One of the biggest problems executive coaches have is freeing clients from the here and now so they can think about retirement planning. Short-term vision is a formidable obstacle, but it is not insurmountable. Here are some simple and quite painless steps that you can take to sort of “edge up” to the major lifestyle change we are likely to experience.
(1) Buy a tablet of graph paper and design your favorite retirement room. It could be a library or a craft or media room or a deluxe outdoor gardening center. It doesn’t matter. Just let your imagination take you to a pleasant place. Get some books on room design. Get into it.
(2) Take a tour at a local RV sales center. You may have never even considered a mobile retirement lifestyle, but do it as a fling. If you have already tasted this nomadically romantic option, you know how enticing it can be. If not… think of the trip as retirement “research”.
(3) Plan a vacation at or near one of the well-recognized “best places to retire,” and check it out. These are small towns near good universities with great healthcare and cultural enrichments. Money magazine (October 2010) identified them as: Hanover NH, Lexington KY, Bellingham WA, Durham NC, and Prescott AZ. (My personal favorites are Kerrville TX and Ashland OR.)
(4) Author the first chapter of that book you have always thought about writing. It might be a family history (you should do that anyway), or a sci-fi novel, or an interesting approach to your medical specialty. Imagine all the time you need to work on it.
What’s the point? It is an exercise in taste testing the benefits of retirement.
Try it.
Terry Fries has been an author and professional executive coach since 1983.
*Every individual situation is different. All recommendations should be double-checked with qualified professional legal and financial counsel familiar with your unique situation and needs.