Creating a Happy Retirement

Description

Our life can be viewed as three stages. In the first, we are told what to do and when to do it by our parents and teachers. In the second, our employers give us directions, usually with set working hours. In the third stage, when we retire, what we do with our time and lives is something we must decide. The transition into retirement, with seemingly endless options, can be challenging. Most books on retirement concentrate on the financial aspects of retirement. This is book does not. This is a workbook crafted to help you plan your own life after work: both long-term and day-to-day. It does not tell you what to do; it provides you with the tools to create your own action plan. The book leads you and your partner through a series of exercises designed to help you understand and focus on what is important to you, and make the decisions which will help give your retirement years a structure. The book includes a access to a kit of forms and exercises; a workbook for planning your retirement.
Contents
Cover
Titlepage
Introduction
Preface
PART I: Thinking About Retirement
Chapter 1: Introduction
What makes us happy?
Attitudes towards aging
The characteristics of happiness
Character, happiness, planning, and retirement
How to use this book if you are already retired
Chapter 2: When, Where, What
Longevity is our future
When should I retire?
Retirement is not for everyone
Who are you?
How do you use your free time?
When to start your planning for life in retirement
Where to live in retirement
Chapter 3: Issues in Planning
Why plan your retirement life?
Planning and spontaneity
Planning and emotion
Planning as a couple
PART II: Working on Retirement (Exercises)
Chapter 4: Where Have You Been?
Looking back before looking forward
How to do these exercises
Exercise #1 – Life Review
Exercise #2
Exercise #3
Exercise #4
Exercise #5
Exercise #6
Exercise #7
Exercise #8
Exercise #9
Chapter 5: The Transition into Retirement
1. How anxious do you think you will be when retirement happens?
2. What do you think your anxiety is about?
3. How difficult do you think it will be to “let go” of your workplace?
4. What in particular might be hard to let go of, and is there any way to build this thing
into your retirement?
5. What work issues will you be escaping from or trying to avoid in the future?
6. What does retirement mean to you now, in this context, as you think about it?
7. Did you see close family members retire and how did they do it?
8. To what extent were you in charge of your own schedule in your workplace?
9. On balance, would you say that retirement for you is more about “getting away” from
something or more about “moving towards” something?
10. To what extent would you say that your work is central to your identity?
11. What is the experience of aging like for you? How well do you think you will age?
12. What do you know about your own coping skills as you deal with change?
Conclusion
Chapter 6: General Issues for a Happy Retired Life
An attitude of gratitude
Money does count in the happiness equation, but …
1. What are you doing to maintain good physical health for the coming years?
2. What are you doing to maintain good psychological health?
3. What are you doing to improve or maintain relationships with family and friends?
4. What do you think about the purpose of life, and how you will pursue yours?
5. What are your thoughts about and how are you preparing for really old age?
Chapter 7: Where Are You Going?
Exercise #1 – What, from the past, do you want to build into your future life?
Exercise #2 – Your vision statement for your future
Exercise #3 – Imagining your time line for the future
Exercise #4 – Brainstorming ideas for future activities and setting priorities
Exercise #5 – Bringing together your plans as a couple
Exercise #6 – Developing your own timelines
Exercise #7 – Make it happen
Exercise #8 – Go do it! And enjoy.
Chapter 8: The Forms Kit
About the Authors
Notice to Readers
Self-Counsel Press thanks you for purchasing this ebook.

Subjects

• Books
• Savoirs
• Humanities and social sciences
• Ageing
• Self-help

Informations

• Published by: Self-Counsel Press
• Published: 10 May 2013
• Reads: 0
• EAN13: 9781770409248
• Language: English

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