Remember when you were a teenager and you were working one of your first jobs. It may have been at a fast-food restaurant, a bagger at a grocery store, or in my case – a paperboy. You may recall that those entry level jobs were not always that much fun. As a matter of fact, you may have even experienced working conditions that you just couldn’t deal with and perhaps one day, when you had enough, you simply said, “I quit!”
While it may have felt good to do that – when you arrived home, one of your parents may have said, “How can you quit your job before you have another one in place?” Hmm – you hadn’t really thought that far ahead. Now your money was going to run out quickly.
I was reminded of this in talking with my eye doctor last week about retirement. He made the statement that he has seen too many of his patients retire before they had their next job set up, and it hasn’t played out well. Now that may sound confusing – retiring but having another job?
But what he was saying is very true. Before you retire, the transition will be much smoother if you have your next “job” in place. While that could be another paid job, it could just as easily be a volunteering position, or taking care of grandkids on certain days, or even aging parents. You see, whatever you commit yourself to do – you do best when you approach that commitment with the same fervor and dedication you had at your place of employment.
So, if you are considering retirement – I encourage you to have your next “job” lined up first.