A Retirement Ready Self
Don’t simply retire from something; have something to retire to. — Harry Emerson Fosdick
The National Weather Service (NWS) in the United States has the catchphrase about its vision statement and it is to make the United States “A Weather-Ready Nation: Society is prepared for and responds to weather, water, and climate-dependent events.” The mission statement of the NWS is to “Provide weather, water and climate data, forecasts, warnings, and impact-based decision support services for the protection of life and property and enhancement of the national economy.”
If you are wondering what the difference between mission and vision of an organization is then mission statement is what your organization is doing right now, while vision is what your organization hopes to achieve in the future.
Parallel to the motto Weather Ready Nation (WRN), thinking about my retirement that will happen sometime in near future, a question sprang up and asked, would it not be nice to have a Retirement Ready Self?
You see, for some of us retirement is not as trivial an issue as changing clothes. Retirement could be a terrifying proposition. It is walking into the unknown just when the realization of mortality is also becoming heightened.
Retirement is like taking off the clothes one is wearing, opening the closet and find what to wear next but unexpectedly discovering that the closet stands empty and there is nothing to wear and hide one’s nakedness and vulnerability.
So, what would be a Retirement Ready Self and how can one reach that state of enlightenment and being?
The ideal state of Retirement Ready Self would have several dimensions, but the basic notion behind is that if one is to end the career today then tomorrow there would be another life ready to slide into and the transition would be seamless and effortless, and further, in going through that transition, not a single step would be missed.
What would Retirement Ready Self require? Its attribute will be:
· Having adequate financial wherewithal.
· An adequate and interesting Portfolio of Engagements.
· A home where you wish to move to. If you are happy with the place you are currently at and going to stay put, then great. One less item to worry about.
· Having adequate social connections.
In short, Retirement Ready Self would be a self that has lined up all ingredients that will fill up the empty niches that leaving work creates.
What can one do to develop a Retirement Ready Self?
A simple suggestion is to start to create a parallel life while still working. It might be good to start ramping down the outlay of work involvement. Instead of having ten-hour workdays, have eight hours workdays and put the extra two hours into cultivating the portfolio of engagement into which you can slide to.
There is no criminality or judgment in ramping down the work routine. Over the years you have worked hard but enough is enough. You do not have to give all you have. Have some time for yourself and think about what your future self is going to be. Leave some time for yourself. Life is not forever, and we are mortal beings.
Returning back to missions and visons, the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) vision is to “By 2030, [have] a world where all nations, especially the most vulnerable, are more resilient to the socioeconomic consequences of extreme weather, climate, water and other environmental events; and underpin their sustainable development through the best possible services, whether over land, at sea or in the air.”
It is a grand vision requiring international cooperation, that in fact has worked in the past because the weather (so far) has no political boundaries and a flap of a butterfly over Amazon could indeed result in either a tornado or a beautiful sunny day in your backyard.
Be a Retirement Ready Self and listen to what this song is telling you.
Ciao.
