10 Clues to a Great Retirement (page 2)
Clue #5: There is great need in America and around the world.
People with time and money can make an incredible difference in our world today. There is no greater purpose than helping those who truly cannot help themselves. Go to a children’s hospital, check out the Special Olympics, or visit any number of quality non-profit organizations. Do these things before you retire in the interest of having a meaningful plan.
Clue #6: Your grandchildren need more of you than you think.
Your children want you to visit, but they don’t want you to interfere in their lives. They want you to be proud of them, affirm them, love them and their kids, and then go home. Hard to do when you see things that you know from experience lead to trouble or hard times. The fact is that future generations are headed for harder times and less prosperity than we have enjoyed. Hard times will seem harder for them because they haven’t seen them in their lifetime. Many of our kids feel entitled to a certain lifestyle because they grew up with it and they worked hard in college. Many are in for a tough adjustment.
Your grandchildren need to laugh with you and hear stories (not lectures) about your life and times. They need to know you and value your principles. This opportunity will pass quickly.
Clue #7: Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end, the faster it goes.
You know it’s true. Time is the one irreplaceable resource. Every moment that passes is gone for good. None of us know how many minutes we are going to have in life, so our decisions on how to spend them are the most important decisions we will make. Often, people don’t feel empowered to make their own choices. They take life as it comes to them. I want to be smiling at the end of my life, knowing that I made some great choices.
Clue #8: Aging gracefully is a state of mind.
We don’t need an entire paragraph on this one. I’m 58 with a five-year-old daughter. She is the light of my life and she keeps us young at heart. When she says, “Daddy, let’s do a treasure hunt for Mommy”, it’s a special moment. When she says, “Daddy, let’s go jump on the trampoline” it’s another story. Thank goodness for Advil.
Clue #9: Life is Good. Grateful people are happy people.
There are plenty of reasons to be grateful every day, especially in America. Isn’t it funny how some of the people who are the most blessed are the least grateful? It is more important now than ever in our lifetime to set a good example for our children and grandchildren.
Clue#10: Make a difference. Get off your duff and do something.
A sense of entitlement and poor-me will turn us into spectators, as we watch the American dream gasp its last breath. Thomas Jefferson said, “A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have.” Look around and listen carefully. Get busy and do something in the same grand fashion that our ancestors did to provide this great gift. Strong values, commitment to each other and our communities, and good old-fashioned American ingenuity will preserve our values for generations to come. Freedom is like riding a bicycle. Without momentum, it falls.
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