How to Find Purpose or Ikigai in Retirement

The Retirement Plan

How am I thinking positively about starting my retirement – my future happiness. This may not be as straightforward as it appears. On the one hand, I will not need to get up early and start working, on the other hand, what will I do?

Prepare for Change

Many stages of my life planned out with a structure, for example, from an early age, I studied in school then higher education. After that, I worked, completed an MBA, married, bought a house, payed the mortgage, raised children.

Consequently, learning to cope with change, overcoming challenges, meeting goals. We have targets, objectives, people rely on us, in short, we have purpose.

Can I shift my focus, gradually, from a working mindset to a retirement mindset? Conversely, create as much purpose in retirement as I had in work.

Find a Balance

I had a demanding career, with lots of travel, irregular and extended hours. That occupies most of your mind leaving little time to prepare for retirement. “Downsizing” my job, allowed me to spend more time with my family, build a social life, volunteer as a Scout leader, and take some time to think about the future.

Although, this was forced on me through redundancy, rather than going back into a similar job, I searched for something with a better work/life balance. Otherwise, it would have taken a lot of courage to do take a significant pay.

Find a New Purpose

What do you want to do when you retire? Hopefully, you will have some available finance, and some time. It may be the first opportunity when you have both money and time for yourself. Time to take on a new challenge, with someone you love. How can you combine your passions with your partners passions to create the retirement plan for both of you?

Specifically, writing, wildlife, nature, being outside, sailing, reading, travelling, planning and organising, budgeting, day to day excitement.

Support your ethics. Low carbon sustainable footprint. Volunteer and take some time to support good causes.

Share time with family having regular contact and shared communication. Travel back from time to time.

Have an end point in mind for the next stage and some ideas about how that might look.

Live within means. Sustainable budgeting.

Don’t stop learning and keep the mind active.