💡 Invincible Tip - Proactively Plan Your Semiretirement (Issue #479)

Full retirement is boring

In the past week, I’ve spoken with four retired people—or out of the workforce for so long that they felt retired. Guess what?

Now they are working on spinning up something new.

• One person is starting a new business.

• Another is looking for some sort of job (maybe part-time).

• Another is thinking about becoming an advisor.

• And the fourth person is considering joining a VC firm.

Why? Because retirement is boring! One said they could feel their cognitive skills declining now that they are no longer working.

I know many people crave it after working hard for decades. They think it will be blissful never to have anything to do but play, eat, and sleep.

I hate to be the one to break it to you, but that lifestyle will grow old fast. Human beings need purpose. We need a reason to get out of bed every day.

However, that doesn’t mean you must keep working a 9-5 job forever. I haven’t had a “job” in over 13 years. I love working for myself and don’t see any reason to quit until they put me in the ground. It gives me purpose, and I love helping people.

There are many things you could explore as an alternative to complete retirement:

• Working part-time at a job you actually enjoy (e.g., I think I’d love working at a bookstore).

• Volunteering your time (e.g., helping a charity, local school, or municipal project).

• Starting a solopreneur business and controlling how much you work.

• Becoming a consultant or advisor to share your wisdom with individuals (e.g., mentoring) or corporations (e.g., paid consulting).

• Returning to school to learn something new (e.g., community college courses).

If you wait until you retire, you may find yourself going crazy with boredom and thinking, “Now what?” Give it some thought now, and be prepared when the day comes.

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Hi, I’m Larry Cornett, a Personal Coach who can work with you to optimize your career, life, or business. My mission is to help you take complete control of your work and life so you can become a more “Invincible You.” I live in Northern California near Lake Tahoe with my wife and Great Dane.

Photo by Vlad Sargu on Unsplash