“I can’t wait to retire!”
You’ve heard it before. People, often those Baby Boomers who have worked hard for many years, are looking at retirement as a light at the end of the tunnel. They want to put their feet up and enjoy life. But retirement may not be the panacea people believe.
For many, a job is part of their identity, and according to Terry Weers, director of counseling services at TLU, it can play into their own sense of self-worth. With retirement they feel they have lost their identity, self-respect, and purpose.
“I have seen people who retire go into a state of depression, grieving for the loss of this identity,” Weers says. “They have attached their profession to their sense of self. It defines them.”
The key to making retirement successful, she says, is to have a plan – a roadmap to making retirement the most successful and fulfilling phase of life.
Retirement age can vary – from early retirement to never retiring, 65 is generally considered as normal. While there are many who retire at 62 – or earlier – and many others who work well into their 70s and beyond, studies show that it is not uncommon to spend 30 or 40 years in retirement – a long time to plan for.
“You have to plan your financial future first,” Weers says. “You have to make sure you’ve prepared – you don’t want to be lacking.”
Dr. Ron Utecht, who says he has “retired” from the Air Force, from Pan American University, and from Texas Lutheran, still teaches two classes a semester.
He points out that putting money in 401(k) type accounts early on gave him the flexibility to spend retirement on his own terms. He teaches not for the paycheck, but because it is his passion.
In his entrepreneur class, he gives his students an eye-opening look at personal finances. By starting to save early, there is money to do the things you want to do when you retire.
And Utecht wants to teach. At 76, he feels that he has more to give to students. He says that being with 20 year-olds keeps his mind sharp and his life purposeful. He quotes Confucious, “Find a job you love, and you’ll never work another day of your life.”
But, as Weers says, not everyone is as lucky to have found a calling that continues in retirement. For many considering retirement, they want a change. And it takes work to determine those next steps, map out a plan and follow it.
The Plan
But you’ve heard this one, too – “When I retire, I am going to do absolutely nothing.”
While a person may be tired of their job or just plain tired and that may sound appealing for a while, after a few weeks even hard-core nappers are ready for some action. Weers suggests that the time to start the emotional plan of retirement is long before a person actually retires.
A person needs a hobby – whether it is something artistic or learning how to play tennis or writing poetry, you have to have something to do.
Discover a passion for something, Weers advises. Find a hobby that you can see yourself doing – physically and mentally – for the rest of your life. This could be any of a hundred things or a combination of activities.
It is beneficial to transition gradually from total focus on a job to total retirement. This may mean trying new activities and interests or even a different part-time job in a new area before you retire.
For example, if a woman decides she wants to run a marathon after retirement, it is wise to begin running long before she retires. She must transition to a healthy and balanced lifestyle.
If a man decides he wants to still work – but instead of working as an accountant, he wants to make furniture, it makes sense to begin building furniture in his spare time to make the transition to retirement easier.
Or if volunteering is your passion, volunteer before you retire with an organization that you feel strongly about. It will be a more fulfilling activity after retirement.
Weers also notes that it is important to make sure that you and your spouse are on the same page when you are deciding what you would like to do in retirement. Even if you are retiring at different times, you still need a plan that includes both of you.
Sense of Community
The social aspect of retirement also requires some transition.
“If people have a job where they work with a community of people, it may be very difficult to walk away from,” says Weers. “Retiring from a place like Texas Lutheran would create a big hole in their lives – unless they were already involved outside in the community and continue to be involved.”
Weers points out that it is not unlike the emotions that college seniors may go through when they graduate. “Even though they say they can’t wait to get out of here, after they leave they find that there is a vacuum – friends are scattered and they are no longer part of the TLU community.”
It is important to find a community that can continue after retirement, Weers says, whether it is through church, the Sierra Club, or as a volunteer at the animal shelter or Habitat for Humanity. Studies show that by continuing to be involved, the transition into retirement is easier.
Weers noted the number of retired professors who continue to be involved in Seguin and the TLU community following their retirement. Some, such as Utecht, remain involved by continuing to teach on a part-time basis. Many others, like Dr. Evelyn Streng, attend events at the university and continue to remain active through volunteer efforts.
Part of the challenge is to remain physically and mentally healthy. Weers encourages lifelong learning to continue to stimulate the mind and remain alert as one ages. By discovering your passion and expanding your knowledge and activities, she predicts a long and healthy retirement.
Or, as Utecht points out, “Retirement is just another day. The question is what are you going to do with it?”
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