Take these three steps to an outrageous retirement
1. Think Big
2. Don’t listen to ordinary people
3. Find your passion
Have you stopped thinking big?
Society and the media don’t like big thinkers. They prefer ordinary. They may call it normal or maybe average but it is small thinking. It is what everybody expects. It is not surprising or remarkable. Let’s be blunt! Ordinary is dull. Ordinary is predictable. Ordinary is passive. Lets be honest here. Was being ordinary ever your goal at any time in your life? When you were a kid, was your fantasy to grow up to be ordinary? I don’t think so. Aging successfully and having an outrageous retirement means that you don’t settle for ordinary. Think big.
Who says retirement should be dull?
Dull people do. It is like a conspiracy produced by people who have given up on themselves. If they have settled for an ordinary existence then they want everybody else to settle as well. Achievers make them feel bad. They make them find excuses for their humdrum existence. They don’t like you to get exited. They especially don’t like seeing passion and energy dedicated to making a difference. These are the folks who will tell you to take it easy, don’t wear yourself out, Don’t listen to them because they are thinking about themselves and not you. They have given up on themselves and want you to give them cover.
Get to work. Find your passion.
You won’t see passion in an ordinary retirement. So pull our the stops to find (or reawaken) yours. Make sure that your retirement is filled with activities that you are passionate about. If that stops you because you have lost your passion don’t despair. It is probably just hiding. You need to let it grow again. Give it a chance to grow by participating. Be more active and until you find your passion, try many things. Start with things that you used to get excited about or maybe always wanted to do and try them out again. Maybe it is golf? Maybe it is gardening? Maybe it is tutoring? Do them long enough to discover if you have a passion but keep looking until you find it. When you discover the passion in your life, you will turn your retirement from ordinary to outrageous. Don’t be afraid to try new things along the way.
Leave a comment about your retirement. If you have found your passion, please share in the comments section. Was it hard or easy to find. If you are still looking, share your search.
You are so right about thinking big! I think sometimes as we get older, we lose that happy capacity to dream big. Most young people do it naturally but we get worn down through the years. Our retirement years are a great time to follow dreams we weren’t able to follow when we were working, raising kids, etc. My husband and I are buying an RV and traveling before we build our retirement home on 10 acres near a lake, which we’ve always wanted to do. We are dreaming big and we’re happy!
Joan,
That is a great story. Too many people just retire in place (and die). Stop back and share your outrageous retirement adventures to inspire them to think bigger.
NO DULL RETIREMENTS! Good points Ralph. What others think and do about “ordinary retirement” should not influence your direction. Passion only dies if you let it. And there are so many things to do when you have the time to do it. Retirement is only the beginning!
Dave’s last Blog Post ..3 Steps to the Good Life in retirement
Great points Dave. Use that time to do what you really love.