It's been 2 weeks now that I've been "retired" and I must admit that much of the time has been somewhat like "vacation" to play some golf, spend time with friends and, most importantly, with family. I've also tended to a few "chores" - but that is a continuously expanding list.With my recent "early retirement", I feel the need for reflection and to update my priorities for how I spend my time. Since working full-time as a resident of Maui wasn't the same as coming to Maui for vacation, we developed a routine that fit our lifestyle. Because full-time employment took a significant percentage of my waking hours, our focus for non-work hours generally included playing golf, enjoying time with family and friends, and getting involved with our new community.
There are so many items on my "mental list" of things to do, but I never seemed to find the time to do them - or I'd choose to do other things instead. There are also quite a few things that I wanted to be able to give more time than I could due to all the competing priorities. Now that I have all this "extra time", it would be easy to feel overwhelmed on where to start and what to do and end up accomplishing nothing. Likewise, it is also possible that I could find myself endlessly busy but with a life that is frivolous and without purpose. To avoid these outcomes - which I consider undesirable - I need to take time to reflect on my priorities in the context of a personal vision. Actually, it is likely to be a shared personal vision with my husband recognizing both our individual and shared perspectives. While I am not yet ready to declare my personal vision, I realize that having one will be helpful in keeping me grounded and fulfilled.
I have no intention, however, of making my retirement an endless vacation as much as that may sound like a good thing. There are too many things that are important or of interest to me that deserve time and attention which don't qualify as "vacation" activities, but then, they probably don't qualify as "work" either... so having a "personal vision" will become VERY important very soon to help provide discipline and structure.
The main reason for documenting and sharing this concept is to hold myself accountable for completing a personal vision. I intend to give myself time to explore what that means to me, but expect another writing to share my personal vision in the near future. In the meantime, I invite you to share with me your personal visions... or to share your thoughts and ideas for what might be included in a personal vision.
Deb: I had a few thoughts about your personal vision. First, I think it needs to be apirational. Not what you are now, but who you see yourself as 5-10 yrs from now. How do you see your life fullfilled years from now? Are you in service to others, what is your legacy to your family (emotionally, spiritually etc), what contributions will you make and what lasting imprint do you want to make or leave with your fellow human beings, are there professional aspirations yet to be fullfilled? I thought those questions will help you craft your personal vision that you can connect with for a long time.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Cindy
Very good questions to consider... thanks so much for reading and sharing!
ReplyDeleteI forgot to add that your personal vision should be aspirational but also ACTIONABLE and something you feel a deep connection to/with. I've done some leadership & personal coaching in consultant positions in the past and it's always very important as you're crafting your personal vision to always ask yourself if you're challenging or stretching yourself enough throughout this process.
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