“Why not concentrate on the now instead of hoping for better times in the future? … Isn’t the future just another trap?”
— Anthony de Mello
We receive emails from many of our readers who are reaching what I call “Retire-ability” – a point when we decide what to do with the rest of our lives. The Monty Python line comes to mind: “And now for something completely different!”
Many people look forward to retirement as a grand holiday – a time to relax and make up for all those years of work, work, work. It’s as if life owes us time for peace of mind.
The challenge with doing something completely different is that we have no experience with it. We don’t know how it feels. We don’t know how to use our time when we suddenly have so much of it. We don’t anticipate some of the consequences of being in a new situation. How many couples are really prepared for being together 24/7 for the rest of their lives?
Some corporations actually send their senior employees home for 3 to 6 months and then watch many of them come running back to work. You can just imagine some of the reasons why.
Realizing that I am reaching an age of ‘retire-ability’ has helped me look at life differently. For a long time now, I’ve been exploring how I can blend retire-ability into my ongoing lifestyle. How can I integrate what I most want in retirement into my life now?
This is a really powerful exercise for people of any age. Our son was looking ahead to enjoying freedom in the summer. I helped him shift his perspective with “Summer is NOW. Why postpone what you want?” Now he is preparing to cook an outdoor camping meal with snow still on the ground.
No matter what age you are, journal on this perspective – Retire-ability is NOW. Test drive it. What will you do when you ‘get time’? Then consider doing it now.
What does retirement (or next summer or your ideal job or …) look like to you? Are you running towards something you want or away from something you don’t want? Where do you really find meaning and fulfillment in life?
Now is the only time we have. Bring your future to life now with the help of Higher Awareness.