Last week we took up a few activities that retirees could go into having introduced the basic principles of making the choices that will be beneficial to the retiree and others. Today we will take up a few more activities for consideration. Again, let us understand the choices we make should be personal on the basis of what we can do, is/are valuable and are happy doing them.
Be a consultant: As I often state, most retirees have a lot of experience, knowledge and skills that they could share for the benefit of others and society. The water resources engineer we mentioned last could opt to be a consultant on a paid basis to individuals and corporations. A retired banker, who knows how banks grant loans could be a financial consultant advising clients on how they can position their businesses and present a case that can pass the credit approval processes of a bank. Equally as importantly, such a consultant should be able to advise their clients on how to honour their debt obligations.
In becoming a consultant, you need, as mentioned, knowledge, skills and reasonable experience that your clients can benefit from. Furthermore, you have to continuously train and develop yourself by attending industry events, conferences, training programs, etc. You should understand that your clients are in the daily grind of whatever it is that they do and as their consultant you should bring out more insights and emerging practices that will add value to their lives and operations.
Remote working: If you are approaching retirement, you are probably of the tail of the Baby Boomer generation or the head of Gen X. Those after you, particularly of Gen Z and the millennials have a lot of opportunities for productive engagement and financial benefits in legitimate remote work that is available irrespective of where a person resides. Typically, all that is required to provide remote services are your knowledge, skills and expertise, your computer and internet connectivity and registration with the outsourcing platform you wish to join. You will also need to be available to deliver on projects that you may accept. The only ‘downside’ I see with taking on remote work is that you may need to spend long hours seated at your desk doing the work. But that can be managed by ensuring that you don’t take on too many projects that will keep you seated for unhealthy durations. Even when you have a reasonable number of projects, you can ensure that you take frequent breaks that will enable you to walk around.
Write: On the basis of the tremendous knowledge and experiences that many retirees tend to have, you can opt to write. It could be a biography about yourself which may bring out your personal experiences, successes and failures that would bring out learning points for your readers. You also could write about your profession, the opportunities and challenges therein and what others can do to enhance their chances of career progression and be of service to humanity.
Go into ‘politics’: I know, for most people who have been professionals and employees, this is a tough call for what many consider the untoward practices in our political landscape. But I think it needs not to be. I mean, some of the most honourable and competent politicians we have or had, had been professionals and employees. Besides, politics is so important in our lives that we need to have the most competent and credible ones amongst us to join at the local, state and federal levels. Going into politics is one way we can help the lot of our people and nation. Anyone who is interested and has the capacity should give it a serious thought.
Hobby: A retiree can take on a hobby that activates their mind and body in positive ways. There are a myriad of possible choices and it is up to us what we decide to do. From learning to paint, a new language or one that you have substantially lost, play a musical instrument, cooking, etc., we can pick what can develop our talents, make us happy and engage us with our inner senses and others.
Other things: We have severally discussed that a retiree should be physically and mentally active. To this effect, there are many things a retiree could include in their routine of activities to help them. Such activities can include decluttering your home from time to time (you will surprised at the volume and weight of junk you are keeping for no purpose); Growing a garden in your backyard of what you may need at home like mangoes, tomatoes, pepper, cabbage, etc.; Attending family and school reunions; Keeping up with technology in ways you understand and which help you; Playing brain-teasing games such as puzzles, Soduku, and check websites that offer interesting games. In so doing, however, allocate time for the games and keep to that so that they do not distract you from other, perhaps more important engagements; Invite the grandchildren and let them play around as much as they need to without hurting themselves; Take your spiritual activities from prayers, to fasting, etc. seriously, etc.
There are many options of what retirees can engage in to help them. It depends on their interests, purpose, capacity, and need for relatedness. In everything that a retiree does or hopes to do, it is important to be deliberate and alert. It is important to live and show the highest standards of purposefulness and disciplined living. Remember that many people, from your young family members to community members are looking up to and you can be an inadvertent model for good or bad. Stay vital, and happy, enjoy your company and the company of others, have places you can go to and maintain a fluid but deliberate schedule.
Next week we will take up Managing Relationships in retirement.
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