I remember an elderly male who came to me several months after leaving his profession. I was sure he would talk about his happiness of sleeping late, traveling and being free.
However, he looked at me and said, "Doctor, I spent forty years figuring out how to retire but did not think about what I will do after retirement."
It is memorable.
Being a physician for more than 40 years I saw that many of my patients were ready for financial changes after retirement but they were not ready for emotional and social changes.
The most common retirement mistakes that I observed were:
- Loss of purposefulness after retirement.
- Isolation due to lack of daily social contacts.
- Too fast expenses due to the feeling of reward.
- Ignoring their health until there would be serious problems.
- Lack of preparation to develop hobbies, relationships and routine without working.
Many people underestimate the importance of a career not just as a source of earnings but also as a source of structure, identity, relationships and reasons for doing things in life.
In particular, one of my older colleagues had an excellent way to organize his retirement life. When he left the hospital he developed a ritual of waking up and making a cup of a warm home recipe he loved for decades, sitting alone and thinking about what he would do today which could bring joy to other people or himself: helping somebody, learning something or spending time with dear people. He once told me, "Retirement is not the end of useful years. It is a beginning when you can choose where your usefulness will go."
This statement remains with me.
Good retirement plans are not just about financial readiness. You should have people to laugh with, something to do every day and a feeling of necessity.
The most common mistake of retirement is not leaving the job. The main problem is leaving life.
