From
the Bottom of the Bucket
September
2016
“I’m
just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round
I just Love to watch them roll…….” John Lennon
As I write this first blog, I am entering my ninth month
as “retired”. I have always been
fascinated with that word. It is a child
of the Industrial Revolution and is an evolvement from the creation of Social
Security and company pension plans.
Madison Avenue and Wall Street have always portrayed this
period as one of leisure, care-free time spent with loving family and
friends. You know the spin; we still see
commercials, even today. My experience
is that the real thing is much
different.
When you enter the workforce you agree to exchange your
time and vigor for an income and benefits.
Over the years we have watched corporate America, whittle the benefits
portion down. When you no longer need to participate in such an
arrangement, you have become financially
independent. This may or may not involve
“retirement”. The thing is, since we are
such poor savers, most of us are older when (or if) that occurs, but not always
(think Bill Gates, etc.).The point is that retirement is not just for “old people”.
I look at “retirement” planning as making a choice to
change your life’s focus to a more self-directed experience. I also think that process starts the day you
enter the workforce. The key is you take
ownership of what you can control until you have reached the point where you control as much as possible
in your life. That will take resources;
the most important are: Health, Time and Financial, in that order. So the first
order of business is to prioritize your use of those resources and make daily
choices that support the Goals (see The System below) that you have set for
yourself.
Circles are a prominent geometric symbol in almost every
culture. The distinguishing
characteristic is the figure has no beginning and thus no end. To quote John Lennon “they just
go round and round”. Why is it that our
brains insist on seeing life as a linear event when real experience shows us
otherwise? Many of the illustrations
referred to in this blog are circles.
That is because real life always involves continuous beginnings and ends
across the full span of life’s experience.
When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, I thought
it was the end of my life plan. It turns out it was the beginning. It forced me to
“walk the walk” and take action. That
process led me to realize that I had no bucket list and that recognition was a
huge source of solace to me. I was
unclear what the future held for me, but I was ready to face it with confidence
and since I had lived “in the bucket” I had a rich balance of resources to
support my efforts to move forward.
Now, five years later, I find that my health has
improved, my Parkinson’s has not progressed and I am able to invest more Vigor
in my other Roles more than ever before.
I also passed on my successful planning practice to a qualified advisor,
who is taking the services provided to our clients to a new level. We have only had one client leave us. So I
met my promises and kept my respectability.
I have often said we are one moment away
from having our supposed life plan altered, sometimes radically. Are you making sure that you are ready for
that moment? If not, why?
Or perhaps you will be lucky enough to “just sit and
watch the wheels (circles) go round and round”, but I assure you that day will
never come if you don’t prepare for it.
Until next month, I wish you fulfillment.
Bob