Ways to Take the Agony Out of Retirement

Living With Purpose

Keeping busy in retirement is very important.  Throughout your life, you wake up every day with a purpose.  Whether it is to take care of your family, pursue a career, go to work, or to relax on vacation, each day has a purpose.  Sometimes these activities take over and we wish for a slower time, we wish for retirement when we can come and go as we please, setting our own pace each day.  Although this may sound intriguing, be careful when you do retire to have a purpose each day.  In speaking with other retirees, the focus switches from now and into the future, to one day at a time. 

In planning for our retirement, my husband, Greg, and I have decided to venture further into the real estate market.  We own our own home, as well as investment property and timeshares throughout Canada and the US.  We have made the conscious decision to become experts as real estate investors and are pursuing this with a passion.  And we are having alot of fun while we are at it!  Our family has enjoyed looking at show homes, and viewing properties for years, but now when we go we have a purpose.  Each home we look at, we decide if the purchase is right for us.  If it's not, we now have a network of other investors to whom we can refer or sell the property.  We help people with buying solutions to solve their problems.  And we pay a referral fee for each lead someone gives us when we end up buying the property!  We've found lots of times people own an unwanted house or property and need to sell NOW!  Some are behind on payments or relocating.  Some owe too much on the home or are going through foreclosure or divorce.  These are common problems that can happen to anyone.  We buy houses in any area, any condition and any price range.  We can pay cash and close quickly if needed, and we can also make monthly payments.  We've set up a separate phone line to help us to keep track of all of the calls (306)636-2484 to ensure we don't miss calling anyone back.  We're also accepting leads or referrals through email at traceyfieber@sasktel.net.

Only you can decide how busy you will be.  What will be your purpose?

Mary Kay Business

I have been a Mary Kay Consultant for a few years, and now have my own website www.marykay.ca/tfieber.  The site opens up a wealth of opportunity since my customers can now order online or email me to ask questions or place orders.  I can now process MasterCard transactions for customers as well.  This is just a few more ways I can service my customers.  Check it out!

Think about your life or your retirement.  What are some ways you can expand?  How can technology help you?  Is it time to start a business of your own?  Wondering where to start?  I can help you figure out what it is that makes sense for you.  And when the time is right, I can put you in contact with a variety of experts in the field, depending on the area you wish to work on.  Send me an email if you would like to talk about how I can help you expand your world.

Life Meaning

Easter is a very exciting time of year!  It 's a time for new life, with the spring blooms, buds on trees, and the resurrection of Jesus (if you are a believer).  It's a time to share in the joy of friends and family, to share a meal, to see the newborn animals.  Easter means many things to many people.  What does it mean to you?  What do you believe in?  How does this affect your life or retirement?

Your life meaning is very important throughout your life, and even more so once you retire.  It's a time when you find personal growth that deepens and you examine your own spirituality and faith.  Life Meaning is one of the 15 Factors in the Retirement Success Profile assessment.  I'm a Certified Retirement Success Coach, and I'll be offering the assessment in the near future.  Keep watching for the opportunity!  If you're interested in taking the assessment right now, send an email to traceyfieber@sasktel.net.  You'll find the assessment looks at you, and reflects back to you solid, quantifiable information that you can use immediately to assess your retirement planning progress, and make adjustments where necessary.  If you're within ten years of: 1) working for pay less than full time; 2) at least part of your income will come from a pension or pension-like vehicle, you'll want to take the assessment NOW!  You'll be glad you did!

Learning Something New

Two weeks ago my husband and I took the PADI scuba diving course.  He has wanted to learn to scuba dive for years.  I began reading the manual and made sure I had read the entire thing prior to the weekend.  I'm not really a 'water' person, but I enjoy paddling around our backyard aboveground pool in the summer.  I knew if I set my mind to it, I could pass the course, but I wasn't sure if I would like scuba diving.  I can swim, but not great distances.  And I was a little apprehensive about being underwater for any length of time.

