Area Eight in the 15 Areas to focus on according to the Retirement Success Profile (RSP) to ensure you retire successfully is Life Meaning. This is defined as “The degree to which you have found a life direction for retirement which offers you a driving purpose, and a deep sense of personal fulfillment… or, “What will your retirement life purpose and/or mission be?”

The more directly you address these 15 areas, the better your chances to seize retirement options that have meaning and purpose to you.

When I first took the assessment, it was like a ‘wow’ for me. I realized that although I had some areas that I was doing really well in, I had some definite things to work on. And Life Meaning was one of them.

My good friend, Cari Vollmer, who works with people to discover their life purpose, had a client who said, “you know, that’s what I’m afraid of. It scares me to think I have to reinvent the wheel, yet again”.

Finding life meaning can be scary. But as with most things in life, if we overanalyze it, our fears can get the best of us. Instead, I suggest analyzing and researching, taking the steps to gather the amount of information you need to confidently make the decision, getting the help you need when you can’t find the answers you’re looking for, and then make the decision without second-guessing yourself. I’m not saying to not look back to see what can improve, instead I recommend you do just that to improve the process for the future. It can help you to see what amount of research and fact-finding is right for you. What I’m suggesting is to not worry about ‘what if I had done things differently’ and instead look at it from the perspective of ‘how can I go through the process more thoroughly, confidently, and what improvements can I make to the process?’ This will help you to progress forward more quickly and even stops the worry and fear from engulfing you into paralysis.

And it allows you to see the possibility of a better, happier, more authentic life ahead. Focus on the joy of the outcome, and you will be pulled towards that result. What you focus on improves.

Sometimes it’s only the next right step that shows up. If it feels right, take the step. It’s only when you take this next right step that the next one shows up. We become accustomed to wanting to see the whole, entire picture before taking the first step. I’m suggesting that by doing that, you delay the acquisition of the goal. Instead, become comfortable with the uncomfortable, and have faith that the next step will show up when it was meant to. Your challenge is to be looking for that next right step.

Jack Canfield is America’s Success Coach and co-founder of Chicken Soup for the Soul. He states, “You were born with an inner guidance system that tells you when you are on or off purpose by the amount of joy you are experiencing. The things that bring you the greatest joy are in alignment with your purpose.”

What you are here to do is what will give you the greatest amount of joy when you are doing it. It includes your talents, passions and values, what makes you unique for the sake of serving others, making the world a better place.

In a conversation I recently had in discussing ‘next steps’, she stated, “I KNEW immediately when they handed me that pin that if I stayed much longer I’d get “institutionalized” as I had at (name of company withheld)!! I was gone a little over a year later.”

Once you’ve gone through the assessment, you’re given a report that is a blueprint for action to prepare for your retirement. It tells you areas that you are well-prepared for in retirement, and areas that need additional focus and energy on in order to have a successful retirement. In order for you to have the most success in retirement, you’ll want to put forth a focused, concentrated attention on some very specific areas.

Your Assignment:

According to Dr. Johnson, finding meaning in our lives is not a luxury, it is a need. Without meaning in our lives we would eventually get sick – the human organism ceases to operate efficiently and begins a slow descent to illness.

In the five major life meaning needs below, write down two activities you engage in right now in your life in each of these five categories.

A. Improves physical health
B. Improves emotional well-being
C. Improves mental well-being
D. Enhances socialization
E. Gives you status in your community

The answers to these questions provide insight into where your life meaning lies. Together, we help you determine your life meaning in retirement. You DON’T want to leave it to chance! Contact me for a 15-minute ‘Retirement Strategy Session’ to see if there are ways I can help you. Simply email me at Tracey@NewFaceOfRetirement.com with “Retirement Strategy” in the subject line, and we’ll set up a time to chat.

This information is based on the original work created by Richard P. Johnson, Ph.D. in his book The New Retirement and the training certification through the Retirement Success Profile (RSP).

Tracey Fieber is founder of “The Secrets to Retirement Success System™”, the most complete Retirement Transition program for executives and small business owners.

Using her own principles, Tracey went from a corporate executive to a retirement filled with adventure, passion and purpose, in less than 8 months!

Tracey is the celebrated author of the Retirement Success Home Study System™, and author of the upcoming book “How to Retire to a Life of Adventure, Passion and Purpose”. Get your free CD “7 Steps to Cracking the Retirement Code”, available on www.NewFaceOfRetirement.com.

2010 © New Face of Retirement, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Feel free to pass the above in its entirety to anyone you wish.

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