“Happiness is a by-product. You cannot pursue it by itself“
Sam Levenson
As we approach retirement, much time is spent daydreaming about a life of leisure when we have no one to answer to but ourselves. Happiness seems inevitable when we are in charge of our own destiny. It is common to spend the years approaching retirement creating a plan so your financial house is in order, but less common to create a mission statement describing the purpose for the next stage of your life.
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In business, a mission statement is created to describe the purpose of the organization and spells out the goals and direction for a company. With a personal mission statement, you can create an intentional direction for your life.In the twenty years I have been advising retirees, I have found that the biggest determinant of their happiness in retirement is discovering their purpose. This can be anything from spending time with family and friends, pursuing a hobby, volunteering to starting a new career. Those who are the most thoughtful about how they will be spending their golden years seem to enjoy life to the fullest.
A wonderful web site I have recently discovered is https://www.theonequestion.com/. It includes a wealth of information from a test to discover your purpose, to links to articles, books and interviews so each of us can discover our own passion and begin to live a truly fulfilling life. It’s never too late to start!
By Chris Carleton, CFP®