As I’ve written before, in many ways retirement is about thinking backwards…
Or, as Stephen R. Covey put it, “Begin with the end in mind.” So let’s build on that today.
Here are three issues to ponder as you look forward to the day when your real estate investments bring you to the place where you are free to retire.
You’ve escaped the rat race ‒ you’ve “arrived”. Now what?
When you’re “retired”…
You Have Options
This is big. And it can actually be a little unsettling, believe it or not. The choices you have can be almost… overwhelming.
You might want a very active retirement lifestyle.
For example, some folks like to travel. And when they can afford to do it… look out! You can fly, sail the ocean, do river cruises, stay at top shelf hotels, or look for quaint B&B’s. Just about anywhere in the world… from Paris, France, to Sydney, Australia.
And sports? There’s hang gliding, rock climbing, golf, sailing, tennis… You get the idea.
Or you can take you business skills and head up a non-profit organization. Just because you’re “retired” doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy putting your entrepreneurial skills to work! If it makes you happy, why not go for it?
Then again, you might want a slower, more relaxed approach to retirement.
Maybe you just want to work in your garden every day. Or you could write a novel. You might be the kind of person who likes to study things and reflect deeply on what you’ve learned while hiking your favorite trail. Then have friends over for dinner and discuss it. A lot of folks find great satisfaction in taking their dogs for a walk on the beach…
If your thing is nothing but enjoying your pets and your grandkids ‒ well, there’s nothing wrong with that.
It’s not like with a career, where once you’ve completed your schooling, it’s “I can either be this kind of surgeon or that kind of surgeon. So what are the pros and cons?” It’s more like, “Is there anything I can’t do? I guess not. There are virtually limitless options!”
You Should Keep an Open Mind…
Here’s what I mean. You need to keep your mind open… because you may not even know yet what you really want to do with yourself.
Really. Most of us have more limiting beliefs than we realize. We’ve gotten used to thinking there are many things that just aren’t in the cards for us. Maybe for others ‒ but not for us. Actually, most of this thinking is pretty much subconscious. But it’s there.
One good thing about leveraging the power of investing in real estate is that you have to confront some of your limiting beliefs to even succeed. So by the time you’ve built up your net worth to a substantial amount, I can almost guarantee that you will have outgrown many old, unhelpful attitudes and habits.
Still, once you’re in a position to “do whatever you want”… you may not really believe it’s possible. You may feel sort of guilty about it. Or you may just subconsciously settle for less than your dreams. (So you start to travel, but you hold back from traveling the way you really want to, because it seems too lavish or whatever.)
It can take a while for it to sink in that you have worked precisely to get to this place where you can spend your time and resources the way you’ve always wanted to. No one is limiting you anymore. Not your boss, not a lack of money. Nothing.
And that’s when you may finally begin to allow yourself to discover new dreams, new visions for the way you can live your life. Or let yourself admit to what’s been there all along…
The bottom line is, you need to keep an open mind, because once you’ve arrived at this retirement state, it’s entirely possible that a whole new level of self-discovery will begin. You may have outgrown your old goals.
You Must Chart Your Own Course
This builds on what we said above. There’s no right or wrong way to “do your thing.” That’s why it’s your thing.
As you move more and more into living your dream life, some folks may look at you and say, “That’s not fair. You can’t do that. Why you should you have it so easy?” They’ll resent the fact that you spend far more time with friends and enjoying your hobbies than worrying about your income ‒ and they’ll want you to feel bad about it.
But there’s no “eternal law” that says you have to work 50 hours or more per week, be stressed about money ‒ or else be written off by “the universe” as some sort of lazy bum.
Others may accuse you of working too hard or “doing too much”. It’s like they think the only acceptable activity for people not officially working full time is to watch reruns of game shows.
But if you’ve always wanted to get more involved in charity work… and take up martial arts… why shouldn’t you?
The fact is, it’s not usually the case that folks will come up to you and tell you these things to your face. More often, you’ll be tempted to think this way, to feel this way. And only you can choose to win that fight.
Only you can decide the best use of your time. (When you’re broke, when you’re building your business, and when you no longer even have to work all that hard to enjoy a solid income.)
So decide. And don’t let other people’s expectations… or your own limiting beliefs… hold you back.
Let us know when you’re ready to start making the changes in your financial life that will open the doors for you to “retire in style” ‒ sooner than you may think. Call us at (801) 990-5109 or schedule your free appointment here to build a personalized Wealth Plan. We’ll help you “begin with the end in mind” ‒ at a whole new level.
