What does retirement look like to you? Does it look the same as how your parents are spending their retirement? Will you follow their patterns? Maybe they worked until their sixties, relied on a good separation or retirement package that came with their employment, and had their pensions help sustain them. Maybe they are traveling the world or have relocated permanently to a tropical country, and having the time of their lives.
Is this what you envision for yourself as well? Or are you looking to tweak the patterns a bit, take the good out of what they’ve practiced and sift away the rest? Now is the best time to be asking (and answering) these questions.
If you want a happy retirement, you should be rewiring your philosophies immediately. Here are the essential questions you should be asking so that you can steer yourself in the right direction:
1. Cement your vision for happiness.
What will give you the ultimate happiness? Is it a big house, a sports car, or living in a different location altogether? What are you feeling as you see all these things that are present in your life? It is important to be as concrete as possible regarding what you want in your later years, but the most important thing is to believe that you deserve it and that you will attain it.
2. Are you keeping yourself happy right now?
The only way to be happy in the future is to be happy now. Get away from the mentality that you will only be happy when you achieve certain things – happiness now is the best promise of happiness tomorrow.
3. Are you taking care of your body?
One of the worries concerning retirement is the medical bills. Yes, there are people who can take care of you – family, caregivers, beautiful assisted living institutions such as Longhouse Adult Family Homes . There is also a way to rid yourself of the possibilities of chronic disease in the first place, and that’s through living a healthy lifestyle. Keep tabs on your diet, your physical activity, your sleep, and your level of happiness. All of these factors contribute to a healthy spirit and body, and will save you tons of money on medicine and maintenance – money you can use for your happiness.
4. Are you being practical with your spending?
It may seem basic, but the habit of practicality has far reaching consequences when compounded. If you are practical in everything you do – when you are living within or even below your means; when you are spending only on what you truly need and want instead of overbuying or overindulging; when you reduce your loans and save enough for investment – then you over time find yourself constantly happy with whatever you have. Contrary to popular belief, true wealth is not amassing fortunes, but rather, it’s contentment with what you already have.
It sounds simple, but building these foundations will help you on the road to a great life post-retirement. They’re simple enough to implement into your life, so try them, and see the difference they can make.