Retirement - What to Do and What Not to Do

When the day finally arrives and you realise that you no longer have to go into work you may feel a sense of shock and  a  feeling of sadness for a part of your life which has passed.

However you have a new stage of life ahead of you and there are a lot of opportunities if only you are able to recognise them and take action on them.

Avoid the following:

Being closed to doing things differently. If you are  a creature of habit and if someone suggests there is another way to do something you react immediately by saying that the way you do it has served you well all your life and there is no way you are going to do something differently now. Letting your health deteriorate You no longer have to go to work so your routine has changed so you sit around more than you used to and eat whatever you fancy all day long. Some of what you fancy is rather unhealthy too but you convince yourself that after all you have done you now deserve to treat yourself in this way. Being passive about what you do each day You are certainly not going to commit yourself to anything and find it is easier to just go along with whatever someone else suggests, even if you don't really fancy going there or doing that. It's easier to just say yes and forget about making any personal choices.

Instead make sure that you:

try new ways Retirement brings you such wonderful chances to take up new hobbies or re-visit things you loved to do years ago. You may discover that because of new technology some of your routine could be done more quickly and efficiently when someone explains what to do. look after yourself You may be only too aware of how having to work long hours meant that you neglected your own health and well-being. You now have the time and will discover new found energy when you take regular exercise and eat more healthily. make plans When you are retired and busy discovering all the new things to get involved in, it is very useful to begin to plan your time well too. You will soon find out the truth in the adage 'I don't know how I ever had the time to work,'  unless you  plan, however loosely what you want to get  done each week or every month.