Pre-retirement counseling is usually focused on financial matters. Having adequate financial resources is certainly necessary, but there is a lot more to being happy in retirement than money. Too many people pay attention only to how much money they will have to spend in retirement, and neglect to consider how much time they will have to spend in retirement.
The person who held the title of “the world’s oldest man” died recently. He had been retired for 50 years. Thinking about fifty years of retirement helps put the importance of “how will I spend my time” into perspective. With life spans increasing and significant effort being devoted to anti-aging research, spending time is likely to be a bigger challenge than spending money.
Human resource professionals know that many people delay retirement out of fear. Frequently, they fear making a change because they don’t know what to do next. Their fears can also include loss of identity, loss of social contacts, boredom, and loss of income. Pre-retirement counselors should be aware of the tools available for helping people plan the non-financial aspects of their retirement. These tools can serve as part of a solid preparation program -- helping those contemplating retirement to overcome their fears.
The right mix of enjoyable and interesting leisure activities will help people maintain a strong sense of identity and an active social network. Even their income needs can be supplemented by discovering appealing activities that include a financial reward. Although there is some general advice available about choosing retirement activities, there is no easy way to explore the many possibilities. That lack of capability leads many people to consider only a small set of familiar leisure activities.
One approach to helping people think about leisure activities is to break the activities down into categories. Such an organized structure could include categories for Collecting, Crafts, Creative Pursuits, Education, Entertainment, Games, Nature, Organizational Membership, Part-time Work, Sports & Exercise, and Volunteer Work. Although including Part-Time and Volunteer work might seem strange at first glance, the reality is that many people contemplating retirement plan to keep on working in some capacity. An abrupt transition from all work to all play is becoming less popular as baby boomers begin the retirement process. Thus it is important that work categories be included as an optional part of a comprehensive retirement plan.
Human Resource professionals can now provide a more balanced and complete pre-retirement counseling service to their fellow employees by helping them think through the many possible leisure activities available for their enjoyment. Savvy pre-retirement counselors can help others make the difficult retirement decision and discover fulfilling and rewarding ways to spend their retirement years.
Copyright 2006 Decision Time Tools, Inc. All rights reserved.
Dr. Wesley M. Du Charme and Kent McArthur are the founders of Decision Time Tools, Inc., and the creators of the Leisure Time Tool. This free tool, which can be found at http://Decisiontimetools.com, uses psychological measurement techniques to help people discover new and interesting leisure time activities. The Leisure Time ToolTM is a perfect fit for those contemplating retirement and for recent retirees who want to change their activity mix. It encompasses over 1200 leisure activities including volunteer and part-time work categories.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wesley_Du_Charme
