Joan Rivers’ Retirement Mistake?
via Flickr – Steve Rhodes
I don’t think it was a big secret when Joan Rivers passed away that she was still working at the tender age of 81. And I’m pretty sure she didn’t need the money!
So the question I have for you is…Do you think Joan Rivers was a failure for not enjoying retirement?
I could be wrong but I don’t think so. To me, an incredible retirement means being able to do what you want, when you want, where you want. When you think about retirement I definitely think you should retire from doing things you’re no longer good at or don’t want to do.
And I’d like to encourage you to retire from the people in your life who no longer make you a better person. You probably already know in your own mind who they are don’t you!
I never met Joan Rivers, but from what I’ve seen, it looks to me like she was living her life according to these principles. She enjoyed entertaining us, and she was really good at it.
So don’t feel guilty about not wanting to retire from the work you do if you’re good at what you do and you enjoy doing it. Or if you’re retired and starting to get bored with retirement.
Many years ago one of our clients who had recently retired was called by his former employer to see if he would be interested in working on a short-term project. For him the project was very interesting, challenging and exciting. But he was worried that his friends and neighbors would think think he wasn’t successful and was being forced out of necessity to return to work.
Thankfully for him, he didn’t let these thoughts change his mind. Since then, he and his wife have been able to travel the world to gather, while he completes short-term projects for his former employer. Work that he’s really good at and enjoys doing!
One of the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to money and retirement decisions is letting society define retirement for them. Make sure you don’t make this same mistake. If working past normal or typical retirement age is something you enjoy doing and you’re really good at it, I say congratulations! Because I think you’re already living an Incredible Retirement – Doing What you want, When you want, Where you want.
