, it is better to try to arrange before retirement or as early as possible. Once you have discharged your duty successfully, your married children will be a source of happiness for you to lead a satisfied retired life.
E- A man is known for his good or bad behavior in his locality- The key to be a successful member of a society is how you behave with your neighbors. A man with good habits and behavior earns lot of respect and it affects his retired life up to a great extent. A well-mannered person who keeps good relations with everyone finds himself better placed in the society compared to people who have no such qualities. A person who never indulges in criticizing others for no reasons can never get proper respect in society. To spend a good respectful retired life is to be cooperative, helpful and humble. People in return will help you in your need as much as possible.
The retired life
Retirement is a term that means to be separated from a job or profession after a certain age. Retirement in fact is a tradition that comes naturally when one reaches to certain age to make way for younger generation and live life with a new angle. In our country, people in different sectors retire at different ages starting 58 to 65 but in other countries where people have a better life expectancy work up to 70 years and then in some countries there is no fixed age of retirement where people work as long as they can and then separate from their respective jobs.
Retirement is a need for every person who has worked for a long time to spare some time for his own after doing a long stint in job. Retirement is not inactivity but a well-earned rest, beginning of a new life, which should be taken in that very sense. People should fulfill their long awaited desires of social activities, besides spending time for them own.
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