Research has shown that seniors who continue to take an active part in their lives—those who don’t see retirement as an end but as a beginning—live longer and are happier. This is important information but also can be filed in the common sense box.
Having the ability to choose what we want to do with the rest of our lives is a gift and a privilege. It’s an opportunity that shouldn’t be weighed down by false expectations and belief systems.
Don’t buy into the stereotypes. Retirement now is about evolution and personal growth. It’s a time to utilize your new found freedom to explore your own belief systems and find peace and positive attitudes. Retirement will bring challenges. Life brings challenges and the longer we live the more of these we’ll experience. Some will hurt very much, like the death of a spouse or child. It’s called Life and retirement gives us the chance to learn to deal with freedom, loss, happiness, grief and many others from our emotional cornucopia.
Most importantly, listen to the facts. Stay busy, stay in touch with your loved ones, and enjoy life the way it was meant to be.
Dispelling Myths -
“Change your thoughts and you change your world.”
- Norman Vincent Peale
The myths we hear about aging are constant, almost universally negative, and, most importantly, just that, myths. According to dictionary.com, the definition of myth in the context we’re using here is, “an unproved or false collective belief that is used to justify a social institution.” Based on this, all we have to do to get rid of myths is to reveal the truth.
Let’s look at some of the most common myths for our purposes. Aging means:
- Being unhealthy, unfit, and tired
- Losing your marbles
- You are what your genes say you are
- Being grumpy
- You’ll never have sex again
- Losing power, being helpless
That all sounds terrible! What is this Golden Years jabber, anyway?
Hold on. Unclench your hands from your mouse, relax, stop gritting your teeth. Let’s look at these pesky myths a little more closely.
“If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise.”
- Robert Fritz
Being unhealthy, unfit, and tired. Absolutely this is possible in retirement, just as much as it’s possible during your prime working years too. As we know from our book, Safe 4 Retirement : The 4 Keys to a Safe Retirement, if you don’t look after yourself, get regular exercise and eat right, you can feel bad at any age. Society is getting healthier through education and a gradually changing collective lifestyle. This means chronic diseases occur later and are more easily controlled and treated. You can have an energetic, healthy, and active retirement if you choose to.
Losing your marbles. No, we won’t all end up like the cat lady example we all know. Sure, dementia and the gradual loss of our cognitive facilities occur, but there are ways to exercise your brain, just like you can your body. And new cures and treatments for the more serious diseases are on the horizon. Stay mentally active, do new things, go new places, and keep your marbles intact.
You are what your genes say you are. Genes do play a part, we all know that. Why else would both you and your uncle have the same uneven ear lobes or squinty left eye. However, we’ve also learned that genes aren’t everything. The proof is in and we can make a difference in our happiness and longevity by paying attention to our physical and mental health.
Being grumpy. Grumpy old men is a terrible myth and yet as a society we’ve embraced this image. The section in Safe 4 Retirement : The 4 Keys to a Safe Retirement on Mental Attitude is all about managing your mental health and positive attitudes. With proper attention to this crucial area you can be happier than ever as you finally get to fulfill your dreams and do what matters most to you. Amazingly, this time occurs during the last third of our lives. In fact, most say the very fact that death is nearer gives more value to the current moment.
You’ll never have sex again. Really? With the proliferation of drugs like Viagra, Cialis and the like? How about when you add a physically active life, healthy heart, and confident attitude? The data shows, when the lights go out, retirees aren’t just sleeping.
Losing power, being helpless. We’re living longer and healthier lives which means being creative and productive well into retirement. But as we age and things start to break down, mentally and physically, sometimes we do need to step back and let others help. The key here is to realize this is part of the process and we can’t do it all, all the time. Done right, aging is a beautiful and respectful process. Part of that means putting the ego aside. Yes, we’re self-sufficient for longer than ever before in the history of the human race. But allow others to help when you need it. It doesn’t mean being helpless, it means we’re all human.
The point with myths is most of them simply aren’t true and they cause far more worry and stress than they’re worth. The next time you hear one of the phrases like I’ve listed above, stop and think about it. Based on the ideas and steps presented in Safe 4 Retirement : The 4 Keys to a Safe Retirement, is aging really going to be that bad? Or might it, just maybe, be the time you’ve been working and waiting for all your life?
“Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door.”
- Emily Dickinson
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