The weekend started Friday night from 7 - 10pm.  Two co-workers of mine also took the class, which added fun to the weekend.  When we arrived, we realized another lady we knew was taking it, and the sixth person in the course was new to us, but we openly welcomed him to the group.  Bookwork, watching videos, and discussion took up both Friday night and Saturday 8am - 5pm.  At the end of the second day, we took our equipment home (BCD's, regulators, tanks, snorkel, mask, fins, et all).  Since I was slightly apprehensive, I filled the bathtub with water and practiced breathing through the snorkel with the mask on, cleared my mask when I filled it with water, and even had my husband Greg hold the tank so I could use the regulator to get the feel of breathing through it.  That was probably the longest bath I've ever taken, but I was having fun!

Sunday morning arrived, and we met at the pool before 8am.  Hauling our equipment in and setting it up took a few minutes, but our excitement was mounting!  We were in the pool from 8am - 12pm, practicing what we had learned and swimming around underwater.  We took two short breaks, and back in the water for more learning.  Once we completed all of the skills, we had free time, which ended up being only 10 minutes!!?  We agreed we want to rent the pool in the next few weeks to practice some more. 

I wondered when was the last time I took a course (of any kind) where I looked forward to the course, had fun during the course, and was still excited after the course and couldn't wait to implement the knowledge learned.

This is important in retirement.  You need to keep learning, no matter what it is.  It doesn't have to be something as big as scuba diving.  Keeping an open mind can help you to learn something new every day.  What is it you would like to learn?  Can you learn it with a friend, spouse, significant other?  Having the courage to learn something new opens up a whole new world.  Just like the underwater world in scuba diving, new experiences appear where you may not have seen the opportunity before.  Keep your eyes and ears open and you may be surprised what you see and hear.  In order for me to be successful in the course, I needed to practice in the bathtub where it was safe and I felt comfortable.  How can you practice your new skills?  Where is your 'bathtub'?

Our next step will be the Open Water Dive at Clear Lake, MB.  We are planning a weekend in June since we are all still excited after the first session and can't wait to go.  Drop me a note at traceyfieber@sasktel.net to let me know what it is that you're enjoying learning.  Greg and I plan to travel and scuba dive as a part of retirement.  Have you thought about what you will DO in retirement?

Learning From Fish

I was driving home from work last week and listening to Focus on the Family (I find they have some very interesting topics http://family.org).  They were talking about a study that had been held where they took a Pike fish out of its natural habitat and put it in a large aquarium.  They fed the fish an abundance of minnows every day, and the fish thrived.  They then took all of the minnows out of the aquarium, put them in a glass tube, and inserted the glass tube in the aquarium with the Pike.  The Pike tried and tried to get at the minnows, but of course bumped its nose (do fish have noses?) on the glass and could not get at the minnows.  After a period of time, the Pike settled at the bottom of the aquarium and stopped trying to eat minnows.  The study then removed the glass tube of minnows from the aquarium, and once again put an abundant supply of minnows in the aquarium.  The amazing part of the study happened next ...

The Pike, although there was an abundant supply of minnows, starved to death.  The minnows swam right beside the Pike, even bumping into its eyes and mouth, but the Pike didn't even try to eat any!

So what does this have to do with retirement?  You need to examine yourself and your life to see, are you like the Pike?  Are there opportunities in front of you that you are not seeing or have you convinced yourself that you won't be able to survive or enjoy life?  The Pike had abundance right in front of his eyes, but didn't make an effort.  What is in front of your eyes that can make a difference in your life?  The Pike starved to death.  In what areas of your life are you 'starving yourself'?  Now is the time to make decisions on what you want your life to be like.

To find out what's missing in your life, send an email to traceyfieber@sasktel.net with the subject: "Coaching" to receive a complimentary coaching session.  Coaching on a regular basis can help to move you from where you are now, to where you want to be.  Start to make your dreams come true today!  You deserve it!

