8 Steps to a Successful Do-It-Yourself Retirement Planning Retreat
As a business woman, I take an annual retreat each
December to reflect on the past year, review my three-year vision, and
plan the coming year. It was my brilliant Virtual Assistant Donna Gunter
who first turned me on to the idea, after she learned of the concept
from successful Business Coach Chris Barrow in the UK.
I've enjoyed my annual retreat tremendously. It's been incredibly useful
in helping me continually expand the outer of edges of what I think is
possible - in my business, and in my life.
It's worked so well, that I now encourage my clients to use an adapted
version of the retreat to help plan their encore lives, formerly known
as "retirement".
Here's how you can do it:
1. Book 3 days on your calendar. Sure you're busy, but we're
talking about planning the rest of your life, so carve out some quality
time for your retreat. Ideally it'll be three consecutive days, and at a
time of year when you can breathe a little easier. If you can't manage
three days in a row, spread them out over the month, but make sure that
they're three whole days. You'll need them.
2. Get away from life's distractions. A cabin in the woods or a
cottage by the beach would be terrific. Not in the cards? Don't let that
stop you. One year, I spent my retreat at the Williams College library,
one of the quietest public places I've ever been in. Leave the cell
phone at home, and if you're using a laptop, don't fire up the Internet.
3. Find a peaceful place to be. You'll want to be in a place
where you can quiet yourself enough to hear your Internal Guidance
System, or what I like to call your IGS. It's like the GPS in your car,
only better, because it'll never let you down. Your IGS is your own
wisdom, your deep inner knowing, and it's impossible to tune in to when
there's a lot of commotion in your space.
4. Ask yourself the really hard questions. Start with what kind
of a life do you really want? You'll want to answer this one as if money
is not an issue. Then, ask yourself what's enough . . . what do you
really need to be happy? And, finally who do you want to be in this next
stage of life? Have you spent decades turning yourself inside out being
what was expected of you in your work? Then you're ready to let the
"real" you out, and live your most authentic life.
5. Be brutally honest about the good, the bad, and the ugly of your
life. Writing down everything about your life that you really like
is a great place to start. But, don't stop there. Write down everything
you don't like about your life as it is right now in all arenas of your
life including health, purpose/work, play, love, relationships, money,
spirit, and any others you come up with. Then, flip each one of the
sentences on your "don't like" list into the positive, and you'll start
to clarify what you do want.
6. Write your ideal encore life vision. This is where you really
get to have some fun. Let go of your dinky thinking and really use your
imagination to create the best possible what's next in every arena of
your life. Keep working it until everything in this vision puts a great
big smile on your face.
7. Write your three-year vision. It doesn't matter if you're
"retiring" tomorrow or 5 years from now. Armed with your encore life
vision as your road map, write down what you would like to accomplish in
the next 36 months towards your vision. Know that this is a living,
breathing document that will continue to evolve and change at least once
a year at your annual retreat.
8. Create a 90-Day Goals List. Finally, you'll want to design
your action plan for the next three months. Take the seven (or more)
life arenas you worked with in number five, and create three goals for
each arena. Create a new 90-Day Goals list every quarter, and be sure to
mark it on your calendar, so you'll continue to be fueled toward your
encore life vision.
One of the advantages of this do-it-yourself retirement planning
retreat, is it offers you a terrific opportunity to think big, get in
touch with what's real for you, and start aligning your encore life with
the real you. Enjoy!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Encore Career Coach
Coach Lin Schreiber, author of the popular ABC's of Revolutionizing
Retirement, helps self-reliant women reinvent themselves in the next
stage of life, formerly known as "retirement," by designing a new encore
life that includes a fulfilling
encore
career. To claim your free Encore Career Starter Kit,
visit her site at =====>
http://www.EncoreCareerStarterKit.com
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