Baby Boomers: Next Stop Retirement
It seems almost absurd for baby boomers to think about retirement as the next stop in their long and eventful lives. But the absurd has become a reality. As the baby boomer generation moves into their mid fifties and sixties, retirement looms ever closer. So it’s natural to sit back and review exactly what that means to each of us.
For many, the traditional attitude toward retirement has been one of joy. The idea of bringing your work life to an end is something to look forward to.
The image of a life of sleeping late, golfing as much as you wish, taking up two or three hobbies and living a life of leisure is idyllic.
“Don’t act your age in retirement. Act like the inner young person you have always been.”
— J. A. West
The Reality of Retirement
The reality of retirement can be a source of anxiety and fear.
If the baby boomer is not financially prepared for retirement or they are not ready to give up work, the idea of retirement, simply due to age, seems to be a harsh and an unpleasant prospect.
In both of these visions of retirement, we are probably not aware of the reality about what it will be like to retire. However, one thing we baby boomers are good at is defying convention and defining each era of our lives on our own terms.
We can expect the same as more baby boomers move into retirement. Unlike previous generations we don’t have the benefit of employers keeping the same staff from school through to retirement with a nice retirement package.
Retirement Is Not Only About Money
As baby boomers see retirement coming, another myth that has to go is that retirement is the end being productive.
This image of living a life of leisure, never working and letting others take care of us is not a healthy approach to retirement. (See my previous post: The Mental, Physical and Social Aspects Of Retirement)
People are at their best when they are useful, creative, productive and pursuing a dream.
It has been shown time and time again that when someone stops working and stop seeing themselves as productive, their will to live declines with the result of life ending earlier than it has to.
The financial demand that some baby boomers face that they may have to work in their retirement years may have a hidden blessing……. extending their lives in a healthy way
For those who do stop working at retirement age, second careers are often a great way for aging baby boomers to not only create a second income stream but to pursue a path that had always been a dream in life.
Staying active in retirement is a must to remain healthy, alert, valued and maybe that stream of income as a bonus.
You might like this article The Eight Keys to a Successful Retirement Life
Retirement really can mean a new lease of life. For instance, I took the “tired” out of “retired” and called myself “reawakened” instead hence my title “The Reawakened Entrepreneur”. Working for myself from home has given me new purpose and enabled me to meet many new friends across the world. I can’t imagine not doing something and not working at all is almost foreign to me now.
It could be the same for many other baby boomers if they so choose.
If you got some value out of todays post Baby Boomers: Next Stop Retirement, I would love it if you left me a comment below.
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I can’t ever picture “retirement” in the sense of not doing work I love.
The great part about your definition means finally doing what I’ve always dreamed of! Now THAT’S retirement! Thx Lynda :)
You welcome Justin. Living your dreams is what its all about in the end. Thanks for commenting
I get told all the time that I’m not acting my age… I guess that’s a good thing…. Thanks for sharing this Lynda Kenny
Thanks a lot Ron. I love not acting my age. Maybe one day we will meet and not act our age together, lol