Vacation in Banff, AB, Canada

July of last year was the beginning of the planning to go on a ski holiday to Banff, AB.  We exchanged our timeshare to the Banff Gate Mountain Lodge near Canmore, AB, and waited for the day to finally arrive. The Tuesday prior to our departure, my husband decided we should leave on Thursday night and drive part way to break up the trip.  We would stop at a hotel in Medicine Hat, AB to sleep and get an early start on the day to finish our journey to the Rocky Mountains.  On Wednesday, we found out my son, Jordan, had an 'A' hockey playoff game in a small town which was about 1/2 hour out of the way.  We discussed whether or not he would attend, and decided we could make it work, even though it would delay our travels by over 2 hours.  My husband also figured that since he had worked night shift the night before, he would be able to drive all the way at night while the rest of us slept.  Although the hockey game did materialize, his driving all the way didn't.  Instead, my daughter's fiance' drove for 5 hours with Jordan keeping him company, while the rest of us slept.

This is similar to our retirement from the work world.  Sometimes the best of plans have to be modified and we need to be flexible to allow that to happen. Whether its a financial detour, a change in our life status (single to married or married to single), or the revising of what we will do with our time, flexibility is the key. Having a plan and working through the detours with the help of a coach allows you to have a successful retirement.  In life, there will always be detours.  We are the ones who need to choose which detours we take and which we don't.

I'd like to hear your thoughts or comments.  Click on Comments below or email me at traceyfieber@sasktel.net

New Ebook - Retirement Questions Answered

Dear Fellow Retirees,

I know your time is valuable so I’ll be to the point.

I need your advice!

I’m putting the finishing touches on a new e-book that’s all about Retirement and I want to make sure I don’t leave anything out.

So, will you let me know your biggest question about retirement?  It could be anything … even if you think it’s silly.

All you have to do is send an email to traceyfieber@sasktel.net with the subject "Retirement Ebook".  In exchange for your advice, I’ll give you a free copy of the book when it’s ready. (Should be a few weeks.)

Thanks for your help!

My Son Turned 16 ... And Got His License

Today is my oldest son's (Justin) 16th birthday, and he got his license!  He was soooo nervous, but we drove for about 20 minutes before the appointment time, and he felt like he was ready.  He tells me this means, "freedom!".  Not sure that I agree ... but having gone through it already with my two daughters who are now in University, I know the advantages to me as well since he will be able to help me out with little things.  Like going to the store to pick up a few groceries, picking up his younger brother, Jordan, from hockey practice, or sharing the driving with my husband, Greg, and I on long trips.  I know this is just part of growing up, and I am excited for him.  It also means I can get him to do chores easier, since he wants to use the car (who said bribery doesn't work?).

This reminds me of some of the clients I coach.  They prepare for retirement, and when the big day comes, it's "freedom!".  Free from the routine, nowhere they have to go, limitless possibilities.  For some, it can be overwhelming.  Just like my son who now has more control over his life, they really have no idea of what the future will bring but have full control. 

What does your future retirement life look like?  Have you thought about what you will DO in the first 5 years?  Drop me a note at traceyfieber@sasktel.net or post a comment by clicking "Comment" below.

Identify Your Strengths

You all have strengths you bring to this phase in your life of retirement.  In order to help you think about your strengths, you'll need to think about these questions in five different areas:

1. Work reorientation - the degree to which you have emotionally distanced yourself from taking your personal identity from your work.

2. Attitude toward retirement - your perception of what your next life stage will be like for you once you leave your current job.    

3. Directedness - that quality about a person which determines whether their attitudes and decisions are more directed, influenced, or controlled by themselves (self-directedness) or more directed by others (other-directedness).

4. Current life satisfaction - the degree to which you believe that you have achieved contentment and peace at this point in your life.

5. Adaptability - the degree of personal flexibility you can exercise at any given time in any given situation.

We'll go into each of these areas separately over the next few posts.  Let me know your thoughts on these, and where you think you are right now.

Need a Vision

In order to be successful in retirement, you will need a powerful vision.  People plan more for a 2 week vacation than for retirement.  A need for a transition is very important.  You can expect to live 30 to 40 years in retirement.  The average age of retirement is 57 years old for the first or initial retirement.  Retirement is no longer a leisure activity.  It is a time where people add to their financial resources, upgrade or acquire education, and have insight.

People are less likely to retire traditionally and are more likely to start a second career.

Choosing - choices that work for you.

Retirement means different things to different people.  Some people embrace it, others appear indifferent, and still others are repelled by its uncertainties.  People who seem the most eager to retire... may not be!

How will you know when you’re adequately prepared?