My Definition Of RETIREMENT

My Definition Of RETIREMENT

7/16/07

First of all, I want to start by saying that the first thing we all need to do is to look at what we have been programmed to believe and what we bought into all this time.Retirement, the way we were taught and the way society defines it for us, means that you work to pay the bills for the bulk of your life while you put off all the things you really want to do until around age 65. I just have one question, Why would anybody want to spend 2/3 of their lives trying to earn to privilege of being free one day? I don't get it. Why not be free TODAY?

Here are the 3 biggest myths about retirement that keep people from enjoying the abundance, overflow, and the freedom that they could have otherwise:

Myth 1- Retirement Comes During The Last Part Of Life

That's FALSE, Nothing could be further from the truth! We have been programmed and manipulated into thinking that labor and leisure are separate events that happen at different stages of life. Forget about what our passion is, what our real interests are, or where we feel most capable. Just do the 40-40-40 plan without question. The plan is this, work 40 hours a week for 40 years, and when you retire you live off 40% of your income (if you get lucky). Then, while you work so hard for all that time, you secretly wish you had the money to go somewhere with the vacation time that your boss might or might not approve.

Myth 2- Retirement Means You Don't Work

When you live a life that lacks purpose, direction, and aim it runs contrary to what it means to be human.

Myth 3- Retirement Means Sudden Wealth

First of all, your real wealth is not measured in how much money or assets you have, it's all about how much you have between your 2 ears. Henry Ford was a multimillionaire back when $1 million was still a lot of money. Somebody once asked him what he would do if he lost everything and his response was, "I'd have it all back in less than 5 years." By having an abundance mindset and knowing what it takes to make that kind of money, if you were to ever lose it all, It wouldn't take you nearly as long to get it all back as it took you to get it in the first place. People naturally associate early "retirement" with some kind of financial windfall. Somehow, they believe that the only way to get away from living the life that they hate is to get rich first, then and only then can they do what they really want to do. This is the biggest example of how we need to change our thinking and elevate our understanding of success in general. This is a CRIPPLING concept that makes people scared to get old. There is no need to gauge your happiness according to a timeline that was set by somebody else.

Now, here is what retirement means to ME:

1. Taking on the responsibility to make a contribution with your gifts. This contribution pays for the space that you take up on earth.

2. The freedom to design the life YOU always wanted, to show your appreciation to God for giving you life in the first place.

3. When you move into your own sense of fullness and purpose, doing something that imprints your time here and says that you didn't wait until a certain age to live meaningfully.

Why settle for the crumbs in life when you can have the full meal?

You have to allow yourself to have new beliefs in order to create new opportunities, options, and possibilities for your life (Mark 9:23). Also ask yourself, "What's possible for my life if I change the way I have it all set up in my mind?" You can't fix the problems in your life until you fix the mindset that created them. One other thing, helplessness will remain available as an option for those who choose to have it.