One of the hardest things to find in the world now-a-days is truth. It seems like every headline, commercial and sales pitch has some sort of spin. The idea of retirement is no different. One of the biggest lies pre-retirees face is the pressure to retire. Here are some things to remember.
Ageism abounds in today’s society
We live in a culture obsessed with youth. Age is looked down upon. There’s an expectation to retire once a person reaches a certain age, because retirees are perceived to have less value. Not long ago, the opposite was true. Age represented wisdom and God’s favor. In many Eastern cultures, even today, the older population is highly revered in families and society.
Don’t settle for a black-and-white retirement
Society will say you must have a retirement date set. And from that moment on, this brand new “retirement” life of leisure must begin. This is quite an abrupt life-change especially if you consider a person may have been in the workforce for 40+ years. Is it possible, your retirement experience can be more fluid? Instead of a cosmic shift in life at a specific moment, retirement is more of a process and transition that takes place over the course of years, not hours.
Trends are promising
People are beginning to see the falsehood of this expected retirement. A 2017 Rand Corp. study showed that 39% of Americans 65 and older who are currently employed had previously retired. More than half of those 50 and older who are not working and not searching for work said they would work if the “right opportunity came along.”
Here’s the truth
- You don’t HAVE to retire
- Your retirement does not HAVE to look like the retirement painted by society
- Ageism is a lie – you ARE valuable
- Your impact and purpose are NOT done
- The best IS yet to come
- God’s plan for you is NOT over
Want more?
Listen to the full episode of Retire Repurposed here:
Jerrid Sebesta
Co-Founder of Retire Repurposed
