In the words of Malcolm Forbes, “Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.” This is especially true when retiring after a successful career that has become your identity. Once a person retires, it’s common for his or her self-esteem to suffer.
In working with hundreds of clients during major transition times, such as the sale of a business or retirement, Family Legacies has identified the top four ways to retire and continue a purposeful life.
- Mentorship:
After retirement or selling a business, you have the luxury of taking the time to reflect on everything you’ve learned through your work and hard-earned life lessons. It can be very meaningful to begin to share all of this knowledge and expertise. Whether you choose to mentor someone entering your field of work or help a teenager make healthy choices, mentoring can be a highly rewarding way to spend part of your post-career life. There are many young people who can use your expertise either in careers or in life in general and there are innumerable opportunities to mentor and help young people in our communities and even in our families. Think of retirement not as aging but as “sage-ing”.
- Interpersonal and family relationships:
Most experts agree that one of the most important keys to a long and healthy life is the positive relationships you foster. After exiting a business, you will have the time to deepen your existing friendships, make new friends, and create stronger bonds with your spouse, partner, children, and grandchildren. With the time to take stock of your hard-earned wisdom and values, you might even choose to repair any relationship gone awry.
- Identity:
Once you’re no longer tasked with earning a living, you can take the time to look inside and uncover your interests and deepest passions. What do you most care about? Is there an aspect of your personality or identity that hasn’t yet had the opportunity to shine? This can be the perfect time to take stock of what truly makes you happy and to shift from working full time toward new lofty pursuits. It can be a time to make an impact on the world in a new way and infuse this phase of life with meaning and passion!
- Legacy:
This is also a good time to think about leaving your legacy as an invaluable gift for present and future generations of your family. You’ll have the time to embark on the process of reviewing and preserving your lifelong achievements and creating a legacy for your family in the form of a video, film, or book that present and future generations of your family can learn from and cherish. In bequeathing the legacy of a lifetime of knowledge, stories, wisdom, beliefs, and values to mentor your family now and for many years to come, we give our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren roots and wings.
For more information, visit us at: familylegaciesvideos.com