Time will either be your greatest asset or your greatest enemy in retirement. Spent wisely, time opens the door for you to walk into the fullness of how you were uniquely created. However, time spent unwisely may produce idleness, bad habits, or feelings of displeasure and discontentment.
Bottom Line: You HAVE time!
The absence of work combined with increased longevity means you HAVE time. Statically speaking, if you have reached the age of 65 years old, you will likely live another 20+ years. If you follow the Repurposed Process, your retirement will be exhilarating, passionate, fulfilling and impactful. What a great way to spend your time!
There’s a (spiritual) battle for the way you spend your time
Whether you are aware of it or not, there is a massive battle for the way you spend your time. It’s a spiritual battle. After all, retirees are the most powerful generation on the planet today. The enemy knows this fact. He may be granted only limited power to dictate how much time you have left on Earth (Job 2, for example), so his tactics will be focused on the way you spend your time. The next-best thing in the enemy’s eyes is to strip you of your purpose and entice you to follow the ways of the world without a plan. Indefiniteness of purpose is a much bigger deal than you thought. Having indefiniteness of purpose creates idleness, which is just-as-good to your adversary.
Having idle time is winning by the world’s standards
According to conventional wisdom, the ability to not work and do nothing in retirement is winning. Don’t hear us incorrectly, we are huge proponents of rest and relaxation. However, retired or not, it must be earned rest. The reason you looked forward to the weekend is because you worked during the week. There was accomplishment. Rest needs to be viewed as a reward and recharge proceeding adding-value. Unfortunately, society has painted a false picture of the ideal retirement as one with unlimited idle time as its primary focus.
Busyness is NOT the opposite of idleness
The goal of many retirees is to just “stay busy”. And while staying busy is a noble goal, busyness doesn’t necessarily equate to living with intentionality and purposefulness. Busy work is defined as work without purpose. It’s time-filler. Hobbies are wonderful and there is nothing wrong with striving to have a nice lawn. However, there is a definite line between doing yard work in combination with purposeful work – and just “having something to do.” Without intention, retirees will easily spend six to eight hours a day busy, but doing very little.
How do you make retirement your greatest asset?
The first thing you must do is unlearn what retirement is supposed to look like for you. Break free from the American dream retirement mindset of endless idle and purposeless time. Challenge the status quo. Change your perception of retirement asking yourself, “What is retirement really about for me?” Secondly, you must have definiteness of purpose. Having purpose transcends purely spending time with kids and grandkids. There’s a deeper underlying reason for your life. Do you know exactly how you are uniquely created? Do you understand your new retirement assignment? Finally, you must have a clear and defined plan. Is your schedule nearly wide-open each day? Do you wake up each day excited knowing you have purposeful work ahead? Do days seem to float by or are you in control of your time and schedule with intentionality?
Ready to take the next step in your Repurposed journey? Click here.
Jerrid Sebesta
Co-Founder of Retire Repurposed
