Becoming My Future Self in Retirement
I'm still learning.
I used to believe what they told us about aging - that a person’s most productive age was in their 20s or 30s, but what they told us is wrong.
Based on my own personal experiences and what I see other successful “late bloomers” do I now believe our most productive and creative period often starts when we leave full time work behind and this productivity and creativity can continue into our 70’s, 80’s and even 90’s if we know the rules and play our cards right.
The story of automatic decline in retirement we’ve been told isn’t true. The truth is that if we stay active mentally, through growing and learning we can accomplish some amazing things late in life if we want to.
Don’t believe me?
Maybe you have been too busy to notice but later-life professional success is not unusual but for some reason it’s not talked about much. You can see it all around you if you care to look for it.
There are millions of people around the world in their 60s, 70s, and beyond who are doing some amazing things.
We have 90 year old film makers and movie stars, 90 year old CEO’s, 80 year old fashion models, 90 year old marathoners, 80 year old singers, 97 year old Nobel Prize winners, 90 year old astronauts, and even a 79 year old president, people making their best contributions, late in life doing the things they love to do.
So what do these late bloomers have in common that others their same age don’t?
The answer is they are future-oriented.
They think long term and make long term investments in areas that interest them and because of that they accomplish things that most retirees only dream about.
Late bloomers focus on the long game and leverage the power of compounding
Einstein referred to compound interest as the eighth wonder of the world and Warren Buffett said that using the power of compound interest is what led to his success.
But the power of compounding doesn’t only need to apply to finances, it also can be used to improve our health, our relationships and our mastery in whatever area we choose.
Small, daily, seemingly insignificant improvements when done consistently over time will yield surprisingly large returns and the quality of your life will significantly improve.
Consider this;
If you are committed to improve consistently over a long period of time you are likely to increase the odds of you getting the retirement outcome you want because your actions compound upon one another over time.
The 10,000 Hour Rule
Most skills are not inborn but learned which means we can become really good at something if we want to provided we are willing to put the required work in.
Anders Ericsson along with two colleagues at Berlin’s elite Academy of Music did a lot of research on what does it take to become “world-class” and they found it had little to do with innate talent but by how many hours in practice a person was willing to put in. And they found the threshold the required level of practice required was 10,000 hours.
Subsequent studies has confirmed their findings so to achieve mastery in anything the magic number is 10,000 which works out to be ten years at 1,000 hours per year.
As well, be sure to surround yourself with people who can help you get there. Find experts, teachers, coaches and mentors that you can learn from.
Bottom line if you want to become an expert at something you need to really dedicate yourself in both time and energy.
Reality is that it’s hard to put the required time in when you are working full time but when you retire that is no longer an obstacle.
Even better news is that their research also showed that a person can continue to operate at a surprisingly high level at an advanced age provided they were committed to ongoing practice. Plus there is the added benefit that staying engaged and learning new things supports our overall brain health.
Knowing that my best years in terms of creative output and life satisfaction lies ahead rather than behind makes me both hopeful and happy and gives me a good reason to get out of bed in the morning.
Really what I am doing today is setting myself up for my eighties and beyond. I’m working on getting my health back and becoming proficient in writing and public speaking amongst other things, skills that will allow me to be active and engaged for many years to come.
I was 59 when they forced me to retire
I was 60 when I learned to fly fish for Atlantic Salmon
I was 60 when I became a blogger
I was 61 when I published my first book
I was 61 when I did my first speech. I was 64 when I started my retirement coaching business
I was 66 when I published my second book
I was 68 when I will published my third book
I was 68 when I attempted Ironman Cozumel
How’s that for getting old? And to think I’m just getting started.
Now it’s your turn.
Think about what you want to be doing at age 90 and then work backwards to where you are today.
What do you want to be doing at age ninety?
Are you doing it today?
How do you plan on getting there?
By starting with the end in mind, we are able to build our plan to actually get there.
About the author
Mike Drak is the Author of the best-selling book Victory Lap Retirement and Retirement Heaven or Hell - Which Will You Choose. Along with being an Author, Mike is also an award winning blogger, retirement coach and public speaker and has made appearances on BNN, CBC Radio and iHeart radio. He is a thirty-eight year veteran of the financial services industry and lives with his wife Melina in Toronto, Canada. You can contact Mike through LinkedIn.
