Come on RETIRE – just do it!

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Today’s Blog Post


Come on RETIRE – just do it!
As I reflect on each day as they whiz by now… it has been amazing to see the variety of things that I am doing now.

That is a good word to describe this retirement mode now… variety.

In one week’s time I have completed about 24 hours of volunteering. I have been able to make some great business connections and then I was paid well for a two jobs that I was able to complete.

In the old days…
My “working career” included world travel and world work outside of Canada. And then it included many years of working in a variety of positions and places within Canada. I have had almost 40 years of a jammed and packed working career that is so exciting I can hardly explain it to you. It has been good.

When facing that last few years of work I was looking forward to leaving what I was doing. I actually started counting the days of time I had left at work before I would turn the magic age of Canadian Retirement – 65 years old.

Yet inside I knew that I had far too much left to do. I had energy that was bubbling over… and I knew that I wasn’t done yet.

At the end of June 2008 the fateful day happened – the “Good Bye Murray Day” and we were out of there. Bam. Boom. I was no longer needed in that place.

I struggled internally with the nothingness that came sweeping in like the ocean’s wave… sweeping away all that I had done for all those years.

The problem was that the last years had been very hard at the work place. There had been unhappy customers, angry customers to deal with and plain ornery old folk that unless you did it their way… you could start looking at the highway. Add to that the financial situation of the business was not good. Circumstances surrounding the business, the climate of the business world, apathy for the product and a host of other things were surrounding our business on a weekly business.

When June 2008 came and went, it left me wondering what would happen next.

I enjoyed the nothingness for a while. I had been exhausted emotionally with the work place issues. I was exhausted emotionally also with leaving. Just the internal stuff whirling around had kept me overwhelmed.

The business kept going without me. Amazingly enough it did. I had supported and propped it up, solved most problems and had been there when needed at the drop of the hat. But now it was still going and seemed to be doing okay… all without me.

I was feeling better and time was whizzing by. There was no time to sit and think about what had happened.. or mope over it either. There was life to live and things that I had only dreamed of doing. BUT I was always too busy… and now I was free.

I started another small business. It was Wood Carving. And believe it or not people wanted my work. I added to that my Lace Making – and they wanted that as well. Then I added my Art Work, my Illustrations and Drawings – and they wanted that as well. Finally I added my Speaking – talking to groups and motivating them where possible.

I mixed in the fun volunteer things and I discovered I have a better life than ever before, make better money and happier money… and don’t have to deal with unhappy customers, angry customers or plain ornery old folk that unless you did it their way… you could start looking at the highway. I am progressing well down the highway and they are still muttering.

Hey – retirement is so good I can’t believe that I didn’t do this long ago.

Remember when I told you that my “working career” included world travel and world work outside of Canada. This past week I was in Ajax working with a Sri Lankan group and saw amazing results take place. Then just yesterday I was working with an Egyptian group that has resulted in more potential than any of the “old business” ever could have realized. The booking for further new business is climbing and I feel young again! Wahoo!

I met a young couple yesterday that are struggling in a family oriented business. The guy’s dad is still in the business at 70 years old and won’t quit. They can do nothing now to move ahead with the old guy still there. They are frustrated to say the least. And the old guy is struggling… maybe just the way that I was… and it is time to retire… just the way that it was for me.

Hey old guy… if you read this… there are far better days ahead than you ever had in days before. Come on RETIRE – just do it!

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/