How To Enjoy The Best Years Of Your Life
The Golden Years. Those lazy years of retirement when it’s time to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Your retirement years should be a happy time. Why do I say that? Well, there are several reasons:
For one thing, surely all of us can say we’ve learned some things during our journey through life. We’ve learned what mistakes not to make again. We’ve realized that we aren’t “bulletproof” and that we are not going to get out of this life alive. And as the world’s philosophers have always said, life is short.
We’ve probably learned what is essential in life, those life lessons that can be shared with others — family, quality time with family and friends, and relationships that truly have meaning.
The little things become more and more critical. We know how to take time to ‘smell the roses and not to sweat the small and meaningless stuff because, in reality, it is all small stuff.
We ask ourselves, “Is this going to matter six months from now? 6 weeks from now?” We’ve finally been able to understand that most of the things that we’ve ever worried about or stressed over didn’t end up happening or being that important.
A recent study by a well-known IVY League School found that stress and excessive worry is the defining cause of shortening life as well as reducing the overall quality of life. In short: stress kills.
A good friend of mine who always has seemed to possess the ability to deal with life’s curveballs said it best: “After all Stressed is just Desserts spelled backward.” Of course, saying it and feeling less stressed is the hard part.
WebMD (https://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/blissing-out-10-relaxation-techniques-reduce-stress-spot) offered 10 tips for dealing with and reducing stress. Meditation, breathing, laughing, and exercise are just a few things that can help with stress. Have a look at the link and learn these techniques.
Retirement is a time for looking back at our accomplishments and then looking ahead to the next exciting chapter of our lives. Retirement will bring new challenges, and the adventure becomes dealing with these new challenges. What to do with increased time on our hands? Do we start a new career this time just for fun? Do we give back to society — do volunteer work? Retirement is a time of opportunity, a time of appreciation, and should be a time to relish and enjoy!
And, what can derail our enjoyment and appreciation of these Best Years of Our Lives? What are the two leading causes of stress? Two things: Health & Money. More specifically, poor health and lack of money.
1) Poor Health. Sometimes this is unavoidable because of genetics. But, it’s never too late to exercise, eat more healthily, and improve the quality and length of your life. At some point, Father Time catches up to everyone. But, do not go gentle into that good night; use every possible means available, and never quit!
2) Lack of Money or even worse — outliving your money. If your money is running out, stress comes along to replace it.
We probably have expended more energy chasing money over our lifetimes than any other endeavor. Buy a house, educate the kids, build the retirement fund, and on and on and on. Our world runs on money, and it becomes even more critical once we stop working and depending on a paycheck coming in every week. Dealing with inflation concerns and the cost of essentials ten years from now, prices, taxes, and costs will all be higher. Most Baby Boomers do not have a pension, and we’ve always known that Social Security is only meant to supplement our income.
What can you do? It’s never too late to start, to make a plan. Be honest with yourself and your money: What do you own and what is the “real” value? The real value is simple: how much income can an asset provide? The secret is simple: it is not how much money you have; it is how much money will your money provide in income.
What NOT to do? Ignore the problem. It won’t go away.
Meet with an advisor who specializes in Retirement Financial Planning. There are new strategies and financial products that can ensure that you never run out of money no matter how long you and your spouse live.
Guaranteed.
Never run out of money so that you can enjoy your life, your free time, and your family! Make your retirement years truly golden and make them the Best Years of Your Life!
There is no better way to enjoy the Golden Years than by combining good health with a good secure retirement. Helen Sanders Chief Editor of Health Ambition has great tips to help accomplish that goal. 15 Easy Ways to Relax Under 5 Minutes.
Have a look: https://www.healthambition.com/ways-to-relax/
