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“Remember this, that very little is needed to make a happy life.” — Marcus Aurelius
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I started the blog and podcast over a year ago with the idea of providing sound and factual retirement planning information without a lot of unnecessary fluff and hyperbole. After one year, I can honestly say it’s been a great deal of fun, but also a great deal of hard work.
Being unfamiliar with blog and podcasting formats has presented a steep and formal learning curve. The technology required to write, manage, edit, record, and publish a blog and podcast was unfamiliar. In the space of little more than a year, I have come to feel much more comfortable with all aspects of publishing a blog and podcast. My initial idea of doing something simple in the educational space has morphed into a blog and podcast that are experienced worldwide.
Retiring With Enough was designed to focus on three main areas critical to retirement. Before retiring each person must thoughtfully consider whether they have enough money, have worked enough, and will have enough to do in retirement.
Each leg of the three-legged stool is equally important, and arriving at enough in two of the three legs without successfully navigating the remaining leg will result in a stool that is out of balance, and unstable. So, over the last year, I have focused individually and in concert on each leg of the three-legged stool.
Based on the comments and feedback I have received over the last year, many readers and listeners attach a great degree of importance to each of these three pre-retirement focuses.
After creating blog and podcast content, and hearing many comments over the last year, I now realize the basic concept of the three-legged stool is even more relevant than I initially considered.
Let’s quickly recap each of the legs of the Three-Legged Stool:
- Finance (Money)– many of the blogs and podcasts in the last year have focused on determining and clarifying when someone has enough money. Enough money means the amount of liquid assets that will provide income necessary for living expenses for the remainder of a person or couple’s lives. This number (amount of money) will differ from person to person and is dependent on many factors. The blogs and podcasts have provided information to help in the determination of that individual number.
- Mindset (Work)– this leg of the three-legged stool is concerned with work. More importantly, it concerns the stage of life when someone has worked enough and is ready to retire. This leg represents the mindset or the freedom aspects of retirement. No more work means each day can be planned and spent according to each person‘s desires without the mental costs of spending each day working.
- Purpose (Spiritual)– the purpose leg of the three-legged stool represents purpose and activities in retirement. The Purpose leg of the three-legged stool is the least thought out and most underprepared leg of the Retirement process. Many people feel that they will just “figure it out” after they retire. Unfortunately, most people are unprepared for the overwhelming mental and emotional upheaval that occurs at the end of a work career. People who feel they will spend each day lounging around watching TV, and doing very little soon realize that days spent in these pursuits take a huge mental toll. These people soon realize that there is a need for purpose and structure, even in retirement.
The theme of realizing what is enough in the areas of work, finance, and purpose has resonated with listeners and readers around the world.
It is my opinion that happiness in retirement doesn’t spontaneously happen but instead flows from the realization and attainment of ENOUGH in the areas of finance, mindset, and purpose. Retirees that I have spoken with who are happy have come to the realization that they have enough money, have worked enough, and have enough to do in retirement.
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But, critical evaluation has also forced me to reevaluate blog and podcast content going forward. Once a person has decided they have had enough of work and quits working, that portion of the three-legged stool is completed.
A normal progression of the retirement journey would dictate that the Mindset leg of the three-legged stool should be replaced post-retirement with a Health and Wellness Leg. Some people, including me, enjoy working and continue to work part-time after quitting full-time work. For these workers the mindset leg of the Three-Legged Stool remains viable! Instead of getting out my saw to cut one leg off of the Three-Legged Stool I’ve decided to include Health and Wellness as a part of the Purpose leg of the Three-Legged Stool.
I will continue to write blogs and do podcasts about different work-related subjects. But, from this point going forward, I will begin adding blogs and podcasts about health and wellness-related subjects.
Once a person retires, they become much less concerned about work topics. Work and work-related issues become a non-topic since retired people no longer work.
But, retired people quickly become aware of the importance of health and wellness. Many people suddenly realize that health and wellness have not been a focus during working years. This lack of focus may result in health-related problems that alter the ability to enjoy retirement activities, and may ultimately lead to a shorter life.
Another major consideration is that much time and energy is spent before retirement focused on retirement assets, net worth, and retirement funding options. After retirement has started, most retirees tend to focus more on purpose in retirement than they do on finance-related subjects. In previous blogs and podcasts, I have spoken of the 90/10 rule. Before retirement, approximately 90% of retirement planning focuses on the financial leg of the three-legged stool, with only 10% of planning time allotted to purpose in retirement. After a person retires this ratio reverses with 10% of planning focused on finances and 90% focused on purpose and activities in retirement.
This new focus resonates with my personal experience as I move through retirement. I still work about 5 to 6 weeks per year as a Locum Tenens dental provider. This being said, I still consider myself a retired person. I spend very little time thinking about work, and I no longer have a dental office or staff. I still contact all of my previous staff members periodically and I stay in contact with the dental provider who assumed control of my practice.
I now spend very little time considering finances. After positioning assets to provide needed income in retirement, I am no longer spending excessive time managing or worrying about retirement income
I am a true example of the 90/10 rule after retirement in that I spend only about 10% of my time on financial projects. Approximately 90% of my time is spent planning and pursuing spiritual and purpose-driven retirement projects.
My physical workout schedule has assumed greater importance since I am retired. I spend 6 to 10 hours each week doing strenuous aerobic exercise, weight training, and stretching. Workouts at the gym also provide a social component. It is at the gym where I am around other people and have the opportunity to connect socially.
Starting the blog and podcast has created multiple touch points for interaction with others. The blog and podcast create purpose in retirement and provide a pathway to continue helping others while controlling my schedule. Helping others is still important, as my whole work career in dentistry was directed towards helping those in need. Self-direction and self-scheduling of my work, blog, and podcast provide multiple opportunities for other leisure pursuits such as hunting, fishing, and spending quality time with family.
In the same manner as my retirement plans, I will continue to reassess and improve the content of the Retiring With Enough blog and podcast. As I grow in mature in Retirement, so will the blog and podcast.
I want to thank each, and every person who has provided positive feedback, and helped to make the blog and podcast the successes that they are after one year. I would also encourage readers and listeners to continue to provide positive feedback, and positive reviews to podcast services so that the blog and podcast will be more readily available to help others, and so that blog and podcast content can be continually upgraded and improved. Positive reviews are very important and favorable reviews will increase search engine optimization and focus traffic towards the Retiring With Enough blog and podcast.
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Final Thoughts
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- Happy first anniversary to the Retiring With Enough blog and podcast.
- The first anniversary of the blog and podcast has provided an opportunity to critically, analyze and reassess, where both the blog and podcast will benefit from upgrades and changes.
- The blog and podcast are both valuable in the fact that many of the topics that are highlighted in the blog and podcast are the compilation of personal experiences and provide real and accurate information that is the result of crossing these retirement thresholds such as Medicare, retirement planning, Social Security claiming, and purpose in retirement.
- Both the blog and podcast have been a work of love, and my reward has been viewers and listeners from all over the world who have found value in the Retiring With Enough blog and podcast.
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