According to the U.S Census Bureau there will be 82.8 million individuals leaving the traditional workplace between 2011 and 2029. Referred to as the "Baby Boomers" (those born between 1946 and 1964), these individuals comprise the largest single generation in U.S. history.
In addition to these figures, in the last nine decades, longevity has increased by 30 years. Therefore, retiring Baby Boomers may spend as many years post-career as they did building and managing those careers.
The result -- the old concept of retirement no longer holds true for these modern retirees. People today are entering their post-career years earlier and in better physical health with expectations of living with more vibrancy and fullness than any previous generation. The Baby Boomers have experienced a life time of greater technological innovation and development than any prior generation. These innovations and changes have served to create a time of greater prosperity and opportunity than any prior generation experienced when they stepped off the career ladder.
Baby Boomers have worked hard all their lives and are now seeking rewards for their efforts -- rewards of time and enjoyment of those anticipated pleasures that up until now were out of their reach.
Today's retirees are more adventurous and mobile. They look forward to traveling and living their dreams. The Boomers in general have an expanded educational base and more value learning on many levels than their parents or grandparents did when they transitioned into their golden years. Most importantly, they wish to use their acquired life skills to continue playing an active role in their communities.
The question these people are asking themselves is;
"What do I want to do with the rest of my life?"
Where do I begin after having devoted much of my life living by someone else's schedule? It may have been many years since they have had the time to listen to their inner voices and hear the wisdom that the years have given them. Who has the time in the midst of career demands and putting others first, to simply spend time with themselves? As they make this transition, they will have more time to get reacquainted with who they are and to simply think with clarity.
To aid in answering these questions, we might begin by seeing our lives as invested in six areas;
career
family
relationships
self
spirit
leisure
Each is an intricately woven fiber in the fabric of our being. We are the sum total of the balance we maintain in these arenas of our lives.
Spending the time looking at each area individually helps us to evaluate our strengths and weaknesses. This gives us a sound starting place to begin to think about possibilities for change, including our hopes and dreams, which allow us to move forward with goals. This is the key to achieving a healthy and prosperous 'post-career' lifestyle. This time of evaluation will give us to see new horizons become apparent wherein anything becomes possible.
Post Career Challenges
While the modern retiree faces a number of challenges, it doesn't take a great deal of insight to see which ones are dominating the post-career conversation these days.
Money
Clearly, money is first on the list. A large percentage of those recently retired, or those soon to put their career days behind them simply do not have enough money put away to live the life they dreamed of when they were planning their golden years.
Health
A large number of retirees will be spending as many years in retirement as they spent building their careers. They are not only concerned with the possibility of becoming ill, but also of losing their independence and losing their savings to medical bills.
Wellness
The third issue many retirees are, or will be, facing is simply making the psychological and emotional shift from a corporate-directed, to a self-directed lifestyle. Feeling lost or living without meaningful purpose can lead to depression and emotional and/or spiritual impotence, and finally to illness and physical deterioration.
Retirement Solutions - The First Step
Apart from matters of finances, health, and mental well-being, the first (and possibly the most difficult) challenge modern retirees face is simply changing their perception of who they are, and the world they are given to live in.
Sadly, many people's views about 'what's so' are shaped by television and radio news services and the opinions of commentators and critics.
Those who have spent 30 or 40 years struggling to advance (and/or simply survive) in the work place, have become conditioned to living from a 'survival-based' attitude. Living at survival tends to lead one to believe that their lives are wholly governed and/or influenced by forces beyond their control.
They have great difficulty seeing their futures overflowing with opportunity -- filled with endless possibilities. And yet, adopting an attitude of infinite possibilities has long been the very foundation of all successful persons.
You might ask yourself, "How can anyone manage to maintain a positive outlook, and continue to grow in a world riddled by war, disease, and economic depression"?
The answer is; By understanding that the key to success in all things is to remained focused upon the road in front of you instead of the road behind you.
Always remember that, "In times of great change, there is opportunity". Whenever one door closes, there is always another door opening."
Do We Dare Dream?
Changing one's lifestyle from that of a policy-driven, schedule-oriented routine to one of self-determination and
independently driven thinking is not as simple as it may sound. Those
who have made this transition have understood the Secret of shifting their thinking from conformity to creativity....from acquisition to attraction.
As you progress into your retirement years, free from the near
mindlessness of the daily grind, this question will loom larger and
larger as you graduate into a self-directed lifestyle. Knowing the Secret of self-determined creativity will guide you in a life devoted to prosperity in all things. In these troubling days, it becomes absolutely essential that you discover ways to support your desire for prosperity and freedom.
(click on the image below to learn more about The Secret)
The Bigger Pie
Now, as they approach retirement, Boomers have the choice between struggling to secure a larger slice of the pie, or simply -- making the pie bigger, instead of remaining passive and having their futures determined by a 'slice-competition' mentality.
Boomers are the first generation that have the tools and the means, by way of the Internet, to engage the global marketplace, and directly engage the economic mainstream under their own terms, and build for themselves a 'Bigger Pie'.
To that end, the years ahead truly hold great promise and unlimited possibilities for those with foresight and a bit of determination. May the information contained within this site assist you in finding a path where that foresight and determination may best be put to good use in securing health, wealth and happiness in your lifetime.
May I suggest that you bookmark this site, and drop in from time-to-time as new services and products will be periodically added or modified in our effort to be of service to those in their 'post-career' years.
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