joy of retirement | The Joy of Retirement

Shifting from Pursuing Wealth Maximization to Pursuing Daily Joy!

The Dalai Lama says: “Many who are indifferent to any form of spiritual practice are materially well off in some developed countries, but even then they are completely unsatisfied. Although they are affluent they are not content. They suffer the anguish of wanting more, so that although they are materially wealthy, they are mentally poor. It is when they find that they cannot achieve whatever they wish for that the trouble really starts. They become depressed and anxiety creeps in. I have talked with some of my friends who are very wealthy, but because of their material outlook on life, they are absorbed by business and make no room for a practice, which might help them gain some perspective. In the process they actually lose the dream of happiness, which money was to have provided”

The word “practice” can be filled here with “mindfulness, meditation, religion, friends, family, love, reflection, hobbies, passion, simplicity, joy,” etc. The point is, in life and in retirement, we would do well to turn our focus from making money and pursuing material things to pursuing our own development, our joy, our own journey. In my words, a simple and dramatic Shift from Pursuing Wealth Maximization to Pursuing Daily Joy! (see, also, Breaking the Paradox)

Where do you find your Joy?! Is it in:
— reading, meditation, prayer?
— helping, serving others, volunteering?
— learning, pursuing new hobbies, home maintenance?
— exercise, sports, physical fitness, pushing your boundaries?
— socialization, travel, camping, RVing?
— exploring the arts, music, theatre?
— reflecting on the world in macro terms or micro perspective?
— connecting with people, old and new friends?

How can you commit to pursuing more of it, everyday?!

The Joy of Retirement comes from a combination of broad perspective and mindfulness of the moment!

Pursuing Daily Joy trains us to be in the moment even while growing and developing toward long term goals. The path emerges as you focus on each step — and the beauty and surprises of life will be welcomed with joy. Find a near term goal, short term purpose, or simply follow your heart, gut, or intuition.

In today’s day and age, it is more important than ever that we train or re-train ourselves to SHIFT GEARS and focus on the Daily Pursuit of Joy instead of the obsession with material pursuits; being in the moment, and energizing others by sharing our engagement and sincerity in every encounter. EnJoy the experience! Be Good. Do Good. Have Fun!

Start now… reflect and SHARE this and other posts from The Joy of Retirement with others just in time for Thanksgiving! Feel free to go back and read other pages about Ego, Mindfulness, Simplicity, Joy, and more and Share the Joy!

How do you you find daily joy?

If you have begun the Shift, what surprises you about this shift of gears from the pursuit of wealth to the pursuit of joy?!

Resources: The Way to Freedom (by the Dalai Lama), The Shift (by Wayne Dwyer)

I have three children. At any point in time, one tends to be an overachiever, one tends to be anxious or worried, and one tends to dwell with some resentment on the past…

The other day, after some morning chaos at home, I drove them to school and gave them an admittedly rambling lecture on “being present”. I said something like:

While we can reflect on the past and learn from our failures, we should not dwell on regrets about the past;
While we can be excited about the future and think about it’s opportunities, we should not miss enjoying things today because we are too busy worrying or being anxious about the future;
Instead, we need to try to stay focused on the present, what we are doing now, what we are feeling, being aware of the people and beauty around us;
Life doesn’t happen in the future or in the past but HERE and NOW, so we should try to stay focused on the here and now and truly enjoy every moment – we don’t want to miss it – we want to be present in our life!

I wasn’t proud. I felt like my ad lib description had been a bit rambling and had not likely landed for my kids. Then, to my amazement, my youngest, who I thought to have been barely listening from the backseat, said, “It’s like the peace reflection we said this week!”

“What?” I asked, surprised she might have heard let alone comprehended what I had said.

“Well, every morning this week on the school announcement system they have read a poem that says:

Yesterday is History,

Tomorrow’s a Mystery,

Today is a Gift,

That’s why it’s called the Present”

I picked my jaw up from the floor and swerved back onto the road!

My son confirmed, since he was the kid doing announcements at school, this was indeed the poem he had read over the loudspeakers all week. We were able to discuss ideas as a family of how to remind ourselves to be focused on the present and treat as many moments as possible “a gift”. We could appreciate big things and small in nature, be even more aware of the people around us, be conscious and aware of our feelings and our actions. It was a great and lively discussion!

It was yet another moment where I was so appreciative to be spending precious time with my children instead of rushing frantically to work.

Interestingly, when I dropped my kids off at school, my youngest asked me to walk her to her classroom. Being in the moment, I agreed and we walked hand-in-hand through the school grounds.

When we reached her classroom, I knelt down to say goodbye to her. She gave me a big hug and even a kiss, something she rarely does in public. Then, as she walked away she turned and called out “I love you, Daddy!” and continued on her way…

…Mindfulness certainly has it’s privileges!

hand-in-hand — Love is… being present with one another.

The Joy of Retirement

Tag Archives: joy of retirement

Making the Shift toward Joy and Thanksgiving!

Shifting from Pursuing Wealth Maximization to Pursuing Daily Joy!

Mindfulness has it’s privileges!

Early Retirement Starts Now!