by Nina from MindGourmet

Revitalment instead of Retirement

Today, compared to decades ago, most people enjoy what Joan calls a unique stage of life full of opportunity between when the primary career is over, and true old age begins.

Through conducting interviews for her book, Joan found out that most of her conversation partners didn’t resonate with the word retirement. They found it to be negative. An intuitive moment brought the new word “revitalment” to her.

Navigating life transitions

Change happens all the time, yet we are often not very skilled in handling it. It’s usually hard for us to accept a new reality. Joan says “Human beings are wired to go with what is.” The first, big step in managing change is acknowledging the new reality.

When one thing changes, other things change as well. This can be quite unsettling. It helps to remember our resources and our strengths which are our anchor points in life. What can we draw upon that works in our lives and can make adapting to change easier? It might be relationships,savings, job skills or your good health.

The next step, recommends Joan, is taking manageable action with baby steps.

Finally, there needs to be positive reinforcement for ourselves. What do we love? A long talk on the phone, reading, a bath, a piece of chocolate – or whatever else represents joy to you.

Bringing your vitality out into the world

In our conversation, Joan goes into several of the building blocks from her book.

What’s very important, she shares, is going back to our essential selves. When you were a child, you were likely expressing who you really were. Connect back to your childhood self – what facets of your essence would you like to bring into your future? Which things did you love to do?

Another building block Joan talks about is that we are wired for connection. Connection gives us a vital life force. Indeed, we need social connection to stay both physically and emotionally healthy. Joan emphasizes: “We have to exercise that social flexibility muscle because we don’t always have the same people around and we need to learn to make new friends.”

Joan and I talked about so much more!

Enjoy our interview!

This is what you’ll learn from our conversation:

• • Joan’s journey – how she became who she is today and what led her to writing Building Blocks for the NEW Retirement – An easy, interactive 8-step guide for a retirement with meaning, purpose and fun (01:45)

• • Revitalment vs. Retirement – the new understanding of the time in life when we don’t work anymore.
    Joan explains what is different for today’s retirees compared to past generations (07:10)

• • The transition phase between work life and revitalment (11:10)

• • Why we resist change even if we desire it and how we can make change manageable (13:45)

• • Doing things in a new way (17:55)

• • Building Block #1: In the Beginning: Reclaiming your childhood interests. Setting the stage so we can enjoy the decades of vitality that we’ll most likely have after our work life ends (19:15)

• • Building Block #4: Your Life Force Never Retire. Time for personal growth
    The power of getting to the bottom of things (22:20)

• • Building Block #5: Ya Gotta Have Friends. And social connections of all sorts.
    We are wired for connection (25:40)

• • Building Block #6: Service, Community, Legacy, Giving back.
    Contribution and giving are key to happiness (30:00)

• • Building Block #8: Building an Action plan: For your NEW retirement.
    Creating a personal roadmap for an intentional and multi-faceted future (34:30)

• • Building Block #2: Your One Body: Care for it, appreciate it.
    Having gratitude for having so much of our youth inside instead of trying to reshape the outside (36:20)

• • More insight on the transition phase between work life and revitalment: reacquainting yourself to your natural rhythms, elder circles, and giving back (40:30)

Would you like to know more about Joan

Website

Book

Website