8 Ways to Prosper While Waiting for Your Retirement Day
Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on Boldin.
The transition to retirement can be a time to feel a little stuck.
It’s like being in an epidemic group. You are not where you want to be or doing what you want to do – but you can almost be there. These types of moments in between can be difficult because you are waiting for something to happen.
However, just because you are waiting, you don’t have to give up happiness and contentment.
Here are some tips to help you thrive no matter what stage of life you’re in – but especially if you’re in one of those awkward stages.
1. Assess Your Current Health
Sometimes just looking and thinking about your well-being can put you on the path to making changes in your life for greater happiness.
Tyler J. VanderWeele, director of Harvard’s Human Flourishing Program, has written 10 questions to help you assess your current well-being.
Are you thriving or dying? Take the quiz on the New York Times website now.
2. Foster Weak Social Connections
Good friends and close family relationships can contribute to your well-being. But, so are your unusual and fragile relationships.
In fact, scientists have found that informal communication can have a significant impact on well-being.
A casual encounter might include a friendly exchange in line at the grocery store or someone you smile with every day while working at the office. These weak forms of communication can give you a strong jolt of happiness and well-being.
In fact, Stanford sociology professor Mark Granovetter has written about how weak communication benefits us in many different ways. A rare encounter can be:
- Be a good place to express feelings in a non-judgmental environment
- It gives you a chance to get a positive perspective on something that is bothering you
- Expand your social network and it can introduce you to new ideas and opportunities
- Give a jolt of interest without being distracted by relationship problems
To improve your well-being, consider how you can improve weak ties.
3. Celebrate the Little Things
Are you planning a big retirement party? A special trip? A party? Are you expecting gifts? Or, do you expect to live without obligations?
Whatever comes next, it will be big for you.
However, as you approach the all-important retirement date, now is a good time to focus on the little pleasures. Psychologists call it gratification – consciously celebrating a small victory, noticing something positive, or simply acknowledging when you feel good.
Savoring gives you a chance to notice your positive emotions – good while you’re feeling good. Remembering the small moments can increase your well-being right now.
- Take a moment to be grateful for whatever you are celebrating.
- Take a picture or write about what makes you happy. (You can make it a goal to take a daily photo or spend three minutes writing down what makes you happy before bed.)
- Tell someone about a good time you had.
- Just notice when you feel the feeling of happiness.
- Take a walk with the sole purpose of finding something fun.
4. Cultivate the Habit of Gratitude
The ability to find gratitude increases as you get older. So, this should be easy.
VanderWeele recommends taking time once a week to reflect on the five things you are grateful for in life.
Write them down. Share them with your partner or friend.
5. Do Many Good Things in One Day
As you await the big retirement milestone, you may be putting off things that will make you happy for now. If you want to feel good today, try small acts of kindness.
Research has found that doing a few acts of kindness (acts one wouldn’t normally do) each week, over the course of several weeks, can increase your happiness and life satisfaction, and make you feel more engaged, less anxious, and more connected.
Social scientists have found that focusing your kindness on one day can further improve your feelings of well-being.
6. Focus on Daily Activities That Give Life Purpose
You don’t need to solve climate change or feed all the poor in your town to live a meaningful life.
You can experience a growing sense of well-being by finding purpose in everyday activities. Whether it’s walking the dog, making your bed, finishing a work project, or even making dinner – completing a meaningful task can give you a sense of accomplishment, especially if you take the time to acknowledge what you’ve done.
Also, these small jobs are useful training for retirement. When you retire you leave your job and many people, while happy with the freedom, feel that they have lost their purpose.
7. Do Something You’ve Never Done Before
Retirement will give you enough time to try new things. However, you don’t have to wait until you retire. Try something you’ve never done before, and you’re sure to improve your well-being.
Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist at Wharton, told the New York Times that “The first key to feeling good about life is to find new interests.”
The good news is that something new doesn’t require a lot of effort, preparation, or planning. There are many things you can try right now:
- Buy a fruit or vegetable that you have never tasted before.
- Take a new route on your daily run.
- Have you ever tried sudoku? Give it a whirl.
8. Talk About Your Concerns
Transitions are among the times when you may think about the past and perhaps what mistakes you have made and worry about the future.
However, as any self-help guru will tell you, happiness is not found in the past or the future. It is found in the present tense.
So, what should you do about your worries about financing your future retirement? Humans naturally want to feel in control. Also, worrying about your future can give you the impression that you are doing something – but worrying is not at all the same as solving problems.
So, what can you do? Creating a financial plan, learning about personal finances, coping with worst-case scenarios (and building backup plans) can give you the sense of control you need.
Boldin Retirement Planner gives you powerful technology to set goals, take control, make better decisions and stay on track.
