Age is just a number

Because many are living thirty or more years in retirement, it becomes less important to gage one’s actual age. What is important is a person’s physical health and mental capacity. If your body and mind are sharp, you are still in the game!

Studies* have shown that keys to living longer include maintaining physical and mental activity, being actively engaged in life, and avoiding diseases and disabilities.  In order to remain “healthy” key activities should include having social ties (friends, family, and associates), physical exercise to prevent the body from breaking down, continuation of mental stimulation (learning and active thinking), and meaningful engagement (using time and talents to benefit others).

* Macarthur Foundation Study of Successful Aging, 2001

Find what you love to do

Someone very wealthy once said, “find something you love to do and find a way to get paid for it and you will become rich”.  Living a successful retirement involves this principle.  If you can find work that you truly enjoy doing, you will probably want to do this until the day you leave this earth.

You should examine the gifts God has given you, find your true passions, and find work that combines your God-given abilities with your passions.  Why wait until an arbitrary age in the future, why not do it today? If you prioritize what is important to you today and why you are working in the first place, you may come to new conclusions.   Am I just working to make a paycheck or could I do something more meaningful and rewarding and still make ends meet? When work and play are one in the same, you will never work a day in your life!

Many people do the following:

* They set arbitrary dates in the future as to when they will stop working.

* This is usually done to escape their current work conditions (career, industry, current employer).

Instead look at:

* How can you use work to express the God-given abilities and talents you uniquely possess and use them to bring glory to God?

* How can you take advantage of the aging process? Much of the aging process revolves around our activities, level of engagement with life, and our attitudes.

* How can you balance your priorities? (God, family, body health, mental health, and your relationships)