A HAPPY RETIREMENT: Finish Strong by Sharing Your Knowledge

A large Gallup poll has found that by almost any measure, people get happier as they get older [1]. A happy retirement is often marked by the desire to leave a legacy and to contribute in a more significant way than you may have done previously.

When Suzanne, a nurse, spent several days in hospice with her Mom, she said that she was surprised at one of the most common themes people there shared with her.

When reviewing their lives for the last time, almost every one of them shared that one of their main regrets was not sharing their knowledge with others.  Suzanne remarked years later, how surprised and moved she was by that revelation.  It impacted her own life and going forward, she made it a point, to start sharing her own knowledge.

A Happy Retirement is New Beginnings

Retirement is an exciting time in your life when you can finally start to relax and enjoy the fruits of your hard work. It is a time to reflect on the accomplishments of the past and plan for the future. While retirement brings much-deserved rest and relaxation, it can also be a time for new beginnings.

As Suzanne found out, one of the best ways to ensure a happy retirement is to share your knowledge and experience with others.

Sometimes the legacy you want to leave may be professional.

You may have spent your career in a particular field and have gained invaluable insights from it. This knowledge can be shared with younger generations through teaching, mentoring, or volunteering, or doing all three through creating a course. Not only can this help mentees reach their goals and succeed, but it can also help you stay engaged and connected with your field and others.

A Happy Retirement Means Personal Growth and Exploration.

You can take the time to travel to places you’ve always wanted to visit. You can learn a new language or pick up a hobby you’ve always wanted to try (and even teach that as you go along).

A happy retirement is within reach if you take the time to plan for it. Make sure to share your knowledge and experience with others, pass on your wisdom and values, and explore new opportunities for growth. You will find that you are still able to make an impact in the world and leave a lasting legacy that will continue to inspire for generations to come.  It should be something that reflects your values and beliefs.

A Happy Retirement Leaves a Legacy

You can do this by passing on your wisdom and values to your family and friends. You can also contribute to a cause you feel passionate about or start a business that shares your passions with the world.  Whatever your legacy may be, it will be a lasting reminder of your life’s work and will continue to be an inspiration to others.

A legacy is an important part of life—it’s what you leave behind for future generations. It can be anything from a personal story to a course, blog, or online video series that can be shared and remembered. It could even be something as simple as a recipe or an advice column.

Leaving a legacy is also a great way to honor the memory of a loved one. It’s a way to keep their spirit alive and to ensure that their life’s work continues to have an impact on the world. It’s also a great way to ensure that your own work will be remembered and appreciated long after you’re gone. It can be wide-reaching or something simply for your immediate family.

A Happy Retirement Means Choosing Your Knowledge Legacy

My Own Mom Started a Journal.

When the pandemic hit she realized its historical significance and wanted her grandkids and great-grandkids to know how it was experienced on a day-to-day basis by their grandparents.  Since the grandkids were very young, she figured they would probably not remember the event at all.  she wanted to fill in the gaps for that.  Of course, she (like many of us) assumed she would write for a few weeks, but then it became months, and a new passion project was born.  She would take notes as she watched a TV program so she could cite it in her journal.

And I became the editor-in-chief.  It was both fun and amusing as she looked over my shoulder to make sure I didn’t “edit” any of her words.  How many times did I have to explain to her that some corrections I was making were dictated….

…..by the ghastly grammar gods (who looked sternly over every English class in the world) and who preceded both of us and left us simply no choice for our editing?

(I might add this took some serious convincing.)

Other times, I promised her that I was changing the bare minimum that was required to simply create more clarity for the reader.  And I promised her when she was finished, I would publish it and disseminate it to all the family.  But at 84, she is still going strong and there is no publishing date on the calendar.

Her journal is a legacy that all of our family will always treasure.

But Mom was not the only one who wanted to share her knowledge.

Pelham Wrote a Book

Pelham is from the UK and at 72, she started blogging and writing.  She started because, in her own words,  “I was left sick and somewhat disabled and quite frankly, bored!”  Lauren, a young friend, encouraged her to write.  She “sat at my new laptop, (a present from my brother) and said ‘Okay say the opening lines and I’ll type it for you!”

Unable to argue with her about the senselessness of my writing a novel, I came out with a ridiculous sentence, now discarded. Two pages later she left and I read what I had dictated. Six weeks later I was still thumping away; when my hands were too sore, I used a pencil to hit the keys.

A year later, the first of three stories were out as e-books. She eventually finished the next three stories. In her words, “I know the storylines are original and quite funny, but the new ones are more serious.”

Her writing and publishing gave her a great sense of achievement.  She said, “in spite of the fact that I don’t have a degree, I failed the 11+ and had to sit OL English 5 times.  Ironically, this was all because as a left-handed person, I was forced to be right-handed and the resultant word blindness still affects me.

I have to rely on spell check and even that can let me down. (A wonderful lady called Lynda is my fallback over my spelling mistakes. She also checks my punctuation as eyesight problems mean I cannot see even the full stop.)”

Pelham’s story shows the power of many things—encouraging others to find their gifts as both Lauren and Lynda did for Pelham, pushing past difficult barriers and obstacles, and ultimately, creating a happy retirement for yourself by contributing your knowledge and talents.

A Happy Retirement Leaves a Gift to the World

It’s important to take the time to think about what you would like to leave behind, as it is one of the most meaningful gifts you can give to the world.  In short, leaving a legacy is a way to ensure that your life and your values will live on, long after you’re gone.

It’s a way to create something that will be remembered for generations to come, and it’s a great way to make sure that your values and beliefs are passed down to future generations. It’s a meaningful and powerful way to make a lasting impression on the world.

If you want to learn to teach what you know to others, take my course.

By creating a legacy, we’re ensuring that our knowledge, memories, values, and beliefs live on long after we’re gone.

References:

1. Bakalar, N. (2010, May 31). Happiness May Come With Age, Study Says. The New York Times.