Reinvent for Retirement Lesson #1: Getting Started is the Hardest Part
Like many homeowners, my husband and I spend many hours in the spring getting our yard ready for the summer. And last week as I planted, pruned and watered, I began to note some interesting connections between the laws of nature and the principles of life/retirement reinvention.
Strange as it may sound, pondering the “how, why and where” of what makes plants thrive, helped me to more clearly understand why some retirements thrive while others wither on the vine. Who knew gardening would prove so illuminating?
So while my husband took a well-deserved nap, I jotted down my thoughts. And by the time he woke up, I had outlined this series of posts inspired by gardening (at which point, I was the one ready for a nap). I hope you have as much fun reading them as I had writing them.
And now, without further ado, here is the first lesson:
Lesson #1: Getting Started is the Hardest Part of the Process
As any gardener knows, and as my weary husband agrees, it isn’t easy to get a garden started. You need to plan the design, purchase the plants, prepare the soil and plant the seeds. The initial phase is time-consuming. But after the plants are in the ground, the workload eases.
The same is true when people go through a major life transition. It takes work to get rolling. You can’t just throw seeds on top of untilled soil and wait for them to bloom. Meaningful transitions take effort that requires a period of self-reflection, test-driving options and fine-tuning plans before you can harvest the results.
So hold-off on your retirement planning until you’re able to give the transition the time and energy it deserves. Then, once you’re focused on the planning process, take small steps each week to move yourself forward: take a class, join a group or club, try out a new volunteer gig or listen to a motivating podcast. And of course, remember to take care of yourself as you pivot. Get enough sleep, exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet. The best retirement plan in the world means nothing, if you don’t have the good health to enjoy it.
