How to avoid stuffing up retirement subconsciously
I got told the other day that the first person to live to 150 is born already. Do you believe that? I’m not convinced. But one thing I am convinced of is, we’re no longer in Kansas anymore for retirement matters, and failing to see this shift will put you on a crash course with unhappiness.
It’s an easy mistake to make, though. What I mean is, retirement now comprises two distinct phases.
Phase #2 is the stereotypical ‘old and frail’ stage, which unfortunately none of us can escape, not even if we do drink the fountain of youth and live to 150.
And Phase #1?
It’s what’s dubbed, ‘Life’s Third Act.’ You’ve heard of it, I bet.
It’s new for humankind, because it’s the creation of an entire second adulthood, the result of us living 30 years longer on average than our grandparents, thanks to higher living standards and miracles of modern medicine.
Our Third Act comes after our Act 1 (childhood and adolescence) and Act 2 (which is our first shot at getting married, starting a family, drowning in debt, then rinsing and repeating for some including me).
And the mistake to make in Phase #1 of retirement, and it’s surprising how many people do this, is to treat it like it’s Phase #2. For instance, subconsciously surrendering to the old-age retirement stereotype, becoming less active and engaged with the world around you, perhaps even making your health (and “how expensive everything is now”) your favourite and possibly only topic of conversation.
But luckily you can train your subconscious to hang tough and resist making this mistake.
Here’s one way: