Hamming it up!
by Pat Schally, Certified Business & Personal Coach
In the course of my business and personal coaching, the topic of retirement arises on occasion. I say "on occasion" because some of my clients of a certain age are either in denial about the Big R or they simply think that they'll get around to it later.
I've invented a simple acronym of what I believe every soon-to-be retired person needs to have to be fulfilled in retirement. That is: H.A.M. Now, I've been accused of actually being a ham but I'm not talking about that. No, rather, I mean that the 3 qualities needed to be happily retired:
H=Health. No doubt about it. If you've got your health you've got it all.
A=Attitude. It's how you look at life. Is your outlook positive? Your attitude is directly related to the connection you have with others and the success of your relationships.
M=Money. Moola, cashola, wampum. Yes, there's no doubt that being financially sound just makes life a whole lot more comfortable.
How does one acquire HAM? I am convinced it's through the careful planning for their forthcoming retirement. Many folks have plenty of time to accumulate HAM but others need to get busy "Hamming it up" now.
Today, I'd like to consider the "A" part of the equation. That's Attitude. What is your attitude toward retirement? Do you eagerly anticipate "The Life of Leisure" or are you thinking, "It's not for me. I'll work until my last breath." For some, it may not be easy to think about taking it easy. After all, they've defined themselves by their work. In Ernie Zelinsky's book, The Joy of Not Working, he declares that "Workaholism provides a perverse form of gratification." He goes on to site a few problems people have with leisure time:
- Boredom
- No real satisfaction from leisure activities
- All dressed up and nowhere to go
- All dressed up, somewhere to go, but no one to go with
- Friction with spouse when time together increases
- Bankroll of a peasant but tastes of a millionaire
- Bankroll of a millionaire but poverty consciousness of a peasant
- Feeling guilt about leisure
Let's look at leisure in a positive light! Why hang on to the work ethic when you could be enjoying a lifestyle that you've earned through years of hard work? Zelinsky suggests being a "leisureholic." Yes, it's possible to actually enjoy leisure time! By preparing for this time of life now, you'll be in a better place when you do decide to retire.
In addition to considering the 3 "virtues" of H.A.M," many would benefit from looking at their whole life and determining how balanced their lives are today. You don't want to find yourself singing Peggy Lee's "Is That All There Is" when you are retired. Also, creating balance is essential if you find yourself "being retired" by someone else. You know, those dreaded words of Donald Trump being echoed everywhere lately: "You're Fired!" If you're balanced, you can look at areas beyond your career to know you are more than your work. You've put it in its proper place.
So, how to create balance now? Here's a tool that we coaches like to use. It's an exercise called "The Wheel of Life." It's pretty simple, really, and it goes something like this: Draw a large circle with equal pie shaped wedges entitled: Finance, Family, Physical Space, Health, Career, Spiritual, Social. You may add more. As you look at each wedge, ask yourself, "How satisfied am I with this part of my life?" Give it a number from 1 to 10 and draw a curved line, like this ")" to correspond with your number assessment of how you are doing in each wedge.
When complete, ask yourself how balanced you are. How's your wheel? Would it be a bumpy road if you took it out for a ride? Or, are you satisfied that you're pretty well balanced in all aspects of your life? If you're balanced today, it's highly likely that you'll find that you're in a good place if you become unemployed or you decide to "hang it up." You won't have all of your time and energy focused in only a few areas of your life.
No matter how you slice HAM (no pun intended), planning today for a life that is balanced with special attention to the areas of Health, Attitude and Money is absolutely essential to one's future happiness. What are you doing about it today? A coach, mentor or financial advisor (or all 3) can help you get on track, get balanced and focus on planning today for "hamming it up" and finding fulfillment and joy in retirement.
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For those forward thinking individuals, I've included a list of books on the subject of Retirement that are worth a read:
Retirement on a Shoestring by John Howells
The Joy of Not Working by Ernie Zelinski
Job Shift - How to prosper in a Workplace Without Jobs by William Bridges
Get a Life - You Don't Need a Million to Retire by Well Ralph Warner
Rags to Retirement by Liberman & Lavine
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Read previous article by Pat Schally
Pat Schally is a certified business and personal coach who works with individuals who want to go from ordinary to extraordinary in their lives and work. She lives in Walnut Creek and coaches baby boomers entering retirement, overworked entrepreneurs, the under-employed , and, generally, those motivated to make positive change in their lives. She offers free consultations and can be contacted at patcoaches@worldnet.att.net. Her website is www.patcoaches.com Feel free to forward your copy to anyone you think might benefit from it. Please keep the message intact, including contact and copyright information. Thank you!
Copyright 2004 Pat Schally
