Retirement considerations

Many factors influence the shape of your retirement life because they either expand or limit your options.

First of all, your health status determine the kinds of activities you can engage in and how much you can do. By the same token, with retirement you are likely to have more time to spend on strengthening your health by getting more rest and having time to exercise. Your financial health is also very important. It determines the kinds of things you can or cannot afford to do. In fact, you may decide that you have to find some gainful activities to supplement your income. Your family environment is another factor. Whether your spouse (if you do have one) is still working and your relationship in daily life determine to a large extent what you can and cannot afford to do on account of money and time. If you have dependent children, or if you have grandchildren, that will also be a big factor. Your education and carrier background will also help lead you to your decision. These are but a few of the more major and obvious factors; there are many others.

However, the one key factor that should shape your retirement life is you yourself. First you have to decide the kind of life you want in retirement, i.e. whether you just want to fade away quietly or have a long-awaited second life, or something in between. Once you make this decision, all the other factors that we mentioned earlier will just follow. For instance, if you want your retirement to be your second chance on life, then regardless of your health, financial or family situation, there is always a way to work out something out. It's just a matter of choosing the activities that your physical strength, your income or your available time permit.

Retirement is a good time to relive your childhood or your young adulthood. Remember when you were deeply involved in stamp collection? or when you got your first model air plane kit? or when you built your doll houses? Due to school work and then the work work, and then the family, you have totally forgotten about them. Now is the time to go back to the hobby you loved or to engage in new ones.

On the other end of the scale, there are many new things you may want to explore: the computer is obviously a big area. Many people are familiar with using the computer. But even if you are a complete computer illiterate, it is not to difficult to learn. The Internet has opened up a whole new world for everyone regardless of technical skill or financial status. With a computer connected to the Internet, there are enough things you can do to keep you busy all day especially if you are intellectually curious. If you love to travel but don't have enough money or physical strength to do so, Internet would be the next best thing to see the world. On the Internet, you could even learn a new language, and find online friends to practice it. On the Internet, you can read books, watch movies, listen to music, tour museums, all for next to no cost. With some many social networking going on on the Internet, you can also build a new social circle while sitting by your computer. I could go on and on.

But, if with all these opportunities around, you still choose to sit on your rocking chair and rock your way to senility, then that is your choice. That is why I said the key factor in shaping your retirement life is you yourself.