Many people will be retired for 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 or more years. That's a long period of time.
As we matured, we worked, raised a family, and had many mentors along the way - our parents, family members, teachers, friends, coaches, business associates, supervisors and managers. They all showed us the way, pointing out the pitfalls in life and helped to steer us around the traps. They encouraged and praised us and they helped guide our actions.
Now we are entering one of the most challenging yet exciting times of our life. Retirement is filled with adventure, change and the unknown. Faced with this new part of life, we can choose to jump into retirement with both feet, without any planning or discussion, or we can enter retirement fully prepared.
In a recent survey I conducted, it was found 84% of respondents reported they do not have a retirement mentor - someone who has successfully transitioned from work to life after work. In other words, many people are trying to figure out retirement without help from others.
To help ourselves, we need to acknowledge it is hard to have a great retirement without help. A mentor can help hone our thinking and provide ideas and options designed to achieve our retirement goals. In our quest for a mentor, think of one or two people you know who can serve as a mentor. It may be a family member, work colleague or friend, someone who already has created a successful retirement plan or who is already an admired retiree.
When considering a potential mentor, ask yourself the following questions:
1. Do I have the desire and ability to accept advice from this person?
2. Do I possess a positive attitude towards retirement?
3. Would I be appreciative of assistance and willing to risk trying ideas and approaches suggested by this person?
4. Would we be able to share interests and understandings as part of the relationship building process?
Once you have identified one or more potential mentors, meet with them individually to discuss the potential of establishing a mentor/mentee relationship. It may be as simple as meeting once every month or two to generally discuss your retirement progress or it may be complex as scheduling weekly or bi-weekly critiques of your retirement plan and actions.
The secret of a good mentor/mentee relationship is for both parties to work towards building an effective and satisfying closeness. Mentoring is similar to other important relationships in life: it must be nurtured to reach its full potential.
Mentor/mentee relationships require a commitment of time and energy by both the mentor and mentee if valued, worthwhile results are to be produced. With the proper mix of dedication and caution, mentoring can immensely enrich your retirement and your life.
Richard (Rick) Atkinson
Retirement Specialist
www.dontjustretire.com
twitter@dontjustretire
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