The happiest retirees have learned this lesson
It’s all the rage now. You’re supposed to find, follow and live your passion. I’m one of those who shout it from the rooftops. In fact, the closing words to my TED talk about fear are, “Let the passion drive you through any fear and obstacles that get in your way. Have confidence in your passion as a tool of strength. Passion is stronger than fear. Let passion rule your day.”
But with so much attention on finding our passion, we sometimes fail to see the beauty and importance in other areas of our lives. Even in retirement.
The happiest retired people I know are interested in more than alone passion. They lead a balanced life. That’s because retirement is a balancing act.
We can all improve the balance in our lives, so why not start right here, right now with Your Retirement Wheel? (See how it works and get a free copy so you can print and write on it.)
Mark how you think you’re doing, or will do, on each of the spokes of the wheel. Farthest out at 5 is best. If you draw a line connecting those marks on each spoke, how circular does your wheel look? Why are some of the elements of your wheel not at the furthest point? Can you work on them? Most people are able to see painfully clearly from this exercise what areas need effort.
Spokes of the wheel
From my experience as a retirement coach, while the happiest retirees have a passion, they leave enough room in their lives for the other spokes of the wheel.
Achieving a balanced life is an eagerness to explore all that life has to offer. How do you do that? One step at a time.
Just do one thing to improve the wheel’s balance — in one area — once a day, week or month. Slowly but surely, your wheel will come back in balance. For example, if your social/family area is 2, go visit a friend. Then move that spoke from a 2 to a 3.
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