Rick Steiner Ph.D - Retirement, different by design : six building blocks fundamentally changing how life after work is viewed, planned for, and lived

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Retirement: Different by Design

Text copyright 2015 Rick Steiner

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

ISBN: 978-1-57826-556-5

eBook ISBN: 978-1-57826-557-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

Cover and Interior Design by Carolyn Kasper

v3.1

Dedicated to my mother and father who allowed me the freedom to become who I am; to my wife for loving and accepting me for who I have become; and to our children and their children who will travel their own roads through lifelong may they ride!

BUILDING BLOCK #1:
PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

BUILDING BLOCK #2:
FINANCIAL SECURITY AND CONTINUITY

BUILDING BLOCK #3:
LIFE TRANSITION AND ACCEPTANCE

BUILDING BLOCK #4:
INTERGENERATIONAL LIFE ENGAGEMENT

BUILDING BLOCK # 5:
INTELLECTUAL AND PHYSICAL PURSUITS, INTERESTS, AND ACTIVITIES

BUILDING BLOCK #6:
SPIRITUALITY, MEANING, FAMILY, AND LEGACY

Toto, Ive got a feeling were not in Kansas anymore.

F RANK L. B AUM

Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end.

S ENECA

RETIREMENT: PROLOGUE OR EPILOGUE?

We come from everywhere and anywherewe share common visions, purposes, and aspirations; we are on the road to the same place, a place called Retirement. This book is dedicated to the Boomer Generation, all 76 million of us, and to the 10,000 Boomers who will be retiring every day until the year 2029 and are all asking themselves the same question: Am I really ready to retire? It is also for the many millions of us who have already retired but are flirting with failing retirements, who may be asking a different question: Is that all there is?

You see, this book is about us, the Boomers, you and me, men and women who were raised by the Greatest Generation, the children of those who not only saved the world but made planet earth a better (while not perfect) place for us to grow up. And grow up we did, whether we wanted to or not. We took the world we were given, and then, for good or bad, shaped it in our image just as our children are doing today. Then we started retiring to enjoy the fruits of our labors and the retirement trickle soon became a flood. We passed the baton of youth on to the next generation with confidence that our legacy would be recognized, remembered, and reborn in the hearts and minds of our progeny for generations yet to come. We were the:

Bakers, Takers, Commanders-in-Chief;

Dreamers, Schemers, Apparatchiks;

Doers, Darers, Leaders of Fief;

Fathers, Mothers, Providers of Relief;

Builders, Breakers, Persons of Belief;

Inventers, Dissenters, Givers of Grief

STUFF HAPPENS

In the continuum between our youth and old age a lot of stuff happened, some good, some bad, some life changing, some life stealing, some painful, some joyful, some memorable. During this time opportunities emerged; hopes and dreams were fulfilled or shattered as we moved through lifes ages and stages. Some of us grew stronger in the face of challenges while others weakened; some of us learned from our failures while others were destined to constantly repeat them. But through it all, transitions relentlessly occurred, some silent and barely noticed, others profoundly real and agonized over. Retirement is one of those consequential changes in life, it offers us a unique opportunity to start over, to move beyond the past and to once again live forward.

DOORWAY TO THE REST OF OUR LIVES

Work gave us our status, our sustenance, our structure, our social context; it was how we organized our lives. Even if we did not fully enjoy our work, at least we understood its demands and requirements. Retirement to some is symbolic of our aging selves, of our powerlessness to stop the hands of time; the ending of our life at work. It may be feared or longed for, depending on our perspective. Most of us, however, view retirement as a new beginning where the past is now prologue; it is our opportunity to shape a new life for ourselves without the controls and obligations imposed by work or by others. Retirement presents new opportunities to those who seek them; challenges to those who have yet to understand its full implications; and a threat to those who neither desire nor value anything other than work. Whatever our perspective, our lives should be guided by the singular principle of living in the present while remaining informed by the past and reality-checked by the future, with the assurance that dreams have no boundaries. Dare to keep dreaming, its our doorway to a new realityand the rest of our lives.

WHAT THIS BOOK AND RETIREMENT ARE ABOUT

This book is about empowerment and our willingness and ability to shape the rest of our lives in our own image. Its about retirements three powers that are granted to every retiree: (1) The Power of Unlimited Possibilitiesour retirements are only limited by our imaginations and our willingness to challenge our minds, bodies, and emotional selves; (2) The Power of Self-Determinationwe have earned the right to control our lives and our personal destinies, not the other way around; and (3) The Power to Do Something Simple and New EveryDayread a book, contemplate the universe, or climb a mountain.

This book is about what retirement is and what it is not. Its about Retirements Six Fundamental Building Blocks; and Retirements Ages and Stages. Its about the soon-to-be retired who have yet to make one of lifes most consequential decisions and the reluctant retirees torn between two worlds, fearful of what they will find on the other side of work. Its about those flirting with failing retirements and not knowing how to turn them around. Its about coming to terms with our retirements and learning how to psychologically, behaviorally, and financially adjust to our new lives after work. Its about retirements must-dos and what-not-to-dos. Its about accepting our aging us. Its about challenging our minds and our bodies and engaging life up close and personal. Its about accepting our new lives with eyes wide open; its about living forward, not in the past; and about who we will become, not about who we used to be. Its about challenging life and tempting fate; its about exploration, travel, and adventure; its about friends and family, about meaning, legacy, reconciliation, forgiveness, and spirituality. Its about optimism, and respect for others and for ourselves. It is about making a commitment to a healthy lifestyle. Its about having a love affair with retirement because some things happen only once. Its about committing to and getting lost in adventure. Its about knowing when we are